# Project 644861 — Operational Energy

**Program element:** 0604860F — Operational Energy and Installation Resilience  
**Project:** 644861  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604860F/644861  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604860F

## Summary

Project 644861 — Operational Energy requests $0.0M in FY2027, 0.0% of the $61.0M requested for program element 0604860F, down 100% on FY2026. 1 R-2A activity decomposes the request.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 34.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 0.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 0.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 0.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 0.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 0.0 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0604860F; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 644861 buys

The Operational Energy projects develop, mature, prototype, and demonstrate technologies, software, and processes focused on optimizing energy usage to maximize combat capability. Activities include the necessary prototyping and technology validation to enable transition of technologies, software, and processes in the areas of (1) Mission Planning and Scheduling Optimization, (2) Mobility Fleet Optimization (including cargo efficiency improvements), (3) Operational Energy Optimization Technologies, and (4) Energy Supply Chain and Logistics. These energy-focused efforts facilitate implementation of validated solutions that increase weapon system and platform capabilities (range, endurance, number of sorties refueled, etc.) and mitigate supply chain risk for DoW's largest consumer of operational energy, the Department of the Air Force. 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. The FY 2026 spend plan amount for Operational Energy includes $34.909 million of discretionary and $102 million of mandatory (reconciliation) for a total of $136.909 million.

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

## Activities (R-2A) — 1

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operational Energy | 0.0 | 31.4 | 0.0 | −100% | — |

> 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.

### Operational Energy

**FY2027 planned work.** No funding requested.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 decreased by $31.409 million compared to FY 2026 due to programmatic adjustments within the RDT&E portfolio to improve resource efficiency.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Prior year accomplishments include the technology transition of Mobility Fleet scheduling software. - Begin evaluation of KC-135 drag reduction devices. - Initiate technology redesign to improve cargo efficiency. - Continue flight testing of C-130 drag reduction devices. - Continue development and demonstration of drag reductions technologies that improve weapon system capabilities (range, endurance, number of sorties refueled, etc.) - Continue development and demonstration of software focused on simultaneously increasing aircraft availability, optimizing mobility aircraft allocation, and optimizing cargo load planning for strategic airlift assets, air refueling optimization, aerial refueling aircraft availability, and mobile applications to support command and control of mobility aircraft - Continue development and demonstration of low-signature bulk fuel storage for austere locations in parallel with continued operational energy wargaming and assessments of tactical fuel distribution.

## 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/0604860F.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0604860F project 644861 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604860F")`.

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