Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0605807F/ — built September 26, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
Test and Evaluation Support
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 | $960.4M |
| FY25 | $936.9M |
| FY26 | $1.10B |
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 | FY15 | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $692.0M | $683.3M | $676.4M | $735.7M | $692.8M | $795.6M | $770.1M | $811.0M | $842.4M | $960.4M | ||
| Enacted | $683.3M | $680.2M | $678.3M | $692.8M | $717.9M | $761.3M | $811.0M | $841.9M | $913.2M | $936.9M | ||
| Request | $661.4M | $678.3M | $692.8M | $717.9M | $764.6M | $811.0M | $826.9M | $913.2M | $936.9M | $1.10B |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2020 book requested $717.9M for FY2020; the PB2022 book reported $795.6M as actual total obligation authority — $77.7M above the request. 795.6 − 717.9 = 77.7 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 — Test and Evaluation Support
This program element provides resources to operate the Air Force Test Center (AFTC) test activities which are included in the Department of Defense (DoD) Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB). Test facilities/capabilities include wind tunnels, rocket and jet engine test cells, hypersonic and subsonic testing, modeling and simulation, technology, limited space environmental simulation chambers, armament test ranges, hardware-in-the-loop test facilities, climatic test facilities, avionics test facilities, aircraft testbeds, dry lake bed landing sites, instrumented test ranges, and test aircraft maintenance, as well as USAF Test Pilot School (TPS). Test and Evaluation (T&E) Support funds institutional test infrastructure activities including: Command and supervisory staffs; supply stocks; maintenance, repair, and replacement of worn or obsolete test equipment and facilities; test infrastructure for data collection, transmission, reduction, and analysis; civilian salaries; temporary duty travel; range operations and material support contract costs for hardware and software engineering and maintenance; and minor improvement and modernization projects. It also funds institutional test aircraft depot level maintenance such as: Programmed Depot Maintenance (PDM), the calendar-based cyclic scheduling of aircraft into depots for update/inspection; modifications and any other depot level repairs required by the aircraft System Program Directors (SPD); engine overhauls; depot-provided area assistance; and assorted ground support equipment overhauls. Within AFTC, there are three Test Wings (TW). The first is Arnold Engineering and Development Complex (AEDC), located at Arnold Air Force Base (AFB), TN. The AEDC institutional test infrastructure supports operations of the largest complex of ground test facilities in the world (including transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic wind tunnels; rocket motor and turbine engine test cells; space environmental test chambers, hyper ballistic ranges; and other specialized facilities). AEDC also supports geographically separated facilities which include the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex (NFAC) located at NASA's AMES Research Center, CA, and Tunnel 9 located at White Oak, MD. The 412TW is located at Edwards AFB, CA. Its institutional test infrastructure supports weapons system development and operational test and evaluation for aircraft, aircraft subsystems and aircraft weapon systems, aerospace research vehicles, unmanned miniature vehicles, cruise missiles, parachute delivery/recovery systems, cargo handling systems, communications, information operations, and Electronic Warfare (EW) systems for DoD and allied forces. The 412TW mission also includes the USAF TPS. Lastly, the 96 TW, located at Eglin AFB, FL, is a joint test and training complex comprised of 724 square miles of land area, and approximately 123,000 square miles of water area. The 96TW provides the institutional test infrastructure required to conduct developmental and operational test and evaluation of non-nuclear air armaments (including aircraft guns, ammunition, and air-to-surface and air-to-air guided munitions); Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber and Intelligence/Surveillance/Reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems; target acquisition and weapon delivery systems; and special operations aircraft systems. 96TW provides a scientific test process that supports the development, production, sustainment, and enhancement of munitions systems that support tri-service digital weapons development. T&E support services contracts are awarded on the basis of full and open competition. 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.
Mission — 704th Test Group
Project infrastructure support is provided for the unique capabilities of the 704th Test Group (TG) facilities: Central Inertial and Global Positioning System (GPS) Test Facility (CIGTF/746th Test Squadron), the Holloman High Speed Test Track (HHSTT/846th Test Squadron) and the National Radar Cross Section (RCS) Test Facility (NRTF/704 TG Det 2), the 586th Flight Test Squadron including Detachment 1 (Det 1), 704 TG Operating Location (704 TG OL-AA) at Kirtland AFB, and 704 TG Operation Location (704 TG OL-AC) at Wright-Patterson AFB. CIGTF provides independent test and evaluation of inertial, Global Positioning System, and integrated systems used for aircraft navigation and missile guidance systems, including vulnerability to electronic interference. HHSTT capabilities include full-scale testing in flight representative environments, realistic live-fire simulations, test item and target fragment recovery, precision trajectory analysis and high speed photography. NRTF provides radar cross section (RCS) monostatic and bistatic amplitude and phase measurements, antenna pattern measurements, glint and near field measurements for low observable targets. The 586th Flight Test Squadron executes flight test and test support for advanced avionics and weapons development of joint, international and commercial test programs. Det 1 provides the liaison function for coordinating and scheduling all US Air Force test and training operations at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). OL-AA provides test support for the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Directed Energy Division. The 704 TG OL-AC includes the Landing Gear Test Facility (LGTF) with capabilities such as variable and fixed inertia dynamometers, compression/tension load applicators, 4 drop towers, a burst pit and a dynamic load simulator. The 704 TG OL-AC also includes the Air Vehicle Survivability Office that provides support for Air Force aircraft acquisition programs. The 704th TG support services contracts are awarded on the basis of full and open competition.
