# Autonomous Tactical Fabric — Program Element 1207440SF

**Program element:** 1207440SF  
**Component:** U.S. Space Force  
**Appropriation:** 3620F — RDT&E, Space Force  
**Budget Activity:** 7 — Operational System Development  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/1207440SF

## Summary

U.S. Space Force requests $1.52B in FY2027 against nothing enacted in FY2026. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House cut 47% (to $804.9M); the Senate cut 98% (to $24.3M); House appropriators cut 61% (to $591.6M).

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 0.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 1,524.3 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 1,554.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 1,493.6 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 1,368.7 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 918.0 |

> 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 | 1,524.3 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 804.9 | −719.4 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 24.3 | −1,500.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 591.6 | −932.7 |

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

## Projects (1)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 676772 | Autonomous Tactical Fabric | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1,524.3 | new start |

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

### Project 676772 — Autonomous Tactical Fabric

Autonomous Tactical Fabric (ATF) delivers "Space Operations of the Future” by fundamentally changing how Guardians interact with the battlespace. ATF consists of transformational Infrastructure Modernization to create a deliberate, resilient architecture where physical location does not limit space operations, Fabric to enable cross-mission data accessibility for autonomy and analytics, and Mission Operations where health and status data integrates with the Fabric along with path-independent communication for Fleet Operations and Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) is applied to reduce repetitive functions and data overload while implementing. Additionally, Integration will perform the technical, hands-on integration needed to connect intra-program technical areas as well as USSF and DAF stakeholders to the Infrastructure and Fabric. ATF will enable future Space Force operations to be conducted from diverse locations, using any sensor or system, while also autonomously harmonizing data across various echelons at speed and scale. ATF will increase resilience, automation, and connectivity to operate throughout the conflict spectrum by creating an ecosystem for weapon systems to connect in order to share data needed to elevate decisions. The program will implement autonomous sensor orchestration, path-agnostic meshed networking, and a common, shared, distributed data plane to fundamentally pivot space operations with next generation of software to accelerate decision making. ATF is not replacing existing programs or projects, but building the underlying ecosystem and framework needed to interconnect systems and data. USSF Space Systems Command is developing the Autonomous Tactical Fabric for Guardians across warfighting, ops commands, and combat support organizations. As a result, the Service will improve battle management of all weapon systems; deliver SDA capabilities; and deter, neutralize, defeat and/or destroy counterspace threats and defend the homeland; and continue to advance all near term effects. This program falls within the Space Domain Awareness (SDA) mission area which provides the space-based and ground-based architecture required to detect, track, catalogue, and identify objects and activities in the space domain.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure Modernization | — | — | 932.7 |
| Fabric | — | — | 369.6 |
| Mission Operations | — | — | 113.3 |
| Integration | — | — | 108.7 |

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

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Other / unspecified | 100% | 1,524.3 |

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

Autonomous Tactical Fabric (ATF) delivers "Space Operations of the Future” by fundamentally changing how Guardians interact with the battlespace. ATF consists of transformational Infrastructure Modernization to create a deliberate, resilient architecture where physical location does not limit space operations, Fabric to enable cross-mission data accessibility for autonomy and analytics, and Mission Operations where health and status data integrates with the Fabric along with path-independent communication for Fleet Operations and Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) is applied to reduce repetitive functions and data overload while implementing.

The Automated Tactical Fabric program will prioritize commercial integration over development and initiate major development activities as a last resort to meeting noncommercially-available needs. The program is planning to execute a hybrid acquisition strategy leveraging Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) authority for Rapid Prototyping and Fielding, a Public/Private Partnership, and Commercial Solutions Opening.

## Related program elements

- [0604135A — Strategic Mid-Range Fires](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604135A) (Army)
- [0304797N — (u)undersea Artificial Intel/machine Learning](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0304797N) (Navy)
- [0605803A — Technical Information Activities](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605803A) (Army)
- [0603382N — Advanced Combat Systems Tech](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603382N) (Navy)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 1207440SF (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="1207440SF")`.

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