# Lightweight Torpedo Development — Program Element 0604610N

**Program element:** 0604610N  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 5 — System Development & Demonstration  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604610N

## Summary

U.S. Navy funding ramps 1917% to a $102.2M 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 added 24% (to $126.5M). OTA- POM leads the industry work, though an unusually large share flows to government labs and warfare centers.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 92.3 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 5.1 |
| FY2027 | Request | 102.2 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 157.7 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 161.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 138.2 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 130.7 |

> 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 | 102.2 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 102.2 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 102.2 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 126.5 | +24.3 |

> 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3418 | Advanced Anti-Submarine Lightweight Torpedo | 78.9 | 0.0 | 78.4 | — |
| 2234 | Lightweight Hybrid Torpedo | 13.4 | 5.1 | 12.4 | +144% |
| 2514 | Long Range ASW Weapon (LRAW) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11.4 | new start |

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

### Project 3418 — Advanced Anti-Submarine Lightweight Torpedo

The MK 54 MOD 2 program is continuing incremental development of lethality required to prosecute challenging adversary submarines. FY 2025 funding will be used to complete the POD designs, and receive delivery of the POD hardware and the Technical Data Package (TDPs), and commence development efforts of an Adapter section that enables the assembly of the MOD 2 Forebody sections with the legacy MK 54 MOD 0/1 OTTO Fuel Afterbody. FY 2026 funding will be used to award a contract to an industry Prime, funding the Rapid Prototyping of the INC 1 All-Up-Round (AUR), which combines the MOD 2 Forebody sections with the legacy OTTO Fuel Afterbody. Funding will also be used to conduct INC 1 AUR integration, which will mate POD sections, the new Adapter section, and the legacy OTTO Fuel Afterbody. The program will also continue operational software development and modeling and simulation verification, and continue de-risking efforts for INC 2, ensuring the Stored Chemical Energy Propulsion System (SCEPS) Afterbody design is mature and ready for Rapid Prototyping at the commencement of the INC 2 phase. FY 2027 funding will be used to continue Rapid Prototyping of the INC 1 AUR contract, AUR and Platform integration, operational software development and modeling and simulation verification and continue engineering in-water testing.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** OTA- POM (33.6, 43%), NAWC (3.7, 4.7%), Aerojet Rocketdyne (3.5, 4.5%), EWCSS (0.7, 0.9%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALWT Development | 78.9 | 0.0 | 78.4 |

> 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 2234 — Lightweight Hybrid Torpedo

The program designs, integrates and tests the LWT MK 54. The LWT provides performance improvements in shallow water, counter-measure environments. The MK 54 MOD 1 program consists of two increments: (1) Increment 1 consisting of Advanced Processor Build (APB) 5 / Tech Insertion 1 (TI-1); and (2) Increment 2, consisting of APB-6 software upgrade. FY 2027 funding is for continued development of MK 54 MOD 1 Increment 2 APB 6 developmental builds, conducting in-water developmental test runs, and Weapons Analysis Facility (WAF) system testing. FY 2027 funding also for continued development of a Fleet Exercise Section (FES) instrumentation subsystem to be compatible with the MK 54 MOD 1 obsolescence upgraded hardware being produced under BLI 3215. FY 2027 also funds emergent and stop gap capability needs (Hammerhead and TDHK).

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** OPTEVFOR (0.6, 5.1%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MK 54 Pre-Planned Product Improvement | 13.4 | 5.1 | 12.4 |

> 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 2514 — Long Range ASW Weapon (LRAW)

Long-Range Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon (LRAW) Development will provide capability that extends range past the range of the current VLA systems which addresses adversary submarines employing long range standoff tactics. LRAW will provide future surface combatants with organic ASW capability. CRUDES capability for offensive ASW is limited to the current VLA ranges which may not be adequate for all scenarios. Current VLA inventory is aging and requires recapitalization to maintain readiness. In FY 2027 the program will begin development consisting of modification to existing VLA rocket, initiate design, design containers and test equipment, build test articles, and conduct an Engineering, qualification, DT, and OT test program. The LRAW program will follow a phased approach; the first phase will be to define LRAW capability requirements, followed by a second phase to develop and test extended range capability, and a final fielding stage. FY 2027 to FY 2031 funds the first phase of the LRAW program.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Accomplishment/Planned Program Entry | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11.4 |

> 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 | 42% | 42.6 |
| Government labs & warfare centers | 58% | 59.5 |

**Top named industry performers:** OTA- POM ($33.6M, 33%), NAWC ($3.7M, 3.6%), Aerojet Rocketdyne ($3.5M, 3.5%).

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The MK 54 provides the Navy's only lightweight ASW weapon capable of countering quiet diesel & electric submarines in contested littoral environments. The Lightweight Torpedo (LWT) program designs, integrates and tests the MK 54 LWT and supports an incremental developmental acquisition approach combining hardware and Advanced Processor Build (APB) operational software upgrades to enable rapid fielding of improvements to the fleet. The program will focus on common LWT hardware and software architecture enhancements that will provide improvements to the array, warhead, propulsion, and APB software to address capability gaps against challenging adversary submarines and environments.

The Acquisition Strategy is to use University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), Warfare Centers, and competitive Other Transactional Authority (OTA) agreements with industry to execute a Rapid Prototyping effort for a new Advanced Lightweight Torpedo split into two increments to deliver partial capability (focused on lethality) as quickly as possible within the budget in the first increment (INC 1) and full capabilities as defined in the CDD under the second increment (INC 2). This accelerated approach benefits from stable funding to maintain prototyping timelines. Scope of effort includes weapon prototyping and testing, launch platform integration, and establishment of all required subsystems and supporting capabilities.

## Related program elements

- [0604804A — Logistics and Engineer Equipment - Eng Dev](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604804A) (Army)
- [0603469E — Advanced Enabling Technologies](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603469E) (Defense-Wide)
- [0602747N — Undersea Warfare Applied Res](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602747N) (Navy)
- [0205632N — MK-48 ADCAP](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0205632N) (Navy)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604610N (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604610N")`.

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