What the FY2027 request buys
Verbatim from the R-2A exhibit for project 3380 of PE 0604282N. This is the budget justification's own description of work that has not happened yet — the one thing no other level of the budget carries.
Continue execution of the NGJ-LB EMD contract focusing on pod (hardware and software) development and award a contract modification (EMD Phase 2), capturing additional scope required to meet CDD threshold and achieve Initial Operational Capability (IOC) by 3rd Quarter FY 2030. EMD Phase 2 includes the award of (6) Systems Demonstration Test Articles (SDTA) NGJ-LB pods, accelerates the delivery of 8 Operational Prototype Pods for an Early Operational Capability in 4Q FY 2029, supportability, logistics requirements and captures additional Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) to meet CDD threshold. FY 2027 includes delivery of two (2) aeromechanical test pods and two (2) mission systems test pods, and material invoices associated with SDTA pods. Provide aeromechanical flight test analysis to support flight clearances and envelope expansion. Support correction of deficiencies found during aeromechanical and mission systems chamber and flight test. Deliver PSE to support flight test. Continue to support EA-18G CIDD build and training materials in cooperation with the EA-18G aircraft OEM. Continue Advanced Development of hardware and software to meet emerging threats that must be addressed within the EMD phase.
Funding increases from FY 2026 to FY 2027 to support invoices, which must be paid upon delivery, for significant hardware items such as NGJ Pod Simulators, 4 test pods, early OPP material and additional EMD Phase 2 scope to reach full CDD requirements and Milestone C. Program leveraged Cooperative funding contributions from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) to fund EMD execution through FY 2026, which is not reflected in this budget.
FY2026: the year under way
Prior-year accomplishments and current-year plans from the same exhibit. Context for the FY2027 plan, not a series — an activity partitions its project exactly in the request year, but can under-cover it in earlier years.
Continue execution of the NGJ-LB EMD contract focusing on pod (hardware and software) design, development which will support system performance specification verification, subsystem qualification, and support interim flight clearance for pod testing. Continue build of two (2) mission systems test pods and deliver (2) captive mass models for aeromechanical flight test, which will reflect any design updates required from aeromechanical test and analysis to assist with future mission systems pod testing. Continue development of PSE, provide data to support EA-18G CIDD build and training materials in cooperation with the EA-18G aircraft OEM. Continue Advanced Development of hardware and software to meet emerging threats that must be addressed within the EMD phase.
Three years, and no five-year plan
An R-2A activity publishes the prior year, the current year and the budget year. The FYDP outyears exist at project and program-element level and are deliberately absent here rather than inferred. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure.
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 63.8 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 133.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 322.6 |
This activity is 65% of project 3380's FY2027 request and 65% of PE 0604282N's. In the request year the activities under a project sum to it exactly; in the current year they under-cover it in about 9% of cases, so an activity's delta can legitimately exceed its parent's and the two must not be compared row to row.
5 activities in project 3380
Every R-2A line of this project, largest FY2027 request first. Linked where the activity has enough of its own narrative to carry a page; the rest are shown in full on the program-element page.