M & S DEVELOPMENT
The Office of Studies and Analysis (SAF/SA) leads strategic assessments of USAF and USSF contributions to Joint-all domain warfighting capabilities regarding current/ future force structure, operational lethality, risk/issues and combat agility in military scenarios. The Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff of the Air Force and Chief of Space Operations utilize these analytical assessments to inform Strategy, Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution decisions regarding modernization, development, and procurement quantities of DAF weapon platforms to ultimately provide effective and affordable warfighting capabilities aligned with the National Defense Strategy. From nuclear modernization, autonomous collaborative combat aircraft, integrated missile/ homeland/ base defense, long range Joint kill-chains, SAF/ SA provides a wide breadth of analytical insights enabling US decision overmatch through effective and affordable enterprise modeling, simulation and analysis (MS&A) capabilities. SAF/SA utilizes RDT&E funding to modernize and develop MS&A capabilities not just for SAF/SA use, but also as enterprise products used by the DoW, Joint Force, Intelligence Community, industry, academia, and AUKUS Partners. This program is in Budget Activity 7, Operational System Development because this budget activity includes development efforts to upgrade systems that have been fielded or have received approval for full rate production and anticipate production funding in the current or subsequent fiscal year.
FY2027 planned work Partner with Navy and Intelligence Community to enhance and transition Cross Domain Solution (CDS) solutions based on Air Force Research Lab prototype for increased information sharing across classified networks. Integrate with the DAF's Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer platforms to leverage their corporate investments in Artificial Intelligence for development of simulation models, scenarios, and autonomous systems. Deploy and beta test Foreign Partner digital platform environment. Increase integration of systems within Digital Transformation Office's Enterprise Digital Environment.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Increase due to OSW FY27 activities and inflation factor. FY27 funding increase integrates OSW R&E Joint Capabilities Digital Environment with ongoing development and optimization of information sharing workflows across Gateway, LaunchPad, Red Door, Digital Lab Environment, Morpheus, and commercial cloud-based compute resources.
FY2026 plans — current year Continue agile software development of CUI capabilities for deployment onto the Navy's hardware at Secret, TS, TS/SCI and SAP level environments. Integrate the Gateway onto the Navy's SAP hardware, conduct beta testing and address identified gaps. Achieve limited initial operational capability with Digital Material Management's LaunchPad platform. Begin integration with the Intelligence Community's Red Door digital platform for access to authoritative, common red threat data. Begin integration with Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Digital Lab Environment (DLE) to link science and technology practices, processes to collaborate. Develop information technology hardware required to enable…
Enhance priorities identified by the Joint AFSIM governance structure. Continue agile development and deployment of Golden Dome common model box-sets. Bolster modeling of electromagnetic spectrum interactions and address compute resource scaling challenges. Optimize AFSIM resource management and deployment on cloud compute resources…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2027 planned work FY27 PDM III would allow enhanced resolution to the STORM simulation environment to include containerization of the model on platforms such as Morpheus and the High-Performance Computing Modernization program. Top-level model enhancements include state-of-the-art campaign level representation of platforms, capabilities, and land formations that conduct theater-wide combat operations in Golden Dome/homeland defense and overseas scenarios that are fully integrated with space operations. Additionally, long-range air-to-air, ISR, and expeditionary warfare enhancements have been scoped across the Joint STORM user community when funding is available. Additional improvements include nuclear…
FY2026 to FY2027 change Increase due to OSW FY27 activities and inflation factor. FY27 funding increase leverages artificial intelligence, autonomy and other new techniques to refine and modernize the STORM campaign model to add new functionality and integration of multi-domain warfare.
FY2026 plans — current year Continue efforts to enhance targetable space satellites from air/land/sea platforms required for FY26 SecAF/CSO space force structure investments decisions. Leverage 2025 Integrated Air and Missile Defense Study to address MS&A gaps to support Golden Dome / Homeland Defense analytics across the Joint services. Develop STORM's high-altitude nuclear detonation effects models based on 2025 High-altitude Electro Magnetic Pulse effects study. Continue to develop STORM capabilities based Joint governance structure: 1) develop over the horizon radar models Golden Dome analysis, 2) enhance space domain Air Moving Target Indicator (AMTI) capabilities for Long-range Kill Chains, 3) containerize STORM…
FY2027 planned work AD-ARM is the most comprehensive mission-level simulation under development in the USAF to address enemy attacks on airbases trying to generate combat sorties and needs to be fielded as soon as possible to allow analysts in component MAJCOMs and future force capability development organizations to accurately assess these critical engagements. FY27 plans include enhancements to sortie generation, threat, and geospatial data. These improvements include the modification of airbase munitions storage facility models for increased fidelity of kinetic weapons damage, the addition of forward deployed blue munitions capabilities, autonomous systems, and low cost and advanced red/blue missiles…
FY2026 to FY2027 change Increase due to program planning and inflation factor. Funding increase supports completion of version 1.4 of the simulation and distributing AD-ARM to users in the field. The rapidly evolving joint warfighting environment requires continuous model development to accurately represent the evolving, highly contested threat environment that a modern peer adversary presents. Updating and integrating AD-ARM into an enterprise ecosystem will allow AD-ARM's unique capabilities to be combined with other cutting-edge capabilities in AFSIM and leveraged across the DoW.
FY2026 plans — current year Leverage 2025 Generating Sorties Under Attack Study to identify development priorities. Develop cyber security solutions for deployment on government network. Increase imagery sensor model fidelity, integrate Geospatial Engineering features and attributes found in Contingency Basing Selection and Assessment. Integrate operating locations data (nodes to define ground surfaces, dimensional data runway, taxiway, and parking locations/ spots). Add in additional bases located in INDOPACOM and CONUS regions for Golden Dome/Long-Range Kill Chain/Homeland Defense MS&A. Continue software containerization for deployment on cloud compute resources with access to DoW and non-DoW users.
Complete the program's first spiral development with the delivery of a Minimally Viable Product simulation. Conduct the test and evaluation of the first version of the software. Continue the requirement collection for subsequent spirals.
Read the FY2027 plan →Develops the HAF/A5/7 WarMatrix prototype, which recently successfully achieved Initial Operational Capability at the Global Engagement 2026 Wargame under the larger effort to modernize legacy wargaming process integration of modeling, simulation, analytical, and Artificial Intelligence capabilities. Activities include development of…
Read the FY2027 plan →