# Aircraft Certification — Program Element 0605606A

**Program element:** 0605606A  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 6 — RDT&E Management Support  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605606A

## Summary

U.S. Army funding falls 59% to a $2.0M request in FY2027 (down from a FY2026 peak). 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 | 2.2 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 4.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 2.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 2.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 1.8 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 1.7 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 1.7 |

> 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 | 2.0 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 2.0 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 2.0 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 2.0 | +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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 092 | Aircraft Certification | 2.2 | 4.9 | 2.0 | −59% |

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

### Project 092 — Aircraft Certification

The Airworthiness Certification project assures safe flight operation of Army aircraft and aviation systems by means of technical design approval and qualification of systems to appropriate airworthiness standards. This project supports independent airworthiness qualification for all assigned developmental and in-production Army aircraft, both manned and unmanned, as required by Army Regulation (AR) 70-62, "Airworthiness of Aircraft Systems", and is essential for assuring the safe operation of Army aircraft. This project performs engineering functions (design, analysis, testing, demonstrations, and system specification compliance) essential for certifying the airworthiness of nearly 20,000 assigned Army aircraft. This Project also supports: management/execution of the Army Military Airworthiness Certification Criteria (AMACC) program; management/execution of airworthiness approval for new systems and materiel changes for all assigned Army aircraft systems; airworthiness engineering support for major development/modification and future systems/ subsystems requirements of the Program Executive Officer for Aviation (PEO AVN) and U.S. Army Special Operations Command's Technology Applications Program Office (TAPO); and management of test and evaluation processes in support of the airworthiness qualification process. The Airworthiness Certification project also performs general research and development in support of aircraft qualification and overarching airworthiness projects that involve multiple aircraft models and supports the application of other critical aviation subsystems onto Army aircraft. This project also supports: airworthiness certification for military-use civil derivative aircraft technical qualification through the Federal Aviation Administration's Military Certification Branch; development of airworthiness procedures, specifications, critical standards, and other design and qualification documents; participation in senior leadership mandated airworthiness tri-service activities (e.g., National Airworthiness Council) and international airworthiness related activities mandated by treaty (e.g. Flight Into Non-segregated Airspace (FINAS)).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certification Requirements and Studies for Force Modernization Aircraft, Future Aircraft, and Advanced Aircraft Technologies | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Design Standards | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Aircraft Fleet Airworthiness Certification Advancement and Synchronization | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The Airworthiness Certification Program Element (PE) assures safe flight operation of Army aircraft and aviation systems by means of technical design approval and qualification of systems to appropriate airworthiness standards. This PE supports independent airworthiness qualification for all assigned developmental and in-production Army aircraft, both manned and unmanned, as required by Army Regulation (AR) 70-62, "Airworthiness of Aircraft Systems", and is essential for assuring the safe operation of Army aircraft.

## Related program elements

- [0605278F — HC/MC-130 Recap RDT&E](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605278F) (Air Force)
- [0305099F — Global Access Architecture](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0305099F) (Air Force)
- [0604805A — Command, Control, Communications Systems - Eng Dev](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604805A) (Army)
- [0605333A — C2 Infrastructure](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605333A) (Army)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0605606A (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0605606A")`.

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