# PTS Prototype Design and Development

**R-2A activity** of project 643728 — Protected Tactical SATCOM  
**Program element:** 1206761SF — Protected Tactical Service (PTS)  
**Component:** U.S. Space Force · **Budget Activity:** 4  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206761SF/643728/a0  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206761SF/643728

## Summary

This activity requests $79.0M in FY2027, 26% of project 643728, up 219% on FY2026. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2026–FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** Complete free flyer PTS prototype space vehicle to launch vehicle integration and provide launch support activities. Support satellite initial checkout for both PTS prototype vehicles and complete all post-launch On-Orbit Demonstration and Test (OODT) activities and support. Continue supporting existing PTS-P payloads with payload software and ground maturation, continue integration and testing, develop training materials, and support operational testing to enable early operational use opportunities of all PTS-P prototypes.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Increase due to launch, on-orbit and OODT activities for both PTS hosted payload and free-flyer prototypes.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** Complete both hosted payload and free flyer PTS prototype payload readiness and space vehicle to launch vehicle integration in preparation for launch in early FY2027. Continue to mature technology readiness levels of the system's critical technology elements. Rapidly respond to implement system resiliency and situational awareness necessary to demonstrate and test in the contested space domain. Other activities include program office support, studies, technical analysis, experimentation, risk reduction, and efforts that may leverage commercial, U.S. Government partnership, and international opportunities to respond to existing and emerging adversarial threats with speed and agility. Identify and begin implementation of prototype modifications required to enable early operational use of the prototype payloads.

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 68.6 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 24.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 79.0 |

> 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 643728

- [Enhanced PTS-Prototype](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206761SF/643728/a2) — FY2027 166.3
- [PTS-P/R Ground Development](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1206761SF/643728/a4) — FY2027 16.3
- PTS-P/R Space Hub End Cryptographic Unit (ECU) — FY2027 9.9
- Technical Baseline Management, System Integration and Test Support — FY2027 9.9
- PTS-P Gateway Development — FY2027 9.9
- Protected Tactical Testbed — FY2027 7.7
- PTS Resilient — FY2027 0.0

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 1206761SF project 643728 (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.*