# High Energy Laser Advanced Component Development & Prototype — Program Element 0604924D8Z

**Program element:** 0604924D8Z  
**Component:** Defense-Wide  
**Appropriation:** 0400 — RDT&E, Defense-Wide  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604924D8Z

## Summary

Defense-Wide funding ramps 705% to a $44.5M request 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.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 2.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 5.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 44.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 56.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 54.5 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 50.1 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 50.1 |

> 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 | 44.5 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 44.5 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 44.5 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 44.5 | +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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 921 | High Energy Tech Maturation | 2.9 | 5.5 | 44.5 | +705% |

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

### Project 921 — High Energy Tech Maturation

This program is part of an overall Department of War strategy in SCADE Integration and Manufacturing. Efforts within will focus on enabling next-generation directed energy weapons that engage threats at longer ranges with shorter engagement timelines in adverse environments with improved size, weight, and power requirements. These efforts complement, and will be closely coordinated with, other Department efforts directed at specific Service and Agency missions. This program builds upon department investments by the Services and Agencies to eliminate duplication. As a result, efforts in this program will transition directed-energy technology to the Services and Agencies at a technical, integration, and manufacturing readiness level for insertion into directed energy weapon systems. This project executes a technical program that enables (1) integration of advanced prototypes in support of demonstrating mission-driven lethality and survivability, (2) test and evaluation in a relevant field environment with Joint-international participation, (3) studies, analyses, and evaluations in mission-driven lethality and survivability that support directed energy military utility assessments and (4) identify gaps within the defense industrial base for manufacturability of directed energy weapon systems.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCADE Integration and Manufacturing | 2.9 | 5.5 | 44.5 |

> 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% | 44.5 |

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

This program is executed via Scaled Directed Energy (SCADE) Integration and Manufacturing and in alignment with the Department of War Directed Energy Roadmap, as well as other strategic guidance. The goal of this program is to support the Department’s initiatives in directed energy to build a sustainable and long-term advantage. This program funds advanced component and subsystem development, as well as the prototyping and assessment of new and transitioning technologies. The goal is to reduce technology and engineering integration risks, creating the conditions for scaled production and the enhanced, widespread acceptance of DE.

NA

## Related program elements

- [0602890D8Z — High Energy Laser Research](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602890D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [0603924D8Z — High Energy Laser Advanced Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603924D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [0605229F — HH-60W](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605229F) (Air Force)
- [0203345F — Operations Security (OPSEC)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0203345F) (Air Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604924D8Z (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604924D8Z")`.

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