Advanced Aerospace Systems

The Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program will develop and demonstrate revolutionary improvements in aircraft controls technology. The program will design, build, and flight test an aircraft able to fly and maneuver at altitude relying on state-of-the-art Active Flow Control (AFC) technology. AFC is a broad term that encompasses a range of technology approaches; it includes a number of control mechanisms which alter the aerodynamic flow field thru ejection or suction of fluid via an orifice on a lifting body. An emphasis of the program is on assessing AFC component technologies, risk reduction and experimentation, integrated testing, fabrication and demonstration of a relevant scale novel and innovative aircraft. Technologies, design tools and models developed and demonstrated under this program will be made available to all Services as well as the civilian aerospace sector for application to future air systems development. Beginning in FY 2026, this program will be funded in PE 0603468E, Project ACX-01.

The SPeed and Runway INdependent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane Demonstration Project will develop and demonstrate the fundamental technologies needed for combined high speed and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities in a single aircraft. This program culminates in the fabrication and flight test of a demonstrator that validates the critical technologies in a representative environment and reduces technical, schedule, and cost risk for a follow-on operational system. High speed VTOL aircraft are highly desired in a variety of military missions such as infiltration/exfiltration, contested personnel recovery, troop transport, logistics support, and armed escort; however, the thresholds for speed and range have evolved with military strategy and mission needs. The SPRINT Demonstrator is envisioned to transition to a DoD component for further risk reduction flight testing. Beginning in FY 2026, this program will be funded in PE 0603468E, Project ACX-01.

The LongShot program is developing and flight demonstrating an air-launched system capable of engaging multiple adversary targets from standoff ranges using existing air-to-air missiles. LongShot will be deployed either externally from existing fighters or internally from existing bombers. This system will capitalize on a slower speed, fuel-efficient air vehicle for ingress, while retaining highly energetic air-to-air missiles for end-game target engagements, which provides several key benefits that increase weapon effectiveness. This program will address the stability and control challenges of launching air-to-air missiles from a relatively small uninhabited system in an operational environment. Potential transition partners include the Navy and Air Force. Beginning in FY 2026, this program will be funded in PE 0603468E, Project ACX-01.

Studies conducted under this program will examine and evaluate emerging aerospace technologies and system concepts for applicability to military use. This includes the degree and scope of potential impact and improvements to military operations, mission utility, and warfighter capability. Studies are also conducted to analyze emerging aerospace threats along with possible methods and technologies to counter them. The feasibility of achieving potential improvements, in terms of resources, schedule, and technological risk, is also evaluated. The results from these studies are used, in part, to formulate future prototype development programs or refocus ongoing work. Topics include: methods of defeating enemy anti-aircraft attacks; munition technologies to increase precision, range, endurance, and lethality of weapons for a variety of mission sets; novel launch systems; air vehicle control, power, propulsion, materials, and architectures; and payload and cargo handling systems.

Glide Breaker developed supporting technologies for propulsion to support a lightweight vehicle designed for hit-to-kill engagement of hypersonic threats at very long range. Glide Breaker demonstrated a divert and attitude control system (DACS) to enable a kill vehicle capable of intercepting hypersonic threats during glide phase.

The AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) program will develop and flight demonstrate an X-plane with the critical technologies required for a leap-ahead in long endurance, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned air system (UAS) performance. The UAS will be able to launch and recover from small ship flight decks and austere land locations in adverse weather without additional infrastructure equipment, thus enabling expeditionary deployments.

The Liberty Lifter program will design and demonstrate a runway-independent, large-payload, survivable, dual-flight regime aircraft capable of extended on-water operations and flight both in and out of ground effect. Critical to an effective aircraft of this type is a robust sea plane capability to operate in high sea states as well as an innovative manufacturing approach that dramatically reduces vehicle acquisition costs. The vehicle is anticipated to be survivable against peer threats due to the combination of extremely low altitude operations and speeds significantly higher than ships. The ability to deploy amphibious cargo while on the water will minimize exposure time and enable a wide variety of mission capabilities in the maritime domain including rapid contested logistics support, and search and rescue. The Liberty Lifter program is envisioned to deliver a technology demonstrator with potential to transition to military service partners for continued testing and development activities. The demonstrator is expected to be approximately 80% size and 50% maximum gross takeoff weight of a future Liberty Lifter objective system.

MoHAWC will develop, integrate, and demonstrate technologies to increase effectiveness and producibility of an air-launched hypersonic cruise missile. These technologies include advancing hydrocarbon scramjet-powered propulsion operation, upgrading aircraft integration algorithms, and improving manufacturing approaches. Flight tests will expand the operational envelope. This program collaborates with Navy and Air Force science and technologies efforts to meet future technology insertion dates for service programs of record. This program builds off the demonstrator system design, technology advances and lessons learned under the Hypersonic Airbreathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) and supporting technology maturation programs. Beginning in FY 2026, this program will be funded in PE 0603468E, Project ACX-01.

AI Reinforcements (AIR) will develop and demonstrate dominant tactical autonomy for multi-ship, beyond visual range (BVR), real-world air combat missions. This program is focused on developing highly accurate models that are orders of magnitude faster than the present state-of-the-art and then using those models to unlock novel and robust AI-driven autonomy approaches. An operations-centric development approach will be enabled through the use of human-on-the-loop F-16 testbeds. On piloted platforms, AIR's algorithms will automate tactical control tasks transforming junior pilots from low-level tacticians into high-level mission commanders. For unpiloted platforms, AIR will enable vehicles to perform missions with minimal human oversight. The outcome of this program will be an AI air combat capability that works in dynamic, operationally representative environments. The transition partner is the U.S. Air Force. Beginning in FY 2026, this program will be funded in PE 0603468E, Project ACX-01.

Commercial-quality drones demonstrate surprising usefulness on the modern battlefield. Rapid Experimental Missionized Autonomy (REMA) will enhance commercially available and stock military drones with a subsystem to enable autonomous operation. The program, building on technologies developed under the Oversight program in PE 0602702E, Project TT-07, will focus on delivering autonomy without being tied to a specific drone design. REMA will look to develop these capabilities through rapid spirals of development. New mission functionality will be delivered through development spirals accelerating from three-month duration at program inception to one-month by program completion. Drones are either remotely piloted via radio frequency (RF) tethers or pre-programmed with relatively simple mission profiles relying on GPS waypoints. Both approaches are vulnerable to RF jamming, especially at the terminal phase of the mission. Research and Development (R&D) programs have demonstrated autonomy capabilities for drones, but these have been bespoke solutions, with software spirals of nine months or longer, too slow of a response in a dynamic battlefield. The REMA program addresses specific challenge problems, during which performers will develop, collaborate, and deliver an autonomy subsystem for drones at a rapid pace.