Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0305242M/ — data as of July 28, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Payloads (MIP)
Budget Figures
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USASpending awards are reported on a rolling basis and the fiscal year does not close until September 30. why partial FY2026 data? →
- FY24
- $12.5M
- FY25
- $10.9M
- FY26
- $9.16M
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY15 | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $1.90M | $9.25M | $11.2M | $18.4M | $5.96M | $10.0M | $5.00M | $9.27M | $9.68M | $12.5M | ||
| Enacted | $9.25M | $11.2M | $18.6M | $5.96M | $10.0M | $5.00M | $9.27M | $9.78M | $13.0M | $10.9M | ||
| Request | $11.2M | $18.6M | $5.96M | $3.70M | $5.00M | $9.27M | $9.78M | $13.0M | $10.9M | $9.16M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2020 book requested $3.70M for FY2020; the PB2022 book reports $10.0M actually spent — $6.30M above the request.
Program Lineage
No predecessor/successor lineage was recorded for this program element — no FY-to-FY transfer into or out of this line was stated in the ingested J-books, and none was inferred from the program structure.
Description
Mission — UAS Payloads
The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Sensor Payload program provides the capability to develop, improve, integrate, field, and sustain Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and non-ISR payloads and enabling technologies for the USMC Family of UAS. These payloads will alleviate Marine Corps ISR capability gaps caused by changes in mission, threats, and technologies and will increase the versatility of UAS in support of Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) mission accomplishment. In support of the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) Planning Guidance and Force Modernization requirements, UAS Sensor Payloads provide modular, low-cost aerial sensing technologies to achieve the Maritime Domain Awareness required by Marine Littoral Regiments (MLRs) and marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) in support of the Joint Forces Maritime Component Command (JFMCC). Within the context of Maritime Domain Operations, Marine forces executing Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) require the organic capability to establish and maintain awareness of adversaries and potential adversary activities in communications and navigation degraded or denied environments. UAS Payloads enable the sensing of threat indicators across the electromagnetic spectrum, gravimetric, chemical, nuclear, and acoustic spectrums and within the visual and physical domain and radar spectrum, with reduced signature, and minimized risk to personnel. The incorporation of advanced technology enablers such as artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) and precision geolocation provides automated recognition, identification, tracking, advanced networks, advanced communications, and cross-cueing in support of accelerated battlespace awareness and targeting. As an essential element of the kill web, UAS payloads are critical to the JFMCC targeting process to find, fix, track, target, engage, and assess the effects of lethal and non-lethal fires. Employment of UAS Sensor Payloads on platforms distributed across the MLRs and MEUs during EABO allows for greater distribution of forces while maintaining persistent awareness, enhances the security of tactical units and personnel moving across the battlespace, and enables the rapid transition between positions necessary for force survivability. The program prototypes, develops, integrates, and transitions strategic and tactical sensors, payloads, and communication capabilities for the areas of Electronic Support (ES), Synthetic Aperture Radar/Moving Target Indicator (SAR/MTI), Multiple Intelligence (Multi-INT), Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), Advanced EO/Infrared (IR)/Multi-spectral (MSI)/Hyperspectral (HSI) sensors, Autonomous operations, Advanced processors, Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) sensors, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Alt-Nav, Acoustics, Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) for all sensor modalities, interfaces for payloads, including SUAS Reusable Architecture (SRA) and Common Sensor Workstation (CSW), Gravimetric, Communications, and Advanced Networks capabilities. ES - Detect, locate, target, and exploit adversary Signals of Interest (SOI), ability to cue other ISR sensors to specific target geolocations. Multi-INT - Simultaneous area of regard ISR data collection and functionality of sensors operating in widely disparate modalities such as Communications Relay, ES, Radar, and EO/IR. Enables the collection of synchronized data that maximizes the effective employment envelope by collectively decreasing uncertainties, such as geolocation accuracy, simultaneously prosecuting multiple targets of interest and maximizing datalink capability across a varied range of environments and temporal periods. Wide Area Surveillance (WAS)/Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) - Imaging over wide areas (multiple square kilometers, city size area) at high spatial and temporal resolution at substantial stand-off distances using various sensor modalities, with full motion video (FMV) access, picture in picture user defined watch boxes, and ability to cue other ISR sensors to specific target geolocations. Ability to monitor and disseminate processed imagery data and static full field of view or user defined watch box imagery and disseminate to ground-based disadvantaged users. Mission applications include battlefield situational awareness and monitoring, providing the capability to assure access and hold at risk, as well as enabling power projection in environments that are not currently accessible. AI/ML - This effort will place AI/ML edge processing on a small UAS to perform object detection, classification, and identification of targets of interest in the data stream in real time. Edge processing technologies enable minimization of the physical footprint of the UAS system with enhanced mission capabilities and the sharing and merging of data across multiple domains. AI and Automated Processing supports the rapid detection, tracking, and characterization in all ISR data types and provides actionable information for fusion and tracking exploitation systems and processes. Cross Domain Solution (CDS) - Provides ability to transfer unidirectional and bidirectional platform and payload data between unclassified and classified tactical networks. Common Sensor Workstation (CSW) - Ruggedized ground-based UAS payload operator station designed to support multiple payloads and capabilities on low side.
