# Direct Strike Penetrator Systems — Program Element 0604327F

**Program element:** 0604327F  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604327F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force funding ramps 31% to a $186.4M request in FY2027 — the program's peak, before stepping down 100% across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full. ALFCMC/EBD leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 120.2 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 142.7 |
| FY2027 | Request | 186.4 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 126.9 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 39.6 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 0.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 0.0 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 186.4 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 186.4 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 186.4 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 186.4 | +0.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (1)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 645341 | Direct Strike Penetrator Systems | 120.2 | 142.7 | 186.4 | +31% |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project 645341 — Direct Strike Penetrator Systems

The Direct Strike Penetrator Systems program develops and modifies a family of advanced precision-guided penetrator munitions to include evaluation of integrated technologies for the development/integration of advanced position, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities (i.e., Global Positioning System (GPS), non-GPS, optical, passive, active, etc.) and smart fuze systems, and all penetrator components, that will provide the Air Force with improved ability to attack Hard and Deeply Buried Targets (HDBT), such as bunker and tunnel facilities, using air-to-surface conventional munitions. Systems developed include but are not limited to Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), GBU-72 Advanced 5,000-lb Penetrator Weapon System (A5K), and Section 804 Rapid Prototype/Rapid Fielding activities. Systems developed will be integrated onto current and future platforms to reduce the number of weapons required to hold HDBTs at risk and will result in more targets engaged per mission flown. Direct Strike Penetrators will provide critical global strike capability not met by inventory conventional weapons and will hold at risk the best protected high value assets essential to an enemy's war fighting ability. The project also provides an opportunity to quickly insert emerging technologies into existing and developing aircraft munitions and fuzes. A Hard Target Munitions (HTM) Analysis-of-Alternatives (AoA) was conducted in 2014 to determine the best weapons and/or development efforts for addressing the HDBT mission area. The HTM AoA determined that it was necessary to develop a family of HTMs in order to apply effects to the entire range of HDBT sets. The Air Force is using the AoA to develop, produce and modify HDBT weapons identified as the most effective and affordable. Modeling and simulation is used to assess and characterize current inventory and to drive design and explore the utility of new classes of penetrator munitions. This program element included all necessary expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program elements 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605833F, and 0605898F. This program leverages digital acquisition tenets of open, agile, and digital.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** ALFCMC/EBD (8.4, 4.5%), Boeing (6.2, 3.3%), AFLCMC/EBD (4.8, 2.5%), DTRA (4.0, 2.1%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Next Generation Penetrator | 107.1 | 72.2 | 169.4 |
| Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) Modification (Mod) | 13.0 | 70.4 | 17.0 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Industry primes | 14% | 26.9 |
| Other / unspecified | 86% | 159.5 |

**Top named industry performers:** ALFCMC/EBD ($8.4M, 4.5%), Boeing ($6.2M, 3.3%), AFLCMC/EBD ($4.8M, 2.5%), DTRA ($4.0M, 2.1%).

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The Direct Strike Penetrator Systems program develops and modifies a family of advanced precision-guided penetrator munitions to include evaluation of integrated technologies for the development/integration of advanced position, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities (i.e., Global Positioning System (GPS), non-GPS, optical, passive, active, etc.) and smart fuze systems, and all penetrator components, that will provide the Air Force with improved ability to attack Hard and Deeply Buried Targets (HDBT), such as bunker and tunnel facilities, using air-to-surface conventional munitions.

NGP is a 24-month effort that uses industry standard M&S tools to help design, develop and demonstrate a new 20K+ lb. class penetrator and new tail kit to engage HDBTs per OSW Nov 2023 digital design guidance. Prototype Air to Ground penetrator with equivalent or better MOP performance. MOP MOD utilizes contracts managed by government partners such as the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and White Sands Missile Range for target construction and test support. MOP MOD establishes sole source cost type contracts for flight test support, modeling and simulation activities, and software improvements to increase performance of accuracy and lethality within the MOP weapon system.

## Related program elements

- [0101125F — Nuclear Weapons Modernization](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0101125F) (Air Force)
- [0401319F — VC-25B](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0401319F) (Air Force)
- [1203040SF — Defensive Cyber Ops - Space](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1203040SF) (Space Force)
- [0604501N — Advanced Above Water Sensors](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604501N) (Navy)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604327F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604327F")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*