# Project 2568 — Air Vehicle Block 4 Planning & Sys Eng

**Program element:** 0604840M — F-35B C2D2  
**Project:** 2568  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 7 — Operational System Development  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840M/2568  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840M

## Summary

Project 2568 — Air Vehicle Block 4 Planning & Sys Eng requests $162.8M in FY2027, 35% of the $469.8M requested for program element 0604840M, up 93% on FY2026. 1 R-2A activity decomposes the request. Lockheed Martin is the largest named R-3 performer at $118.8M, 73% of the project's FY2027 R-3 total.

**Markets:** Aircraft & Aero Components (mfg) — matched on the project title only, and no market size is quoted.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 135.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 84.2 |
| FY2027 | Request | 162.8 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 406.6 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 366.3 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 310.6 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 238.1 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0604840M; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 2568 buys

The F-35 Air Vehicle Program Management Office (AV PMO) development portfolio includes efforts to improve the F-35 air vehicle lethality, survivability, and interoperability in response to emerging threats outlined in the National Security Strategy and Operational Plans. F-35 Block 4 Modernization is designed to counter the full spectrum of evolving near-peer enemy threats to ensure US and Allied forces have freedom of operation even in the face of advanced adversary Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities. As designed, Block 4 consists of three principal lines of effort: development of software-based capabilities, development and integration of new and modernized aircraft hardware that enable the development of new capabilities, and new weapons integration. Efforts under the Air Vehicle / Block 4 Planning and Systems Engineering project range from requirements decomposition and preliminary design of capabilities through completion of Developmental Flight Test. These activities are a continuation of the previous Block 4 developmental contracts, and include activities required to enable the successful completion of Flight Test, to include select facility upgrades required for research, development, test and evaluation. Block 4 upgraded capabilities and continuous improvements will maintain Air System viability against the evolving threats indicated in the Electronic Warfare Initial Capabilities Document (ICD), the Fifth Generation Fighter Modernization ICD, and the Block 4 Capability Development Document (CDD). Additionally, the Block 4 capabilities will reduce life cycle cost, improve Air System Integration, and improve operational suitability. Weapons integration efforts under this project deliver increased lethality, effectiveness, situational awareness and operational flexibility, and include M-code GPS compatibility, Advanced Integrated Fire Control implementation, network enabled weapons, increased Air-to-Air missile carriage, and employment envelope expansion. Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) efforts under this project will deliver increased range and effectiveness of the F-35, by providing improved interoperability across joint platforms within a highly contested environment.

**R-3 lines of work:** Product Development; Support.

## Named R-3 performers

| Performer | $M | Share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total |
|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin | 118.8 | 73% |

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

## Activities (R-2A) — 1

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Vehicle Planning & Sys Eng | 135.0 | 84.2 | 162.8 | +93% | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840M/2568/a0) |

> 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.

### Air Vehicle Planning & Sys Eng

Continue and expand Agile development of capabilities through Developmental and Operational Flight Test. Continue requirements decomposition, preliminary design, and engineering and manufacturing development activities for advanced Block 4 capability improvements to Radar, Electronic Warfare, Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR), and…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840M/2568/a0

## 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/0604840M.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0604840M project 2568 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604840M")`.

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