LFT&E
In 2026, this Program Element consisted of four programs: (1) Live Fire Test and Evaluation Oversight, (2) Joint Live Fire (JLF), (3) Joint Aircraft Survivability Program (JASP), and (4) Joint Technical Coordinating Group for Munitions Effectiveness (JTCG/ME). Beginning in 2027, JASP will transition to the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, and JLF and JTCG/ME will transition to the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering. This Program Element will now solely support the Congressional statutory requirements for oversight of LFT&E. The primary objective of LFT&E is to assure that the vulnerability and survivability of DoW crew-carrying platforms and the lethality of our conventional munitions are known and acceptable before entering full-rate production. LFT&E encompasses realistic tests involving actual U.S. and foreign threat hardware or, if not available, acceptable surrogate threat hardware. The objective is to identify and correct design deficiencies early in the development process. A completed LFT&E program and test report is required before programs proceed beyond low-rate initial production (BLRIP). LFT&E also includes realistic M&S to examine survivability and lethality attributes not assessed during testing. This Program Element previously supported the DoW’s JLF program, initiated in 1984 under an Office of the Secretary of Defense charter to test fielded front-line combat aircraft and armor systems for their vulnerabilities as well as fielded weapons, both U.S. and foreign, for their lethality against their respective targets. Funding was used to support other initiatives related to quick reaction requests from theater as well as other areas of personnel survivability. Through its evolution, the JLF program also facilitates the development of adequate LFT&E tools, methods, and infrastructure required for credible development of both Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manuals (JMEM) weaponeering tools and LFT&E programs. JASP is the DoW’s focal point for joint Service enhancement of military aircraft non-nuclear survivability. The JASP is chartered by the Commander of the U.S. Navy Naval Air Systems Command, the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology), and the Commander of the U.S.
DOT&E will continue to execute the Title 10 statutory requirements for LFT&E of MDAPs and other covered programs as determined by the Department and Director, and to coordinate this survivability, lethality, and accuracy analysis via support from independent FFRDCs.
Read the FY2027 plan →