# Life Support Systems — Program Element 0604706F

**Program element:** 0604706F  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 5 — System Development & Demonstration  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604706F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force requests $21.3M 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. AFLCMC 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 | 23.7 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 20.3 |
| FY2027 | Request | 21.3 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 22.2 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 22.7 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 23.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 23.5 |

> 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 | 21.3 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 21.3 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 21.3 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 21.3 | +0.0 |

> 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65412A | Life Support Systems | 23.7 | 20.3 | 21.3 | +5% |

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

### Project 65412A — Life Support Systems

This program develops aircrew flight equipment and other combat support equipment required for safe effective mission execution. Air Force acquisition teams lead the upgrade and fielding of new equipment and systems by assessing deficiencies in existing equipment, identifying and assessing existing products or developing new technology, and conducting required Safe-to-Fly tests, certifications, and studies. Program efforts include, but are not limited to, the following projects: directed energy protective equipment; flight helmets and visors; oxygen breathing systems for aircrew; radios and locator beacons; support equipment; nuclear flash blindness protection; night vision devices; noise reduction devices; all types of flight suits and ensembles to protect aircrew against environmental threats; flame resistant, retardant and blast/ballistic protective gear; aircraft seating; impact protection equipment; flotation devices; parachutes; ejection systems; post-ejection survival systems; physiological monitoring devices and other aircrew, life support, and ground crew systems required by the warfighter. 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. In direct support of Secretary of War direction to increase readiness across the DoW, efforts within this program element will be prioritized based on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), USAF Force Design, Agile Combat Employment (ACE), and the Defense Planning Guide (DPG). These efforts will support work and collaboration efforts across the Combat Readiness Directorate in PE's 780651F, 71212F, 72833F, 64706F, 65827F, 22834F, 52834F, 28031F, 41135F and 27521F to increase readiness across the Air Force Enterprise This program is in Budget Activity 5, System Development and Demonstration (SDD) because it has passed Milestone B approval and is conducting engineering and manufacturing development tasks aimed at meeting validated requirements prior to full rate production.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** AFLCMC (3.6, 17%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aircrew Performance Studies/Technology Projects, Minor Development Efforts and Aircrew Accommodation Efforts | 13.0 | 9.0 | 7.7 |
| Next Generation Ejection Seat | 10.7 | 11.3 | 13.7 |

> 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 | 17% | 3.6 |
| Government labs & warfare centers | 53% | 11.3 |
| Other / unspecified | 31% | 6.5 |

**Top named industry performers:** AFLCMC ($3.6M, 17%).

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

This program develops aircrew flight equipment and other combat support equipment required for safe effective mission execution. Air Force acquisition teams lead the upgrade and fielding of new equipment and systems by assessing deficiencies in existing equipment, identifying and assessing existing products or developing new technology, and conducting required Safe-to-Fly tests, certifications, and studies.

The majority of efforts funded in this project employ a streamlined acquisition approach. Whenever practical, Government-Off-The-Shelf/Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (GOTS/COTS) items are tested and evaluated as candidates for solutions to user needs. This normally involves characterization, verification, and qualification testing to ensure GOTS/COTS equipment is properly certified and adapted for military purposes. However, acquisition strategies may be carried out at the project level for traditional Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD).

## Related program elements

- [0604617F — Agile Combat Support](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604617F) (Air Force)
- [0304785N — ISR & INFO Operations](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0304785N) (Navy)
- [0604281F — Tactical Data Networks Enterprise](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604281F) (Air Force)
- [0604230N — Warfare Support System](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604230N) (Navy)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604706F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604706F")`.

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