# Project 2555 — Test and Evaluation (T&E)

**Program element:** 0604840N — F-35C C2D2  
**Project:** 2555  
**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/0604840N/2555  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840N

## Summary

Project 2555 — Test and Evaluation (T&E) requests $142.3M in FY2027, 33% of the $428.5M requested for program element 0604840N, down 1.1% on FY2026. 5 R-2A activities decompose the request. Lockheed Martin is the largest named R-3 performer at $117.3M, 82% of the project's FY2027 R-3 total.

**Markets:** Test & Evaluation / Industrial Base — matched on the project title only, and no market size is quoted.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 134.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 143.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 142.3 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 165.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 161.6 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 148.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 140.7 |

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

## What project 2555 buys

Integrated Test activities in support of C2D2, to include Lockheed Martin support at all test sites. Non-recurring engineering required to plan for the service life extension of existing DT aircraft and modifications necessary to bring DT aircraft fleet to a more production-representative and sustainable configuration, and to develop flight test instrumentation and release test software to meet Block 4 requirements. Additional upgrades required to support development and evaluation of improvements driven by changes in the threat environment and as identified in the Electronic Warfare ICD, the Fifth Generation Fighter Modernization ICD, and the Block 4 Capability Development Document (CDD). Efforts include non-recurring engineering and procurement of a test article to evaluate service life of F-35B STOVL Aircraft. Integrated test also supports the evaluation of upgrades to ALIS, fielding of ODIN Base Kits, regression testing of fielded weapons upgrades, and various validation/verification efforts. Funding allocations at the project level have historically been subject to change due to the complexity of the F-35 budget structure and cost share ratios. The program will ensure any within-PE adjustments during execution year are reflected in future budget submissions. The FY2027 request for Test & Evaluation includes $142,320 thousand of discretionary funding and $92,299 thousand of mandatory (reconciliation) funding for Flight Science Aircraft and Block 4 capability development.

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

## Named R-3 performers

| Performer | $M | Share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total |
|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin | 117.3 | 82% |
| Edwards AFB | 12.6 | 8.9% |
| NAWCAD | 7.8 | 5.5% |
| Nellis AFB | 3.2 | 2.3% |

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

## Activities (R-2A) — 5

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Future Flight Test Capabilities/Investments (FI) | 59.0 | 70.5 | 69.2 | −2% | [a3](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840N/2555/a3) |
| Development Foundation Contract (DFC) Flight Test and Tech Refresh | 36.9 | 45.6 | 36.0 | −21% | [a0](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840N/2555/a0) |
| Developmental Test (DT) | 24.2 | 18.0 | 19.4 | +8% | [a1](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840N/2555/a1) |
| Digital Infrastructure | 5.5 | 3.5 | 10.7 | +210% | [a4](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840N/2555/a4) |
| Operational Test (OT) | 9.4 | 6.3 | 7.0 | +11% | — |

> 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.

### Future Flight Test Capabilities/Investments (FI)

Continue incrementally funding Flight Science Replacement jets Flight Test Instrumentation (FTI) design, procurement, and installation (no fewer than 9 jets) for Lots 19-24, to include the procurement of long-lead parts out of the production long-lead timeframe. Complete incremental funding for Flight Science Lite jets for FTI design in…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840N/2555/a3

### Development Foundation Contract (DFC) Flight Test and Tech Refresh

DFC will provide flight test support for Block 4 capabilities and weapons testing to accelerate delivery of weapons, software, and carrier operating envelopes to the Services. Continues annualized equipment recapitalization of ground support equipment along with technology refresh and specific lab equipment replacement and modernization…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840N/2555/a0

### Developmental Test (DT)

Continue to support Integrated Test capacity and flight test execution (including manpower, weapons, flight hours, range time, and chase, target & tanker support assets) to develop and verify and test capabilities as directed by the F-35 JPO. Major program testing includes Block 4 weapons integration, integrated system evaluations…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840N/2555/a1

### Digital Infrastructure

Continue Development of Digital Infrastructure (DI) capabilities, accreditation for DT infrastructure used for performance testing, and associated efforts that enable development and test of F-35 Block 4 Air System Capabilities. DI efforts will be made to both DoW Organic Infrastructure such as integrated battlespace testing improvements…

Full year-by-year narrative: https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604840N/2555/a4

### Operational Test (OT)

**FY2027 planned work.** Operational Test activities will continue from FY2026 into FY2027 under a level-of-effort OT capacity as defined in the Integrated Test Team (ITT) charter and as required to support Block 4 construct's capability releases. These activities may include OT squadron participation in large force fleet-representative exercises or joint force exercises to stress the capabilities in an operational environment. Funding will also be used to continue refining and improving OT data analysis tools and OT data management.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** When considering the FY2027 mandatory funding in addition to discretionary funding, the increase from FY2026 to FY2027 is due to additional operational testing and weapon development tests in FY2027 to support added Tech Refresh 2 software delivery in addition to the TR3 software development lines. This adds additional "for score" OT requirements in addition to the additional OT feedback during development cycle. Additionally, increase accounts for procurement of additional HW modification kits for the OT fleet.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Operational Test activities will continue from FY2025 into FY2026 under a level-of-effort OT capacity as defined in the Integrated Test Team (ITT) charter and as required to support the C2D2 construct's incremental capability releases. These activities may include OT squadron participation in large force fleet-representative exercises or joint force exercises to stress the capabilities in an operational environment. Funding will also be used to continue refining and improving OT data analysis tools and OT data management.

## 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/0604840N.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0604840N project 2555 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604840N")`.

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