# SCADE Integration and Manufacturing

**R-2A activity** of project 921 — High Energy Tech Maturation  
**Program element:** 0604924D8Z — High Energy Laser Advanced Component Development & Prototype  
**Component:** Defense-Wide · **Budget Activity:** 4  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604924D8Z/921/a0  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604924D8Z

## Summary

This activity requests $44.5M in FY2027, 100% of project 921, up 705% on FY2026. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2025–FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** Advanced Prototypes: Using a modular open system approach, refine a previously developed reference architecture for advanced prototypes. Provide support to programs implementing the reference architecture. Test and Evaluation: Continue to conduct operational analysis and mission studies. Leverage these studies to develop and refine common directed energy weapon system requirements and command and control timelines. Integrate lessons learned from these studies into test and evaluation efforts across the Department of War to support requirement development, reduce kill chain latencies, and enable more robust battle management. Mission-driven lethality/survivability: Continue to collect lethality/survivability data for a prioritized list of threats and a prioritized set of aimpoints on those threats. Develop vulnerability modules from this data based on a Joint process with approved standards for distribution to the Services and Agencies. Mission Engineering: Review models and update engagement-level models with vulnerability modules uploaded to a Joint repository. Distribute the updated models to support directed energy weapon system integration into exiting force development and force design studies for future employment of directed energy weapon systems. Manufacturing: Review/validate previous FY evaluation of capabilities of current manufacturers, identify technology gaps, and assess the defense industrial base and readiness to support advanced manufacturing techniques for directed energy weapon systems.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** The increase of $38.957 million between FY 2026 and FY 2027 is to invest in the rapid development of Advanced Prototypes and support the key requirements of Test and Evaluation, Mission-driven lethality/survivability, Mission Engineer, and Manufacturing. Investments will enable rapid fielding of Directed Energy systems and inform the Services to select for a Program of Record.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Advanced Prototypes: Using a modular open system approach, refine a previously developed reference architecture for advanced prototypes. Provide support to programs implementing the reference architecture. Test and Evaluation: Conduct operational analysis and mission studies. Leverage these studies to develop and refine common directed energy weapon system requirements and command and control timelines. Integrate lessons learned from these studies into test and evaluation efforts across the Department of War to support requirement development, reduce kill chain latencies, and enable more robust battle management. Mission-driven lethality/survivability: Collect lethality/survivability data for a prioritized list of threats and a prioritized set of aimpoints on those threats. Develop vulnerability modules from this data based on a Joint process with approved standards for distribution to the Services and Agencies. Mission Engineering: Update engagement-level models with vulnerability modules uploaded to a Joint repository. Distribute the updated models to support directed energy weapon system integration into exiting force development and force design studies for future employment of directed energy weapon systems. Manufacturing: Evaluate capabilities of current manufacturers, identify technology gaps, and assess the defense industrial base and readiness to support advanced manufacturing techniques for directed energy weapon systems.

**FY2025 accomplishments.** - Open Architectures: Using a modular open system approach, leverage previously identified reference architectures and identify a scalable beam control solution. - Command and Control: Survey engagement timelines for missions across the Department of Defense and optimize the kill chain associated with directed energy weapon systems to reduce latency and enable more robust battle management. - Mission Engineering: Develop high fidelity system-level models and conduct military utility studies with warfighter input to evaluate the future employment of directed energy weapon systems in operationally relevant environments.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 2.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 5.5 |
| FY2027 | Request | 44.5 |

> Prior, current and budget year only — an R-2A activity carries no five-year plan. It sums exactly into its project in the request year and not necessarily in any other.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0604924D8Z project 921 (PB PB2027). Narrative is the government's own text.
- **No marks, no contractors at this grain** — congressional marks land on the program element and R-3 performers on the project.
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_activity`.

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