# Project EZ8 — Leader/Follower

**Program element:** 0604622A — Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles  
**Project:** EZ8  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 5 — System Development & Demonstration  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604622A/EZ8  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604622A

## Summary

Project EZ8 — Leader/Follower requests $22.2M in FY2027, 52% of the $43.0M requested for program element 0604622A, down 27% on FY2026. 2 R-2A activities decompose the request, 1 new this cycle. GVSC is the largest named R-3 performer at $0.2M, 0.7% of the project's FY2027 R-3 total.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 29.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 30.3 |
| FY2027 | Request | 22.2 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 22.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 22.3 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 22.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 22.6 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0604622A; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project EZ8 buys

The Leader Follower (LF) funding line supports the Autonomous Transport Vehicle-System (ATV-S) effort that equips Tactical Wheeled Vehicles with autonomous behaviors. Additionally, the capability gives convoy commanders flexibility to leverage the six levels of automated driving that range from Level 0 (Fully Manual) to Level 5 (Fully Autonomous), and any combination therein to conduct convoy operations. Autonomous driving behaviors enable increased operational efficiency of tactical wheeled vehicles resulting in an increase of sustainment throughput while reducing Soldier exposure to hostile threats. The total cost of the Autonomous Transport Vehicle-System (ATV-S) Middle Tier of Acquisition Rapid Prototyping (MTA-RP) effort is $93.214 million from FY 2023 to FY 2027. The ATV-S MTA-RP program is fully funded across the Future Years Defense Program. FY 2027 RDTE in the amount of $22.232 million funds Phase 3 contract milestone completion of prototypes in support of First Unit Issued (FUI), technical support, software development and program support.

**R-3 lines of work:** Management Services; Product Development; Support; Test and Evaluation.

## Named R-3 performers

| Performer | $M | Share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total |
|---|---|---|
| GVSC | 0.2 | 0.7% |

> Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations. Shares need not reach 100% — unnamed and government work is in the denominator.

## Activities (R-2A) — 2

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Leader Follower (Autonomous Transport Vehicle-System) | 29.0 | 30.3 | 13.5 | −55% | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604622A/EZ8/a0) |
| Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Leader Follower (Autonomous Transport Vehicle-System) Follow-on Pathway | — | — | 8.7 | new | — |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Leader Follower (Autonomous Transport Vehicle-System)

FY 2027 Base Plan provides funding to award remaining Phase 3 contract milestones completing the prototype effort in support of First Unit Issued (FUI). Activities funded include Developmental Testing of M-Code hardware and software, technical support, transportation and reversion of test assets, and program support.

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604622A/EZ8/a0

### Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Leader Follower (Autonomous Transport Vehicle-System) Follow-on Pathway — NEW START

**FY2027 planned work.** FY 2027 funds software development to enhance capabilities, and address Phase 3 - Build Prototypes for First Unit Issued (FUI) corrective actions in support of the Follow-on Acquisition Pathway.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Increase in FY 2027 due to initiation of software development to improve and increase production system capability.

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604622A.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0604622A project EZ8 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604622A")`.

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