# Advanced Tanker Systems — Program Element 0604343F

**Program element:** 0604343F  
**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/0604343F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force requests $13.0M in FY2027 against nothing enacted in FY2026, 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 added 38% (to $18.0M). AFLCMC leads the industry work.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 0.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 13.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 13.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 13.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 13.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 13.3 |

> 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 | 13.0 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 13.0 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 13.0 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 18.0 | +5.0 |

> 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 640013 | Advanced Tanker Systems | 0.0 | 0.0 | 13.0 | new start |

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

### Project 640013 — Advanced Tanker Systems

Advanced Tanker Systems (ATS) is a continuation of the efforts previously started in PE 0605057F, Next Generation Air-refueling System (NGAS). Developing future tanker capability and recapitalizing the Air Force's aging tanker fleet is a top priority for the Department of the Air Force, in direct support of the National Defense Strategy's vision of ‘Peace Through Strength.' The pacing challenge and the operational realities of the Indo-Pacific theater demand a paradigm shift in aerial refueling. The current tanker fleet, designed for uncontested airspace, presents a critical vulnerability. Its reliance on large, centralized basing and its significant electronic and physical signature make it a high-value target, jeopardizing the Joint Force's ability to project power and sustain high-tempo operations over vast distances. ATS directly addresses this capability gap, evolving aerial refueling from a simple logistics function into a resilient, combat-enabling capability. The FY 2024 NGAS Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) provided conclusions that tankers will need to be more survivable to operate in a contested environment. ATS is a modernization program designed to improve the connectivity, survivability, and overall viability of the Department of War's current and future tanker fleets. The program directly addresses the challenges of operating in highly-contested, near-peer environments by ensuring the tanker fleet can effectively support the Joint Force's global reach, power projection, and persistence. ATS will focus on developing and integrating platform-agnostic systems that comply with military open-source architecture standards, ensuring rapid adaptability and interoperability across platforms. Program activities will be executed using a modern, digital acquisition framework. This includes the extensive use of digital engineering and modeling, rapid prototyping, and iterative requirements refinement based on continuous market research and post-AoA studies. This agile approach is designed to mature and de-risk critical technologies before they are integrated, accelerating development timelines while reducing lifecycle costs. ATS program funding provides for technology transfer, maturation, and prototyping across four main lines of effort, all of which are critical to the long-term viability of the tanker enterprise.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** AFLCMC (5.0, 39%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Tanker Systems (ATS) Operational Concept Refinement | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8.0 |
| ATS Direct Mission Support | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.0 |

> 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 | 39% | 5.0 |
| Other / unspecified | 61% | 8.0 |

**Top named industry performers:** AFLCMC ($5.0M, 39%).

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

Advanced Tanker Systems (ATS) is a continuation of the efforts previously started in PE 0605057F, Next Generation Air-refueling System (NGAS). Developing future tanker capability and recapitalizing the Air Force's aging tanker fleet is a top priority for the Department of the Air Force, in direct support of the National Defense Strategy's vision of ‘Peace Through Strength.' The pacing challenge and the operational realities of the Indo-Pacific theater demand a paradigm shift in aerial refueling. The current tanker fleet, designed for uncontested airspace, presents a critical vulnerability.

The ATS acquisition strategy is based on a top-down capabilities development planning and oversight framework. Cross-functional teams will conduct analyses, demonstrations, and experiment to quantify the operational value of alternative concepts and technologies to provide solutions to current and future capability gaps. Additional details cannot be provided at this classification level.

## Related program elements

- [0605164F — Continued Tanker Recapitalization RDT&E](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605164F) (Air Force)
- [0207110F — F-47](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0207110F) (Air Force)
- [0604181C — Hypersonic Defense](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604181C) (Defense-Wide)
- [0605514M — Ground BASED Anti-ship Missile](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605514M) (Navy)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604343F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604343F")`.

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