Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0602020F/ — built September 26, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
Future AF Capabilities Applied Research
Budget figures
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USAspending reports awards on a rolling basis, and this corpus runs through 2026-09-04. why partial FY2026 data? →
Budget trajectory
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY24 | $77.9M |
| FY25 | $70.3M |
| FY26 | $78.2M |
All series figures: R-1 TOA · PB2026
Decade view
P-1/R-1 workbook TOA basis, shown compact in $B/$M (the workbook records USD thousands); each figure cites its own President's Budget edition
The vertical scale does not start at zero: the baseline sits just below this program’s smallest year, so a low point on this line is not a small amount. Read the shape for direction and the grid below for the figures.
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $0 | $0 | $73.2M | $74.4M | $93.7M | $77.9M | ||
| Enacted | – | $0 | $79.9M | $79.9M | $99.9M | $90.7M | $70.3M | |
| Request | – | – | $100.0M | $79.9M | $88.7M | $90.7M | $85.5M | $78.2M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2021 book requested $100.0M for FY2021; the PB2023 book reported $73.2M as actual total obligation authority — $26.8M below the request. 73.2 − 100.0 = -26.8 USD millions — the compact figures above are rounded for reading.
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 — Enterprise Transformational Appld Research
This program element develops multidisciplinary applied research efforts to accelerate the technology pipeline of transformational capabilities by reducing risk and maturing technologies so they can transition in support of larger advanced technology development capability investments. These activities are selected to enable solutions to the Department of the Air Force's (DAF's) highest priorities. The Explore effort creates investments to buy-down risk and accelerate enabling technologies to understand feasibility for future integration into 6.3 Future AF Integrated Technology Demo program. The Seedlings for Disruptive Capabilities Program (SDCP) facilitates Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) cross-disciplinary applied research to provide leap-ahead, high-risk high-payoff technology development. Modeling, simulation, and analysis activities will continue to explore transformational research into analytic technologies to validate capabilities and provide solid foundations for future efforts. These activities focus on predicting future outcomes and technology needs, as well as looking for more seedlings to feed the transformational capability pipeline. Efforts advance future workforce development projects and broaden partnerships to deepen and expand the scientific and technology enterprise. Applied research efforts span a broad spectrum of activities, and established processes allow agility and flexibility to meet higher demand signals while ensuring proper technical and financial execution metrics are met. AFRL plans and manages these funds at the enterprise level to achieve high levels of collaboration executed across all the applicable Technology Directorates and applies the research toward disruptive capabilities. Building from the technology competencies and ecosystems of the Technology Directorates brings together the needed diverse expertise and components to develop the transformational capabilities. In FY 2026, $9.077 million is budgeted in this program for 27 direct Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) civilians. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) utilizes 10 USC 4091, "Authorities for certain positions at science and technology reinvention laboratories” to manage the workforce strength, structure, positions, and compensation. The use of program funds in this program element would be executed in the Technology Directorates in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program elements 0601102F, 0602102F, 0602202F, 0602203F, 0602204F, 0602602F, 0602605F, 0602788F, and 0602298F. This program element may include necessary expenses to support the operation and maintenance of facilities to manage, execute, and deliver science and technology capabilities. The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.163 million for Advisory and Assistance Services to promote efficiencies and advance the policies of the Administration in alignment with Executive Order 14222, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Cost Efficiency Initiative.” The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.946 million for civilian personnel to optimize the workforce in compliance with Executive Order 14210, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative.” This program is in Budget Activity 2, Applied Research because this budget activity includes studies, investigations, and non-system specific technology efforts directed toward general military needs with a view toward developing and evaluating the feasibility and practicality of proposed solutions and determining their parameters.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (3)
Explore
Explore seeks to conduct early investments aligned against the highest DAF priority areas to assess feasibility and demonstrate proof of concepts to buy down risk and accelerate technology for integration with the Future AF Integrated technology Demo program. Explore's strategy-informed construct works to uncover areas within priorities requiring early investments to inform and accelerate game-changing and leap-ahead technologies to feed into the future Vanguard portfolio. Explore's three-step process identifies, invests in, and matures these technologies through 12 to 24-month feasibility studies and proof of concept activities. The technology areas are identified through concept decomposition horizon-scanning, or broad competitive calls to the nation's best and brightest innovators in Industry, Government, non-profits, and other non-traditional partners to identify novel solutions. These efforts provide opportunities for early assessment of operational viability to demonstrate feasibility of transformational warfighter capabilities for integration within the 6.3 Future AF Integrated Technology Demo program. To do this, a variety of approaches are used including modeling and simulation, military utility experimentation, exercise participation, technical analysis, technology/concept maturation, risk reduction activities, and subject matter expertise input. Explore informs future areas of research and aids in identifying emerging technologies which could enable larger advanced technology development capability investments.
