RDT&E Program Element · President's Budget PB2027

Training Developments

PE 0804772F·U.S. Air Force·Approp. 3600 — RDT&E·BA5 — System Development & Demonstration
FY2027 Request
$4.9M
Air Force · RDT&E
HitchAI read

U.S. Air Force funding falls 40% to a $4.9M request in FY2027 (down from a FY2026 peak), sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full. AFLCMC leads the industry work.

FY2027 Request
$4.9M
▼ 40% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$8.2M
▲ 72% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$4.8M
Prior year

For fiscal year 2027, the U.S. Air Force is requesting $4.9M for Training Developments under RDT&E program element 0804772F, down 40% from FY2026.

Funding trajectory

Funding profile, FY2025–FY2031

Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure.

04.8FY25ACTUAL8.2FY26ENACTED4.9FY27REQUEST5.1FY285.1FY295.2FY305.3FY31
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
Fiscal YearEstimate TypeAmount ($M)
FY2025Actual4.8
FY2026Enacted8.2
FY2027Request4.9
FY2028Outyear5.1
FY2029Outyear5.1
FY2030Outyear5.2
FY2031Outyear5.3
Where it sits

Acquisition lifecycle

This program is funded in RDT&E Budget Activity 5 — System Development & Demonstration.

Complete
Research
BA 1–2
Complete
Advanced Technology
BA 3
Complete
Prototyping
BA 4
Current
Development & Fielding
BA 5–7
Inside the program element

1 project rolls up into PE 0804772F

Projects are the summable leaves — the PE total is their sum, never added to it. Program elements and projects carry the full five-year plan; activities stop at the budget year. This PE moves -40% overall, which can hide much larger swings below.

Project 652400

Training Developments

$4.9MFY2027 request ▼ 40%
FY2025 actual$4.8M
FY2026 enacted$8.2M
FY2027 request$4.9M
Product DevelopmentManagement Services

Training Developments program provides a more cost effective and timely approach to pilot training with technological and instructional innovations designed to improve upon Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT). New innovative training technologies are studied and validated for implementation by the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) pilot training program to ensure delivery of rapidly developed prototypes and operationally tested learning methods and technology to realize flying training efficiencies. Training Developments program developmental efforts focus on the Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) which trains pilots on the T-6, T-1, and T-38 aircraft. Funding also provides for the Air Mobility Fundamentals - Simulator Only program which fast tracks pilot training, reducing it from 7 months to 3 months. Reduced training time positively impacts AETC's flying training enterprise efforts to address the Air Force's pilot shortage by improving both quality and quantity of pilots. Training Developments will continue to conduct future flying training innovation and field testing as AETC looks to transition to the Airmen Development Command. This program element included all necessary expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program elements 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605833F, and 0605898F.

Accomplishments / planned programs (R-2A) — prior, current and budget year only
Pilot Training Next (PTN) Development▼ 2%
FY2025 actual$4.8M
FY2026 enacted$5.1M
FY2027 request$4.9M

FY2027 planned work Continuation of research and analyze flying training use cases for Interactive Training Devices (ITDs) to replace oversized, expensive flight simulators. Plans also include but not limited research and analyze advancements in immersive technology, spatial computing to delivery remote instruction, and methods to integrate 5th generation aircraft competencies into the synthetic environment, new aviation training technology concepts, and develop processes to increase pilot production.

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increased due to economic adjustments for contracting activities.

FY2026 plans — current year Continue to research and analyze flying training use cases for advancements in immersive technology, spatial computing to delivery remote instruction, and methods to integrate 5th generation aircraft competencies into the synthetic environment to include but not limited to new aviation training technology concepts, develop processes to increase pilot production, and identify training concepts for introduction of the T-7A Red Hawk.

Congressional action

Congressional marks

Committee marks on the FY2027 request. Adds and cuts are reconciled in conference before they become law.

RequestPresident's Budget
$4.9M
House NDAA (HASC)HASC
$4.9M full · +$0
Senate NDAA (SASC)SASC
$4.9M full · +$0
House Approps (HAC-D)HAC_D
$4.9M full · +$0
unresolved as of 2026-07-27. These are FY2027 authorization marks (NDAA); appropriations and the conference agreement may differ.
Who's building it

Where the FY2027 request goes

Performers named in the R-3 exhibit, resolved into industry, government-lab, and unspecified shares. Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations.

AFLCMC
$4.9M · 100%
Pilot Training Next Contracts
Where FY2027 funding flowsShare$M
Industry primes100%4.9
FY2027 request100%4.9
See AFLCMC's full federal contract ledger members
Program detail

Mission & acquisition strategy

Training Developments program is part of Pilot Training Transformation (PTT) program initiative to modernize pilot training, improve both quality and quantity of pilots through implementing advanced technology and up-to-date instructional techniques. In 2018, as part of this initiative, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) launched the Pilot Training Next (PTN) program in an effort to produce more pilots in less time at a reduced cost. PTN explores technological and instructional innovations designed to improve upon Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) at Located at Randolph Air Force Base, TX, Detachment 24.

Acquisition strategy is based on Air Education and Training Command's innovation unit [Detachment 24] requirements and will leverage current, state of the art instructional training aids and technologies. The initial systems Pilot Training Next (PTN) is primarily focused on are small-scale avionics modifications to the T-6A aircraft and incorporating virtual Reality Immersive Training Devices into the specialized undergraduate pilot training curriculum.

Project 652400 — Training Developments
  • Product Development
  • Management Services
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Answers are generated from the figures on this page — the FY2027 justification exhibits and the marks tracked above — and nothing else is consulted. Confirm any figure against the cited exhibit before you use it externally.

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Questions this page can answer
How does the FY2027 request compare with FY2026, and what does the five-year plan show?What did the FY2027 NDAA committees do to this request?How is the FY2027 request split between industry and government performers?In plain terms, what is this program element for and how is it being acquired?

This page carries the budget justification and the NDAA marks — nothing else. For what AFLCMC has actually been obligated, the ledger is at hitchintel.com/vendors; for live solicitations, hitchintel.com/opportunities. Both are member surfaces.

Provenance

Cite this page

Sources
FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification · Exhibits R-2 / R-3 · PE 0804772F (President's Budget PB2027) — and FY2027 NDAA committee marks, as tracked 2026-07-27.
Suggested citation
HitchAI, "Training Developments (PE 0804772F)," federal budget intelligence, PB2027 vintage. hitchintel.com/programs/0804772F
Machine access
Markdown twin /programs/0804772F.md · MCP mcp.hitchintel.combudget_get_program_element, budget_get_cong_marks