Mission — Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Payloads
The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Sensor Payload program provides the capability to develop, integrate, field, and sustain Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and non-ISR payloads for the USMC Family of UAS. These payloads will alleviate Marine Corps ISR capability gaps caused by changes in mission, threats, and technologies and will increase the versatility of UAS in support of MAGTF mission accomplishment. In support of Force Design initiative, tactical UAS Reconnaissance, Survivability, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) is primarily focused on Marine Littoral Regiments (MLR) and on Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) to enhance their ability to operate within an operating environment characterized by Great Power Competition. In support of the Commandant of the Marine Corps Planning Guidance and Force Design requirements, UAS sensor payloads provide modular, low-cost, aerial sensing technologies to achieve the Maritime Domain Awareness required by MLRs and MEUs in support of the Joint Forces Maritime Component Command (JFMCC). Within the context of Maritime Domain Operations, Marine forces executing Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) require the organic capability to establish and maintain awareness of adversaries and potential adversary activities in communications and navigation degraded or denied environments. UAS Payloads enable sensing of threat indicators across the electromagnetic spectrum, gravimetric, chemical, nuclear, and acoustic spectrums and within the visual and physical domain and radar spectrum, with reduced signature, and minimized risk to personnel. The incorporation of advanced technology enablers such as artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) and precision geolocation provide automated recognition, identification, tracking, advanced networks, advanced communications, and cross-cueing in support of accelerated battlespace awareness and targeting. As an essential element of the kill chain, UAS payloads are critical to the JFMCC targeting process to find, fix, track, target, engage, and assess the effects of lethal and non-lethal fires. Employment of UAS payloads on platforms distributed across the MLRs and MEUs during EABO allows for greater distribution of forces while maintaining persistent awareness, enhances the security of tactical units and personnel moving across the battlespace, and enables the rapid transition between positions necessary for force survivability.
Justification
No accomplishments or planned-program narratives in this line's J-book detail — some exhibits carry figures without per-project prose.
Budget Line Items(workbook-cited)
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy | N | FY24 Actuals | $12.5M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy | N | FY25 Enacted | $10.9M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy | N | FY25 Total | $10.9M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy | N | FY26 Disc. Request | $9.16M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy | N | FY26 Total | $9.16M |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
| Project | All Prior Years | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $27.0M | $12.5M | $10.9M | $9.16M | $9.16M |
| 8277: UAS Payloads | $27.0M | $12.5M | $10.9M | $9.16M | $9.16M |
No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 17 of 1741 programs). why coverage is partial? →
Awards
No awards are linked to this program element at high confidence — the budget→award crosswalk only asserts links it can defend, and this line has none yet.
Lobbying Mentions
No Senate LDA lobbying filing in the tracked data mentions this program element by code or alias.
No research dossier for this program — dossiers cover 50 of 1741 programs, the largest fully J-book-detailed lines by FY2026 requested dollars. why no dossier here? →