# Test and Evaluation Support — Program Element 0605807F

**Program element:** 0605807F  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 6 — RDT&E Management Support  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605807F

## Summary

U.S. Air Force funding ramps 62% to a $1.80B request in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House cut 3.0% (to $1.75B); the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators added 0.8% (to $1.82B).

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 936.5 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 1,113.4 |
| FY2027 | Request | 1,802.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 2,014.1 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 1,917.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 1,794.5 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 1,627.5 |

> 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 | 1,802.5 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 1,747.8 | −54.7 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 1,802.5 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 1,817.5 | +15.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (3)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6606TS | Test and Evaluation Support | 889.9 | 1,055.1 | 1,448.4 | +37% |
| 6606MR | Maintenance and Repair | 0.0 | 0.0 | 211.4 | new start |
| 6606TG | 704th Test Group | 46.6 | 58.2 | 142.7 | +145% |

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

### Project 6606TS — Test and Evaluation Support

This program activity provides resources to operate the Air Force Test Center (AFTC) test activities which are included in the Department of War (DoW) Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB). Test facilities/capabilities operated through this program include wind tunnels, rocket and jet engine test cells, hypersonic and subsonic testing, modeling and simulation, technology, limited space environmental simulation chambers, armament test ranges, hardware-in-the-loop test facilities, climatic test facilities, avionics test facilities, aircraft testbeds, dry lakebed landing sites, instrumented test ranges, and test aircraft maintenance, as well as USAF Test Pilot School. The AFTC's three Test Wings (TW) are supported by this project:(1) Arnold Engineering and Development Complex (AEDC), located at Arnold Air Force Base (AFB) TN; (2) 412TW, located at Edwards AFB, CA; and (3) 96TW, located at Eglin AFB, FL.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civ Pay | 477.1 | 400.7 | 424.4 |
| Non Pay | 412.8 | 654.5 | 1,024.0 |

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

### Project 6606MR — Maintenance and Repair

This project's mission is not performed under this program.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strike Assets | — | 0.0 | 211.4 |

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

### Project 6606TG — 704th Test Group

Project infrastructure support is provided for the unique capabilities of the 704th Test Group (TG) facilities: Central Inertial and Global Positioning System (GPS) Test Facility (CIGTF/746th Test Squadron), the Holloman High Speed Test Track (HHSTT/846th Test Squadron) and the National Radar Cross Section (RCS) Test Facility (NRTF/704 TG Det 2), the 586th Flight Test Squadron including Detachment 1 (Det 1), 704 TG Operating Location (704 TG OL-AA) at Kirtland AFB, and 704 TG Operation Location (704 TG OL-AC) at Wright-Patterson AFB. CIGTF provides independent test and evaluation of inertial, Global Positioning System, and integrated systems used for aircraft navigation and missile guidance systems, including vulnerability to electronic interference. HHSTT capabilities include full-scale testing in flight representative environments, realistic live-fire simulations, test item and target fragment recovery, precision trajectory analysis and high speed photography. NRTF provides radar cross section (RCS) monostatic and bistatic amplitude and phase measurements, antenna pattern measurements, glint and near field measurements for low observable targets. The 586th Flight Test Squadron executes flight test and test support for advanced avionics and weapons development of joint, international and commercial test programs. Det 1 provides the liaison function for coordinating and scheduling all US Air Force test and training operations at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). OL-AA provides test support for the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Directed Energy Division. The 704 TG OL-AC includes the Landing Gear Test Facility (LGTF) with capabilities such as variable and fixed inertia dynamometers, compression/tension load applicators, 4 drop towers, a burst pit and a dynamic load simulator. The 704 TG OL-AC also includes the Air Vehicle Survivability Office that provides support for Air Force aircraft acquisition programs. The 704th TG support services contracts are awarded on the basis of full and open competition.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civ Pay | 31.7 | 29.9 | 30.4 |
| Non Pay | 14.9 | 28.3 | 112.3 |

> 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

This program element provides resources to operate the Air Force Test Center (AFTC) test activities which are included in the Department of War (DoW) Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB). Test facilities/capabilities include wind tunnels, rocket and jet engine test cells, hypersonic and subsonic testing, modeling and simulation, technology, limited space environmental simulation chambers, armament test ranges, hardware-in-the-loop test facilities, climatic test facilities, avionics test facilities, aircraft testbeds, dry lake bed landing sites, instrumented test ranges, and test aircraft maintenance, as well as USAF Test Pilot School (TPS).

## Related program elements

- [0207606F — Joint Simulation Environment](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0207606F) (Air Force)
- [0604759N — Major T&E Investment](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604759N) (Navy)
- [0208045K — C4I Interoperability](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0208045K) (Defense-Wide)
- [0101127F — B-2 Squadrons](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0101127F) (Air Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0605807F (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0605807F")`.

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