Mission — Test and Evaluation Support
This program activity provides resources to operate the Air Force Test Center (AFTC) test activities which are included in the Department of Defense (DoD) Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB). Test facilities/capabilities operated through this program include wind tunnels, rocket and jet engine test cells, hypersonic and subsonic testing, modeling and simulation, technology, limited space environmental simulation chambers, armament test ranges, hardware-in-the-loop test facilities, climatic test facilities, avionics test facilities, aircraft testbeds, dry lakebed landing sites, instrumented test ranges, and test aircraft maintenance, as well as USAF Test Pilot School. The AFTC's three Test Wings (TW) are supported by this project: (1) Arnold Engineering and Development Complex (AEDC), located at Arnold Air Force Base (AFB) TN; (2) 412TW, located at Edwards AFB, CA; and (3) 96TW, located at Eglin AFB, FL.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (4)
Civ Pay
Provide civilian pay at the 704th Test Group (TG) to support testing of DoD, other Government Agencies, foreign military sales, and commercial weapon systems.
Non Pay
Provide infrastructure at the 704th Test Group (TG) to support testing of DoD, other Government Agencies, foreign military sales, and commercial weapon systems.
Civ Pay
Provide civ pay to support testing at Arnold Engineering and Development Complex (AEDC), the 412TW and USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, and the 96TW at Eglin AFB.
Non Pay
Provide resources to support testing at Arnold Engineering and Development Complex (AEDC), the 412TW and USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, and the 96TW at Eglin AFB.
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 | $960.4M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Enacted | $936.9M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Total | $936.9M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Disc. Request | $1.10B |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Total | $1.10B |
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 | $960.4M | $936.9M | $1.10B | $1.10B |
| 6606TG: 704th Test Group | $0 | $48.0M | $49.7M | $58.2M | $58.2M |
| 6606TS: Test and Evaluation Support | $0 | $912.4M | $887.2M | $1.04B | $1.04B |
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 Test and Evaluation Support. No program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
Program dossier
Every sentence below carries its citation — warehouse figures open the citation panel, news claims link the cached source.
Research dossiers exist for 50 of 1,938 programs — the 50 largest fully J-book-detailed programs by FY2026 request. why no dossier here? →
What it is
- Test and Evaluation Support (program element 0605807F) is a U.S. Air Force program funded in the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force account.
- The program provides resources to operate the Air Force Test Center (AFTC) test activities, which are part of the Department of Defense Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB).
- Its test facilities and capabilities include wind tunnels, rocket and jet engine test cells, hypersonic and subsonic testing, modeling and simulation, armament test ranges, hardware-in-the-loop and climatic test facilities, avionics test facilities, aircraft testbeds, dry-lakebed landing sites, instrumented test ranges, and the USAF Test Pilot School.
- The funding covers institutional test-infrastructure activities such as command and supervisory staffs, maintenance and replacement of worn or obsolete test equipment and facilities, data collection and analysis infrastructure, civilian salaries, range operations, and minor modernization projects, along with depot-level maintenance of institutional test aircraft.
- The Air Force Test Center's three Test Wings are supported by the program: Arnold Engineering and Development Complex (AEDC) at Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee; the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, California; and the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
- The program also funds infrastructure for the 704th Test Group's specialized facilities, including the Central Inertial and GPS Test Facility, the Holloman High Speed Test Track, and the National Radar Cross Section Test Facility.
Why it matters
- The program's total funding grows from $936,913 thousand in FY2025 to $1,098,871 thousand (about $1.10 billion) requested for FY2026.
- That is a year-over-year increase of $161,958 thousand (roughly $162 million) from FY2025 to FY2026.
- In FY2024 the program recorded actual spending of $960,429 thousand (about $960 million), so the FY2026 request sits modestly above its recent execution level.
- The entire FY2026 request of $1,098,871 thousand is discretionary funding; there is no reconciliation (mandatory) component in this program element.
- Because it funds shared institutional infrastructure rather than a single weapon system, the money supports testing not only of Air Force programs but also of other government agencies, foreign military sales, and commercial weapon systems.
Key players
- The program is run by the U.S. Air Force, with funding drawn from the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force appropriation.
- The operating organization is the Air Force Test Center (AFTC), whose three Test Wings — AEDC at Arnold AFB, the 412th Test Wing at Edwards AFB, and the 96th Test Wing at Eglin AFB — are supported by the program.
- The 704th Test Group operates specialized facilities funded through this program, including the Central Inertial and GPS Test Facility (746th Test Squadron), the Holloman High Speed Test Track (846th Test Squadron), and the National Radar Cross Section Test Facility, and its OL-AA provides test support for the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Division.
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 · J630
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2026_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2017 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J548
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2017_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2018 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J613
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2018_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2019 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J637
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2019_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2020 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J638
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2020_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2021 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J659
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 · J619
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 · J595
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 · J586
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 · J605
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 17