# Requirements Analysis & Concept Maturation — Program Element 0604609F

**Program element:** 0604609F  
**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/0604609F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force funding ramps 233% to a $57.6M 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.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 12.2 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 17.3 |
| FY2027 | Request | 57.6 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 68.6 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 92.6 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 132.6 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 173.0 |

> 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 | 57.6 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 57.6 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 57.6 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 57.6 | +0.0 |

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

## Projects (3)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 640011 | Architecture & Integration Core Ops and Gap Assessment | 9.4 | 9.9 | 57.6 | +483% |
| 640012 | Maturation and Modernization | 2.8 | 2.9 | 0.0 | −100% |
| 646090 | Hard and Deeply Buried Targets (HDBT) | 0.0 | 4.5 | 0.0 | −100% |

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

### Project 640011 — Architecture & Integration Core Ops and Gap Assessment

This Project performs core Planning for Development activities, maturing candidate concepts derived from USAF Force Design and Department of War (DoW) priorities to accelerate acquisition timelines, reduce technology risks, demonstrate integration, and deliver potential solutions to address warfighting needs. Key activities include Capability Based Assessments (CBA), analytic refinement studies similar to Analysis of Alternatives (AoA), and other pre-Milestone A planning to determine operational viability and prepare for transition to a Program of Record (PoR), often before a program office is established. It utilizes modern digital tools and methodologies to create a data-driven decision space for concepts not yet mature enough for formal acquisition decisions. These efforts produce technical descriptions that include open systems architectures, industrial base analysis, and initial product support plans to enable future acquisition, testing, and training. The goal is to deliver high-confidence initial designs, performance estimations, and risk identification in coordination with Department of the Air Force (DAF) priorities within a multi-level security structure. It supports the development of single-domain, multi-domain, and system-of-systems solutions. This may include developing contracting structures to foster a competitive industrial base. This Project includes execution on a broad-scope weaponeering analysis effort, "Ensemble Analysis”, of layered and sequenced weapons effects to inform, shape, and guide counter-HDBT employment and acquisition decisions, as well as any follow-on analysis efforts. Program management support costs including, but not limited to, hardware, software, travel, contractor support services, civilian pay, supplies, facilities, and infrastructure. 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 requirement supports performance of a full financial audit as required by title 10 U.S.C. Chapter 9A, Sec 240-D.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability Development Core Ops | 9.4 | 9.9 | 57.6 |
| Capability Development System Attribute Definition and Acquisition Planning | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |

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

### Project 640012 — Maturation and Modernization

This Project previously focused specifically on refinement and maturation of candidate concepts derived from the Force Design and Capability Development Executive Officer (CDEO) priorities to inform Planning for Development decisions. These maturation activities accelerate acquisition timelines, reduce technology risks, demonstrate integration and delivers potential solutions to address warfighting needs. Use of modern digital tools and methodologies render quality data-driven decision space. Results from these activities inform or refine concepts that are not mature enough for acquisition decisions to determine operational viability and/or progress to further Planning for Development. Starting in FY 2025 this Project will no longer be used, realigning these activities under Project 640011 to improve efficiency and prevent duplication of work. This realignment ensures all efforts are properly managed within a unified capability development framework. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver capabilities. The use of such program's funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program element 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605833F, 0605898F.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maturation and Modernization | 2.8 | 2.9 | 0.0 |

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

### Project 646090 — Hard and Deeply Buried Targets (HDBT)

This Project conducts an Office of the Secretary of War (OSW)-directed, Air Force-led effort addressing the Hard and Deeply Buried Targets (HDBT) problem set and recommendations in the National HDBT Strategy. A broad-scope weaponeering analysis and concept refinement effort to develop a threat-informed, technically rigorous, and disciplined understanding of how current and emerging strike capabilities can be combined effectively to engage sophisticated underground military complexes, as reported by the Intelligence Community. Informs Department of War (DoW)-wide intelligence, operational, and acquisition decision space to enable a full spectrum counter-HDBT kill chain, expanding the range of options to hold the most difficult HDBTs at risk. The data and analysis generated may be used in a future Analysis of Alternatives (AoA). Evaluation of the current munition inventory baseline as well as near-term acquisitions will also drive focused S&T demand signals for desired attributes that will be captured and distributed via appropriate channels. These funds may cover, but are not limited to, hardware, software, travel, personnel and other costs needed to accomplish the mission. This also includes program support and operational support costs necessary to further the program up until the standup of a PoR. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver HDBT capabilities. The use of such program's funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program element 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605833F, or 0605898F.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard and Deeply Buried Targets (HDBT) | 0.0 | 4.5 | 0.0 |

> 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Other / unspecified | 100% | 57.6 |

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

Capability Development activities are directed and prioritized by the Air Force's Chief Modernization Officer to be responsive to Air Force priorities and Force Design. It provides the analytic, technical, and programmatic rigor necessary to address capability gaps and opportunities to refine, mature, and prepare future programs of record, thereby prioritizing and accelerating the transition of capabilities in collaboration with operational stakeholders. The Capability Development Enterprise (CDE) is focused on maturing and transitioning high-impact warfighting capabilities aligned to Air Force Future Force Design.

An Ensemble Analysis was implemented in FY 2025 to further identify and understand counter-HDBT capability gaps and inform the Air Force and DoW acquisition strategy. The approach for the Ensemble Analysis for HDBT defeat: 1) Synthesize current state-of-the-art, including past research and validated capability requirements, 2) Conduct a holistic study to examine and recommend solutions for all dimensions of HDBT defeat considering nuclear, conventional, and non-kinetic effects, to include layering of two or more of those effects, and 3) inform and drive follow-on AoAs to provide concrete trade space characterization and acquisition strategy recommendations for each of the three effect categories.

## Related program elements

- [0606017F — Requirements Analysis and Maturation](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0606017F) (Air Force)
- [0604858F — Tech Transition Program](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604858F) (Air Force)
- [0603178N — (U)LARGE UNMANNED SURFACE VESSELS (LUSVs)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603178N) (Navy)
- [0603892C — AEGIS BMD](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603892C) (Defense-Wide)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604609F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604609F")`.

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