# Rapid Prototyping Program — Program Element 0604331D8Z

**Program element:** 0604331D8Z  
**Component:** Defense-Wide  
**Appropriation:** 0400 — RDT&E, Defense-Wide  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604331D8Z

## Summary

Defense-Wide requests $238.8M in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House added 29% (to $308.8M); the Senate added 59% (to $378.8M); House appropriators added 13% (to $268.8M). MULTI leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 67.4 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 232.6 |
| FY2027 | Request | 238.8 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 339.4 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 336.7 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 254.9 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 274.1 |

> 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 | 238.8 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 308.8 | +70.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 378.8 | +140.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 268.8 | +30.0 |

> 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 638 | Rapid Prototyping Program | 67.4 | 232.6 | 238.8 | +3% |

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

### Project 638 — Rapid Prototyping Program

The Rapid Prototyping Program (RPP) develops prototypes to deliver capabilities, inform requirements, and bridge the gap between RDT&E activities and fieldable solutions. RPP facilitates and accelerates joint, cross-cutting prototyping efforts within the Services and Defense Agencies. This program has the agility to select, fund, and implement projects in the year of execution as new opportunities or threats emerge. In consultation with the Service Science and Technology (S&T) executives, selected projects generally receive a single year of funding to accelerate capability transition to Services’ and Agencies’ programs of record. Projects deemed critical by the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (USW(R&E)), the Joint Staff, and the Combatant Commands receive higher amounts of funding across multiple years. Planned funding supports the Joint Warfighting Concept (JWC), the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering's (OUSW(R&E)) critical technology areas, and Service and Agency needs to enable rapid response to emergent and time-sensitive threats.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** MULTI (238.8, 100%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terrestrial Electronic Surveillance (Sensors and Data Analytics) | 3.1 | — | — |
| Multi-domain Unmanned Secure Integrated Communications (MUSIC) (Resilient Communications) | 5.5 | 10.0 | — |
| Multi-domain Autonomous Tactical Expendable Radio (MATER) (Resilient Communications) | 4.7 | — | — |
| Wolfpack (Weapons Kinetic/Non-Kinetic Effects) | 5.1 | — | — |
| Swarming Prototype Attack Unmanned Aerial Systems (Collaborative Multi-Domain Autonomy) | 14.0 | — | — |
| Stratospheric Payload Development and Maturation (Collaborative Multi-Domain Autonomy) | 7.6 | 20.0 | — |
| Low Cost Short Range Air Defense (LSHORAD) Experimentation (Weapons Kinetic/Non-Kinetic Effects) | 2.8 | — | — |
| Project Ariel (Weapons Kinetic/Non-Kinetic Effects) | 2.0 | — | — |
| Resilient Affordable Satellite communications Terminal (RAST) (Resilient Communications) | 2.1 | — | — |
| Tallneck (Weapons Kinetic/Non-Kinetic Effects) | 1.3 | 2.5 | — |
| Cryptid Stare (Weapons Kinetic/Non-Kinetic Effects) | 2.3 | — | — |
| Bamboozled (Weapons Kinetic/Non-Kinetic Effects) | 1.4 | — | — |
| Small Platform Aerial Strike Munition (SPASM) (Collaborative Multi-Domain Autonomy) | 2.7 | — | — |
| Tibanna CUAS Assessment (Sensors & Data Analytics) | 7.9 | — | — |
| Small Lightweight Interceptor with Cost Efficiency (SLICE) (Weapons Kinetic/Non-Kinetic Effects) | 1.0 | 15.0 | — |
| LSHORAD Prototyping (Weapons Kinetic/Non-Kinetic Effects) | 4.0 | — | — |
| Mines and Fast Attack Craft (Collaborative Multi-Domain Autonomy) | — | 4.0 | — |
| Kill Web Interoperability | — | 9.8 | 9.8 |
| Resilient Communications | — | 8.6 | 14.3 |
| Sensors and Data Analytics | — | 11.5 | 34.2 |
| Collaborative Multi-Domain Autonomy | — | 7.0 | 13.1 |
| Contested Logistics / Sustainment | — | 12.0 | 4.5 |
| Weapons Kinetic / Non-Kinetic Effects | — | 16.5 | 16.3 |
| Emerging Prototypes and Enablers | — | 10.0 | 4.3 |
| Advanced Energetics Prototyping and Demonstration | — | 25.0 | 30.0 |
| High Reliability Cluster Munitions (HRCM) Development and Demonstration | — | 80.8 | 112.2 |

> 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 | 100% | 238.8 |

**Top named industry performers:** MULTI ($238.8M, 100%).

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The Rapid Prototyping Program (RPP) supports the Department's initiatives to Defend the Homeland, Build Sustainable and Long-Term Advantage, and Build a Resilient Joint Force and Defense Ecosystem. RPP supports the rapid development of prototypes within 12-to-24 months to address joint urgent and emergent needs identified through ideation with the Joint Staff, Combatant Commands, or Secretary of War guidance. Prototype requirements are developed using threat-informed physics-based mission analyses and are evaluated under the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Mission Capabilities’ (OASW(MC)) campaign of experimentation, resulting in military utility assessments.

RPP leverages the Services’ and Defense Agencies' most efficient and effective acquisition approaches for rapid prototyping. This includes using Other Transaction Authorities and new or existing contract vehicles.

## Related program elements

- [0208030F — Operational Weaponeering and Analysis](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0208030F) (Air Force)
- [0603838D8Z — Defense Innovation Acceleration (DIA)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603838D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [1206895C — Ballistic Missile Defense System Space Programs](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206895C) (Defense-Wide)
- [0207136F — F-16 HARM Targeting Sys](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0207136F) (Air Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604331D8Z (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604331D8Z")`.

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