# Prototyping — Program Element 0604336F

**Program element:** 0604336F  
**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/0604336F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force funding ramps 115% to a $91.6M request in FY2027, sustained 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. NNSA/SNL leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 37.7 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 42.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 91.6 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 71.4 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 94.4 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 96.2 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 98.2 |

> 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 | 91.6 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 91.6 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 91.6 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 91.6 | +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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 643360 | Prototyping | 37.7 | 42.5 | 91.6 | +115% |

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

### Project 643360 — Prototyping

The Air-delivered Nuclear Delivery System project addresses a United States Strategic Command capability gap resulting from a Congressionally-directed study which led to endorsement of the Department of War's Deputy's Management Action Group and initiation of this project. The Department of Air Force is working with the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration and its National Laboratories to quickly develop and demonstrate a prototype air-delivered system based on fielded technologies to close this gap in the near term. The project requires close Department of Air Force and Department of Energy interagency coordination to produce a prototype that will enable rapid transition to a fielded system. Early development will include modeling and simulation analysis of several Nuclear Explosive Package options to refine the proposed Nuclear Explosive Package. The Air-Delivered Nuclear Delivery System must meet nuclear weapon's environmental standards from storage to weapon detonation, while meeting reliability and target defeat requirements. The Air Force, via cross-agency partnerships, will provide test resources to include ground test facilities, F-15E test aircraft, and B-2 test aircraft, and will work with the aircraft Program Offices to identify aircraft integration requirements including any potential Operational Flight Program software and hardware changes. The Air Force will procure and provide the National Nuclear Security Administration with the components necessary to produce Prototype Weapon Assemblies for capturing environments and demonstrating functionality in high-fidelity ground and air tests. Ground tests may include static ejection, vibration and thermal, linear acceleration subscale tests, Davis Gun tests, sled tests, and other environments testing. Flight tests will be performed by Air Force F-15E developmental flight test aircraft, with final prototype demonstrations planned to fly on B-2 aircraft. Considerations in the development of the prototype include nuclear surety, maintenance and logistics, refinement of requirements (Military Characteristics), and producibility.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** NNSA/SNL (33.3, 36%), NNSA/LANL (28.8, 31%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air-Delivered Nuclear Delivery System | 37.7 | 42.5 | 91.6 |

> 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 | 68% | 62.0 |
| Government labs & warfare centers | 10% | 9.4 |
| Other / unspecified | 22% | 20.1 |

**Top named industry performers:** NNSA/SNL ($33.3M, 36%), NNSA/LANL ($28.8M, 31%).

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The Air-delivered Nuclear Delivery System project addresses a United States Strategic Command capability gap resulting from a Congressionally-directed study which led to endorsement of the Department of War's Deputy's Management Action Group and initiation of this project. The Department of Air Force is working with the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration and its National Laboratories to quickly develop and demonstrate a prototype air-delivered system based on fielded technologies to close this gap in the near term.

The Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico will be managing and executing the Air-Delivered Nuclear Delivery System project through a government-led team and in collaboration with the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration and its National Laboratories. Development of the prototype includes contractors outside the traditional National Nuclear Security Administration production agencies to produce developmental hardware and to avoid impacting nuclear warhead Programs of Record. When completed, this project will transition into Development Engineering with the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

## Related program elements

- [1206458SF — Tech Transition (Space)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206458SF) (Space Force)
- [0206335M — Common Aviation Command and Control Sys (CAC2S)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0206335M) (Navy)
- [0603923D8Z — Coalition Warfare Program (CWP)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603923D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [1203173SF — R&D Space & Missile Operations](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1203173SF) (Space Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604336F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604336F")`.

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