Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0605712F/ — data as of July 28, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
Initial Operational Test & Evaluation
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
- $13.7M
- FY25
- $14.2M
- FY26
- $13.9M
● 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 | $8.92M | $11.2M | $13.8M | $15.5M | $17.4M | $13.3M | $10.4M | $12.6M | $13.9M | $13.7M | ||
| Enacted | $10.5M | $11.5M | $15.5M | $18.0M | $13.8M | $13.5M | $12.6M | $13.9M | $13.7M | $14.2M | ||
| Request | $11.5M | $15.5M | $18.0M | $13.8M | $13.6M | $12.6M | $13.9M | $13.7M | $14.2M | $13.9M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2021 book requested $13.6M for FY2021; the PB2023 book reports $10.4M actually spent — $3.15M below 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 — Initial Operational Test and Eval
The program element funds the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) to conduct Congressionally mandated Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) to support major weapon system acquisition decisions beyond Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP), Milestone C, full rate production, fielding, and declaration of Initial Operational Capability (IOC). For Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAP), the law requires IOT&E be completed under realistic operating conditions before proceeding beyond LRIP. IOT&E is planned to answer all critical operational issues (COI) as thoroughly as possible. IOT&E is conducted to determine the operational effectiveness and suitability, and resolve overall mission capability, of systems undergoing research and development (R&D) efforts. It is an evaluation of a system's performance when the complete system is tested and evaluated against operational criteria by personnel with the same qualifications as those who will operate, maintain, and support the system when deployed. In general, IOT&E is performed on new systems in development, major modifications, and other systems as directed. This PE also funds participation in Multiservice Operational Test and Evaluation (MOT&E), and Follow-on Operational Test and Evaluation (FOT&E) when it is the continuation of IOT&E activities passed the full rate production decision. FOT&E answers specific questions about unresolved COIs and test issues or completes areas not finished during the IOT&E. The PE funds related Operational Test & Evaluation (OT&E) activities such as conducting Continuous Operational Testing (COT), Early Influence, agile release tests, Integrated Test and Evaluation (IT&E), Operational Utility Evaluations (OUE), Early Operational Assessments (EOA), Operational Assessments (OA) and operationally realistic evaluations of advanced technologies which informs military utility determination. These tests support releases and major milestones and decision points prior to Milestone C, full rate production, fielding, or declaration of IOC. IOT&E programs are identified in four system categories: Air; Weapons; Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR); and Combat Support. This program element is driven by Congressional and DoD acquisition-mandated requirements for operational testing. AFOTEC schedules and executes tests according to the forecasted test readiness of the MDAP program offices. This program is in Budget Activity 6, RDT&E Management Support because this budget activity includes research, development, test and evaluation efforts and funds to sustain and/or modernize the installations or operations required for general research, development, test and evaluation.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (4)
C4ISR Systems OT&E
Plan, execute and report OT&E for C4ISR Systems
Air Systems OT&E
Plan, execute and report OT&E for Air Systems
Weapons Systems OT&E
Plan, execute and report OT&E for Weapons Systems
Combat Support OT&E
Plan, execute and report OT&E for Combat Support OT&E
Budget Line Items(workbook-cited)
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY24 Actuals | $13.7M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Enacted | $14.2M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Total | $14.2M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Disc. Request | $13.9M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Total | $13.9M |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
| Project | All Prior Years | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 660191: Initial Operational Test and Eval | $0 | $13.7M | $14.2M | $13.9M | $13.9M |
| Program Element | $0 | $13.7M | $14.2M | $13.9M | $13.9M |
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? →