# MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Program Number 839

**R-2A activity** of project SF100 — Aviation Systems Advanced Development  
**Program element:** 1160403BB — Aviation Systems  
**Component:** Defense-Wide · **Budget Activity:** 7  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1160403BB/SF100/a5  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1160403BB/SF100

> **NEW START.** $29.5M requested in FY2027 with no prior-year and no current-year funding.

## Summary

This activity requests $29.5M in FY2027, 24% of project SF100 — a new start with no prior-year and no current-year money. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** Initial development, testing, and integration of SO-p emerging technology mission kits, mission payloads, weapons and modifications onto the MQ-9 aircraft for UAS, GCSs, and training systems. Key efforts include enhancements to Operational Flight Program (OFP) Command and Control (C2) software development and Tactical situation enhancements. The MQ-9 platform is a key airborne enabler and provides a pathway for A2E capabilities.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Increase of $29.531 million supports MQ-9 Operational Flight Program (OFP) Command and Control (C2) software development and Tactical situation enhancements for interaction display software. These efforts are necessary to meet short term combat requirements today and set the condition for future improvements to meet warfighter needs in higher threat environments. In the FY 2026 budget submission, MQ-9 RDT&E funding was consolidated into the A2E program funding. However, to facilitate more transparent execution, funding supporting MQ-9 payloads is being re-aligned under the MQ-9 program in FY 2027 budget submission. This update eliminates redundancy and streamlines program oversight. FY 2027, Budget Line Items (BLI) consolidation: R-1 Program Element PE 1105219BB/MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is now in PE 1160403BB/Aviation Systems.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2027 | Request | 29.5 |

> Prior, current and budget year only — an R-2A activity carries no five-year plan. It sums exactly into its project in the request year and not necessarily in any other.

## Other activities in project SF100

- [Adaptive Airborne Enterprise (A2E)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1160403BB/SF100/a4) — FY2027 63.1
- [Precision Strike Package (PSP) for SOF, Program Number 843](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1160403BB/SF100/a1) — FY2027 11.7
- (EW)-Radio Frequency Countermeasures (RFCM), Program Number 768 — FY2027 9.5
- Aviation Engineering Analysis (AEA) — FY2027 9.0
- MH-47/MH-60 SOF Common Terrain Following/Terrain Avoidance (TF/TA) Silent Knight Radar (SKR), Program Number 778 — FY2027 2.3

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Office of the Secretary of Defense RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 1160403BB project SF100 (PB PB2027). Narrative is the government's own text.
- **No marks, no contractors at this grain** — congressional marks land on the program element and R-3 performers on the project.
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_activity`.

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