# Project A5A — Small Unmanned Aircraft System

**Program element:** 0605345A — Unmanned Aerial Systems Launched Effects Systems Development  
**Project:** A5A  
**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/0605345A/A5A  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605345A

## Summary

Project A5A — Small Unmanned Aircraft System requests $31.5M in FY2027, 3.9% of the $816.4M requested for program element 0605345A, down 38% on FY2026. 4 R-2A activities decompose the request.

**Markets:** Uncrewed & Autonomy — matched on the project title only, and no market size is quoted.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | Enacted | 50.7 |
| FY2027 | Request | 31.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 33.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 34.6 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 33.8 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 34.2 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0605345A; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project A5A buys

The Family of Small Uncrewed Aircraft systems are critical to the Army's Transformation in Contact. The Joint Small Uncrewed Aircraft System sUAS Capability Development Document (J-sUAS CDD) solves current and emergent operational gaps by incorporating Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) including swappable payloads, advanced autonomy and software scalability. These systems provide battalion and below ground maneuver elements with critical situational awareness and enhanced force protection as well as responsive reconnaissance and targeting capability with real-time Full Motion Video and sensor data. Each system will include aircraft, ground support equipment, ground control station and Uncrewed Vehicle Control (UVC) software. The Short-Range Reconnaissance (SRR) provides organic maneuver platoons an uncrewed air vehicle designed to support Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA). The system has an aircraft weight of less than 5 lbs, a range of 3-5 km, and an endurance greater than 30 minutes. The system includes modular payloads, obstacle avoidance, target recognition, automated following, and networked capability. The Medium Range Reconnaissance (MRR) system, informed by the Company Level Directed Requirement (SUAS DR), provides organic RSTA capability within the Maneuver Company of Brigade Combat Teams. The systems will have 10km range and 8-hour endurance. System will include Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (APNT), Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR), laser targeting, and kinetic architectures in a contested environment. The Long-Range Reconnaissance (LRR) System provides organic maneuver battalions an uncrewed air vehicle designed to support RSTA efforts. The systems have an aircraft weight of less than 55 lbs., a range of 40-60 km and endurance of 5-10 hours. System includes APNT, EO/IR, laser targeting, and kinetic architectures in a contested environment. The Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply System (JTAARS) is an autonomous aerial cargo delivery system, organic to the maneuver commander, that provides options for rapid and agile sustainment of highly mobile tactical combat forces, operating in a widely dispersed manner in the tactical support and close areas.

**R-3 lines of work:** Management Services; Product Development; Test and Evaluation.

## Activities (R-2A) — 4

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUAS Development Test and Evaluation | — | 19.5 | 15.3 | −22% | — |
| SUAS System Development and Integration | — | 25.0 | 10.2 | −59% | — |
| SUAS Demonstration and Experimentation | — | 3.5 | 3.5 | +2% | — |
| SUAS Systems Engineering Program Management | — | 2.7 | 2.4 | −11% | — |

> 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.

### SUAS Development Test and Evaluation

**FY2027 planned work.** System integration, cybersecurity, developmental and operational testing and evaluation of multiple systems.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 funding decrease as a result of close-out of various SUAS test and evaluation efforts. Ongoing efforts continue to include system integration, cybersecurity, and the testing and evaluation of multiple SUAS systems.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** System integration, special user demonstrations, Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA), environmental and cybersecurity testing and evaluation of multiple systems.

### SUAS System Development and Integration

**FY2027 planned work.** Development and system integration of SRR Next Generation, MRR, and LRR air vehicles and payloads.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 funding decrease due to the ramp-down the development and system integration of Short-Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Next Generation, Medium-Range Reconnaissance (MRR), and Long-Range Reconnaissance (LRR) air vehicles and payloads.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Development and system integration of SRR Next Generation, MRR, and LRR air vehicles and payloads.

### SUAS Demonstration and Experimentation

**FY2027 planned work.** Evaluation and resolution of technology gaps, battery endurance and environmental improvements, and C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) compliance.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 funding increase to support SUAS demonstration and experimentation efforts.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Evaluation and resolution of technology gaps, battery endurance and environmental improvements, and C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) compliance.

### SUAS Systems Engineering Program Management

**FY2027 planned work.** Systems Engineering and Program Management support for development and integration of next generation systems and continuation of demonstration and testing efforts.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** FY 2027 funding decrease due to the ramp-down of SUAS development, test, and demonstration efforts.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Systems Engineering and Program Management support for development and integration of next generation systems and continuation of demonstration and testing efforts.

## 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/0605345A.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0605345A project A5A (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0605345A")`.

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