How much funding did Operational Energy Prototyping get in the FY2027 budget request?

Defense-Wide agencies requested $53.5M for Operational Energy Prototyping in fiscal year 2027 under RDT&E program element 0604555D8Z (Budget Activity 4).

Did Congress cut Operational Energy Prototyping funding for FY2027?

In the FY2027 NDAA, House approps authorized $63.2M, an increase of $9.7M (18%) versus the request.

Operational Energy Prototyping · PE 0604555D8Z Budget (FY2027)

FY2027 Request

$53.5M

▼ 18% vs FY2026

House approps mark

$63.2M

▼ $9.7M vs request

FY2026 Enacted

$65.5M

In law

For fiscal year 2027, Defense-Wide agencies are requesting $53.5M for Operational Energy Prototyping under RDT&E program element 0604555D8Z, down 18% from FY2026. In the FY2027 defense authorization, House approps moved to raise it to $63.2M.

Funding trajectory

Funding profile, FY2025–FY2031

Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure.

Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)

Fiscal Year	Estimate Type	Amount ($M)
FY2025	Actual	48.7
FY2026	Enacted	65.5
FY2027	Request	53.5
FY2028	Outyear	54.3
FY2029	Outyear	55.3
FY2030	Outyear	56.5
FY2031	Outyear	57.6

Where it sits

Acquisition lifecycle

This program is funded in RDT&E Budget Activity 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes.

Complete

Research

BA 1–2

Complete

Advanced Technology

BA 3

Current

Prototyping

BA 4

Later

Development & Fielding

BA 5–7

Inside the program element

1 project rolls up into PE 0604555D8Z

Projects are the summable leaves — the PE total is their sum, never added to it. Program elements and projects carry the full five-year plan; activities stop at the budget year. This PE moves -18% overall, which can hide much larger swings below.

Project 035

Operational Energy Prototyping

$53.5MFY2027 request ▼ 18%

FY2025 actual$48.7M

FY2026 enacted$65.5M

FY2027 request$53.5M

SupportTest and Evaluation

The Operational Energy Prototyping Fund (OEPF) provides advanced energy solutions for decisive capabilities in the expeditionary environment, like proliferated drones and tactical AI, by accelerating power and energy technology transition to the warfighter. Through rapid, warfighter-centric prototyping, OEPF de-risks acquisition and enables data-driven investment. This proven model accelerates capability delivery by more than two years and has successfully transitioned over 80% of its projects to Service acquisition programs, Combatant Commands, industry, or other partners. In addition to core program activities, OEPF also executes projects responding to specific congressional interest items (CIIs). OEPF manages these initiatives, including efforts in field-based airborne power generation, forward aerial refueling point upgrades, and laser wireless power beaming, in full alignment with its proven model. OEPF manages CIIs with the same rigor as its core projects, applying its proven principles of warfighter-centric prototyping and data-driven evaluation. This ensures these investments successfully transition meaningful capabilities to the Joint Force.

Accomplishments / planned programs (R-2A) — prior, current and budget year only

Operational Energy Prototyping▼ 2%

FY2025 actual$48.7M

FY2026 enacted$54.3M

FY2027 request$53.5M

FY 2027 projects focus on accelerating the acquisition of energy solutions needed to support modern capabilities in operational environments. Projected efforts include: - Prototyping and demonstrating low-cost aerodynamic modifications that increase the operational range and endurance of several military aircraft fleets. - Demonstrating…

Read the FY2027 plan →

Congressional action

The request is contested

Committee marks on the FY2027 request. Adds and cuts are reconciled in conference before they become law.

RequestPresident's Budget

$53.5M

House NDAA (HASC)HASC

$93.5M +$40.0M · +75%

Senate NDAA (SASC)SASC

$93.5M +$40.0M · +75%

House Approps (HAC-D)HAC_D

$63.2M +$9.7M · +18%

▲ $30.3M chamber gap — unresolved as of 2026-07-27. These are FY2027 authorization marks (NDAA); appropriations and the conference agreement may differ.

Who's building it

Where the FY2027 request goes

Performers named in the R-3 exhibit, resolved into industry, government-lab, and unspecified shares. Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations.

Where FY2027 funding flows	Share	$M
Other / unspecified	100%	53.5
FY2027 request	100%	53.5

Program detail

Mission & acquisition strategy

The Operational Energy Prototyping Fund (OEPF) addresses joint operational energy needs and requirements that enhance warfighter lethality and survivability. Modern battlefield capabilities require ever-increasing amounts of power and energy to maintain advantage, including new investment in directed energy, electronic warfare, proliferated drones, energy sensing, and artificial intelligence at the tactical edge along with traditional operational energy investment in maneuver forces’ platforms and individual warfighters. The OEPF program provides a solutions pipeline for next-generation power and energy technologies, delivering them on warfighter-relevant timelines.

OEPF works with service-specific Programs Of Record (PORs) to ensure funded projects transition into acquisition programs. The ASW(EI&E) approach integrates across the entire joint operational energy community, ensuring Joint Forces are integrating warfighting lessons from current conflicts related to power and energy and have the energy needed to fight and win in contested environments. ASW(EI&E) collaborations include the service energy offices, service acquisition and requirements offices, Combatant Commands, DoW and National laboratories, industry, academia, and other DoW innovation programs. Each year, the Combatant Commands and the Services’ Program Executive Offices (PEO) propose projects which improve warfighter capability.

Project 035 — Operational Energy Prototyping

Support
Test and Evaluation

Ask Hitch

Ask this program element

Answers are generated from the figures on this page — the FY2027 justification exhibits and the marks tracked above — and nothing else is consulted. Confirm any figure against the cited exhibit before you use it externally.

Questions this page can answer

How does the FY2027 request compare with FY2026, and what does the five-year plan show?What did House approps do to this request, and what is still unresolved?How is the FY2027 request split between industry and government performers?In plain terms, what is this program element for and how is it being acquired?

This page carries the budget justification and the NDAA marks — nothing else. For what a contractor has actually been obligated, the ledger is at hitchintel.com/vendors; for live solicitations, hitchintel.com/opportunities. Both are member surfaces.

Provenance

Cite this page

Sources

FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification · Exhibits R-2 / R-3 · PE 0604555D8Z (President's Budget PB2027) — and FY2027 NDAA committee marks, as tracked 2026-07-27.

Suggested citation

HitchAI, "Operational Energy Prototyping (PE 0604555D8Z)," federal budget intelligence, PB2027 vintage. hitchintel.com/programs/0604555D8Z

Machine access

Markdown twin /programs/0604555D8Z.md · MCP mcp.hitchintel.com → budget_get_program_element, budget_get_cong_marks