# Combat Training Range Equipment — Program Element 0604735F

**Program element:** 0604735F  
**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/0604735F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force requests $132.8M in FY2027, before stepping down 67% across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House cut 10.0% (to $119.5M); the Senate added 7.5% (to $142.8M); House appropriators added 6.8% (to $141.8M).

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 154.3 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 147.6 |
| FY2027 | Request | 132.8 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 46.7 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 50.4 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 42.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 43.2 |

> 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 | 132.8 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 119.5 | −13.3 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 142.8 | +10.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 141.8 | +9.0 |

> 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 652286 | Combat Training Range Equipment | 154.3 | 147.6 | 132.8 | −10% |

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

### Project 652286 — Combat Training Range Equipment

COMBAT TRAINING RANGES (CTR): Portfolio provides electronic warfare equipment and support to Air Force combat training ranges for training, testing, and evaluation of aircrews. Development and integration efforts include aircraft pods, radar emitters, advanced training radars, communication jammers, command and control and debrief capability, and instrumentation equipment. The portfolio will also research and develop analytical and information management, data management, digital environments, networks, facilities, and security infrastructure. All development efforts support USAF aircraft for Joint, Coalition, and Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) training events. ADVANCED RADAR THREAT SYSTEM Variant 3 (ARTS- V3): ARTS-V3 is developing the most advanced ground-based radars in the US inventory using digital active electronically scanned radar technology used to simulate the latest foreign peer adversary Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) radar and Electronic Warfare (EW) threat systems. ARTS-V3 systems are a critical part of the Operational Training and Test Infrastructure (OTTI) plan for developing future Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) for 5th/6th generation aircraft (F-35, B-21, F-47). ARTS-V3 systems are critical for Department of the Air Force test capabilities for validation of advanced airpower capabilities against threat-representative radar systems and validation of models used for the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE). ARTS Technology Development: Address the affordability training gap with government-owned, software-defined mobile emitters that increase threat density and realism of an integrated air defense network. Efforts include developing a technical data package, building prototypes, maturing production capabilities, and transitioning items for production. LIVE MISSION OPERATIONS CAPABILITY (LMOC): LMOC is a government-owned command system serving as the training range equivalent of an Air Operations Center (AOC). Connecting all CAF ranges through a secure, dedicated network backbone, LMOC utilizes a long-term, modular, and scalable architecture to enable real-time mission planning, execution, and debriefing.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Radar Threat System-Variant 3 (ARTS-V3) | 117.8 | 111.1 | 112.2 |
| Advanced Radar Threat System Tech Development | 7.7 | 2.3 | 2.6 |
| Live Mission Operations Capability (LMOC) | 10.2 | 9.0 | 6.5 |
| P6 Combat Training System (P6CTS) | 18.5 | 15.2 | 11.5 |

> 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% | 132.8 |

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

COMBAT TRAINING RANGES (CTR): Portfolio provides electronic warfare equipment and support to Air Force combat training ranges for training, testing, and evaluation of aircrews. Development and integration efforts include aircraft pods, radar emitters, advanced training radars, communication jammers, command and control and debrief capability, and instrumentation equipment. The portfolio will also research and develop analytical and information management, data management, digital environments, networks, facilities, and security infrastructure. All development efforts support USAF aircraft for Joint, Coalition, and Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) training events.

The acquisition strategy varies by effort. Overall strategy is competition focused, with the use of but not limited to other transaction authority, cost plus and fixed price contracts. Advanced Radar Threat System-Variant 3 (ARTS-V3) executed a full and open-source selection resulting in a competitively awarded contract containing phases for development and production options. Live Mission Operations Capability (LMOC) is a Software Pathway program employing an Army sponsored Indefinite Deliver Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Cost Plus Fixed Fee commercial contract vehicle and various Government organizational partners to employ industry best practices and agile software methodology to deliver Minimum Viable Products (MVP) in an iterative process to…

## Related program elements

- [0605051A — Aircraft Survivability Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605051A) (Army)
- [0207328F — Stand In Attack Weapon](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0207328F) (Air Force)
- [0207701F — Full Combat Mission Training](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0207701F) (Air Force)
- [0305205N — UAS Integration & Interoperability](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0305205N) (Navy)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604735F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604735F")`.

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