# Ground Robotics — Program Element 0605053A

**Program element:** 0605053A  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 5 — System Development & Demonstration  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605053A

## Summary

U.S. Army funding ramps 20% to a $192.2M request in FY2027 — the program's peak. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House cut 5.2% (to $182.2M); the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators cut 12% (to $169.5M).

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 2.6 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 160.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 192.2 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 180.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 170.8 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 149.6 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 152.1 |

> 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 | 192.2 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 182.2 | −10.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 192.2 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 169.5 | −22.7 |

> 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FB3 | Robotics Architecture | 2.6 | 160.8 | 192.2 | +20% |

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

### Project FB3 — Robotics Architecture

The Robotic Architecture (RA) supports the Continuous Transformation Initiative (CTI) by enabling the integration of robotics into evolving maneuver capabilities. The goal of this portfolio is to accelerate the delivery of technology to warfighters, enabling them to gain the initiative in future engagements. This will be achieved by employing robotics systems to shape the battlefield and disrupt enemy capabilities across all domains. Robotic systems will be used across the Army formations to enhance survivability, lethality, and sustainment while reducing the cognitive load on Soldiers. FY 2027 dollars provides the engineering and development resources for rapid prototyping. It will manage the interoperability standards, payload interfaces, common software and common architecture for robotics and autonomous platforms, payloads and universal controllers, and testing to verify safety and performance in support of robotics modernization.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robotics Architecture | 2.6 | — | — |
| Unmanned Robotics Development - Multi-Mission Robots | — | 11.3 | 21.7 |
| Unmanned Robotics Development - Engineer Formations | — | 38.6 | 34.5 |
| Unmanned Robotics Development - Sustainment Formations | — | 26.9 | 34.9 |
| Unmanned Robotics Development - System Control and Software Interoperability | — | 23.0 | 30.2 |
| Ground Autonomous Mobility Development | — | 29.8 | 30.8 |
| Modular Mission Payload (MMP) Integration | — | 11.5 | 22.6 |
| Government Program Management | — | 19.8 | 17.6 |

> 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% | 192.2 |

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

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The Robotic Architecture (RA) supports the Continuous Transformation Initiative (CTI) by enabling the integration of robotics into evolving ground maneuver capabilities. The goal of this portfolio is to accelerate the delivery of technology to warfighters, enabling them to gain the initiative in future engagements. This will be achieved by employing robotics systems to shape the battlefield and disrupt enemy capabilities across all domains. Robotic systems will be used across the Army formation to enhance survivability, lethality, and sustainment while reducing the cognitive load on Soldiers. FY 2027 Base dollars provides the engineering and development resources for rapid prototyping.

The Robotics Architecture line provides hardware and software solutions that support the Continuous Transformation Initiative and adding autonomous capability to the formation. The goal of development is to provide lightweight, low relative cost robots that take advantage of proven commercial application of technologies that remove humans from dangerous or routine tasks and free Soldiers for higher priority missions. Rapid prototyping, leveraging Other Transaction Authority (OTA) and Commercial Solutions Offerings (CSO), will foster competition and mitigate cost and schedule risks. Government test and evaluation will be conducted through soldier touchpoints and demonstrations.

## Related program elements

- [1206447SF — Resilient MW/MT - MEO](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206447SF) (Space Force)
- [0604014N — F/A-18 Infrared Search and Track (IRST)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604014N) (Navy)
- [0604852A — Suite of Survivability Enhancement Systems - EMD](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604852A) (Army)
- [0604017A — Robotics Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604017A) (Army)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0605053A (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0605053A")`.

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