Seedlings for Disruptive Capabilities (SDCP)
Integrates cross-enterprise multi-directorate transformational applied research efforts to accelerate the pipeline of technology-enabled capability candidates pursuing the Department of the Air Force priorities. Seedlings for Disruptive Capabilities solicit applied research to provide leap-ahead, high-risk high-payoff technology development. Significantly advances scientific progress of innovative concepts underpinning transformational operational capabilities to future forces, enhances organic AFRL research capabilities in an enterprise-level, cross-Directorate environment and fortifies external research partnerships to leverage key emerging technology developments in academia, industry, and government laboratories. The Air Force Research Laboratory plans and manages these research activities at the enterprise level with decentralized execution to achieve the intent of the strategy.
Data to Decisions and Collaborative Learning
Perform modeling, simulation, and analyses assessing the military utility of candidate transformational component applied research investments. Enhance the use of advanced systems for decision-making and a variety of innovations required to connect experts with operators in pursuit of achieving future force capabilities through applied research. Leverage best-in-class data analytics that connect warfighters with scientists and engineers, and innovating laboratory processes to accelerate technology maturation. Conduct a variety of strategic enterprise-level activities, including but not limited to regional campus hubs, scientists and engineers working with the leading national innovators; promoting technical proficiency in our military members, centers for excellence, and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Front Door. AFRL collaborates with thousands of subject matter experts inside and outside government, academia, and industry enhancing and developing DoD relevant capabilities. Implements continuous lab process innovation via Air Force "TechConnect” tools connecting people with people and building a pipeline of ideas from external sources; leveraging AI-fueled tech connect platforms and supporting future force capabilities with real-time feedback loops through these tools, data analytics, and new connections to non-traditional partners.
Budget line items(workbook-cited)
P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY24 Actuals | $77.9M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Enacted | $70.3M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Total | $70.3M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Disc. Request | $78.2M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Total | $78.2M |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
J-book detail basis (R-2/P-40, USD millions) · PB2026 — a different accounting basis from the P-1/R-1 workbook TOA above; where the two disagree, the reconciliation strip under Budget figures shows both.
Wider than this screen — swipe the table sideways for the remaining fiscal-year columns.
| Project | All Prior Years | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $0 | $77.9M | $70.3M | $78.2M | $78.2M |
| 620200: Enterprise Transformational Appld Research | $0 | $77.9M | $70.3M | $78.2M | $78.2M |
Follow the dollar
No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 312 of 1,938 programs). why coverage is partial? →
Awards
No awards are linked to this program element at high or medium 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.
Oversight
Department-level designation (not specific to this program)
GAO lists 5 high-risk areas for DOD as a whole. That designation covers the department, not Future AF Capabilities Applied Research. No program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
Program dossier
No research dossier for this program — dossiers cover 50 of 1,938 programs, the largest fully J-book-detailed lines by FY2026 requested dollars. why no dossier here? →
Primary sources
Open any budget figure for its exact receipt. Verified line items lead with the highlighted government PDF; original spreadsheets download with their budget edition and exhibit in the filename.
Budget totals · TOA sources
FY2026 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J503
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2026_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2021 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J527
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2021_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2022 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J494
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2022_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2023 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J486
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2023_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2024 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J477
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2024_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2025 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J485
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2025_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
Detailed budget justification
The related TOA spreadsheets above use a different accounting basis from R-2/P-40 detail. Their amounts are not assumed to match these detailed sources.
FY2026 Air Force Research and Development Test and Evaluation, Vol. I · www.saffm.hq.af.mil
PDF page 101