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Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by SergeantSelfExplanatory (talk | contribs) at 02:54, 21 May 2025 (Removed 'Dynamic list' template; as there will be nore more ACTDs, it having been replaced by the Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) in Oct. 2006/fancy 'fiscal year' 2007 (or 18 years ago!) See "OSD RDT&E BUDGET ITEM JUSTIFICATION" (Feb. 2008); Added new section with tables for year of initiation of ACTDs (feel free to correct anything, formatting, etc.); Added 'Use American English' template). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program
Active1994-2006
BranchUsed by US Army, Marine Corps, US Navy, US Air Force
TypeDefense acquisition program
RoleReduce time to field improved technology, incorporate user into development process

An Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) enables the evaluation of mature advanced technology for usage by the United States military. These demonstrations allow technology evaluation earlier and cheaper than is possible through the formal acquisition of new production capabilities. They must be sponsored by an operational user with approval and oversight from the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts. No ACTDs have been initiated since 2006, when the deputy under-secretary initiated the follow-on Joint Concept Technology Demonstration program to emphasize multiservice technology development and improved planning for transition to operations.[1]

Some of the Congressional Budget Office assessments, such as the CBO 1998 Memorandum,[2] reviewed the ACTD program's progress since its initiation in 1994 up until the 1998 assessment. The memorandum summarized the results as "From 1995 through 1998, DoD has spent $3.2 billion on 46 ACTDs. The $3.2 billion represents about 2 percent of DoD’s entire budget for research and development during that time." The memorandum provided some details about the 46 ACTDs as of 1998, and highlighted the Medium-Altitude Endurance UAV (the Predator drone) as on its then successes, having transitioned into a formal DOD Acquisition Program.

Programs

The following lists of ACTDs are separated into which year they were selected and approved during.

Fiscal year 1995

ACTDs Selected in Fiscal Year 1995
Fiscal Year[2] Title Class* Total Expected Cost

(1995–2003: mil, K)

User/Sponsor Lead Service or Agency
Oct. 1994

(FY 1995)

Advanced Joint

Planning

I 40.5m[a] US Atlantic

Command

Defense Information

Systems Agency

Cruise Missile

Defense, Phase I

III 74.2m US Pacific

Command

Navy
High-Altitude

Endurance UAV

II 922.6m US Atlantic

Command

Air Force
Joint Countermine III 402.1m US Atlantic

Command

Navy
Kinetic Energy Boost-

Phase Intercept

II 40.0m Air Combat

Command

Air Force
Low-Life-Cycle-Cost

Medium-Lift Helicopter

II 800K Military Sealift

Command

Navy
Medium-Altitude

Endurance UAV (Predator)

II 128.4m US Atlantic

Command

Air Force
Precision/Rapid

Counter-MRL

III 86.3m US Forces Korea Army
Precision SIGINT

Targeting System

I 45.4m US Forces Korea Navy
Rapid Force

Projection Initiative

III 567.8m XVIIIth Airborne

Corps

Army
Synthetic Theater

of War

I 174.2m[b] US Atlantic

Command

None
*Class I = software development projects; class II = traditional platforms; class III = systems-of-systems

Abbreviations:

Fiscal year 1996

ACTDs Selected in Fiscal Year 1996
Fiscal Year[2] Title Class* Total Expected Cost

(1995–2003: mil, K)

User/Sponsor Lead Service or Agency
Oct. 1995

(FY 1996)

Air Base/Port

Biological Detection

III 19.7m US Central

Command, US Pacific Command

Army
Battlefield Awareness

and Data Dissemination

I 113.4m US Atlantic

Command

Defense Information

Systems Agency

Combat Identification II 92.7m US Atlantic

Command

Army
Combat Vehicle

Survivability

II 48.6m III Corps Army
Counterproliferation I III 123.3m US European

Command

Air Force, Defense Special

Weapons Agency (DSWA)

Counter Sniper II 1.0m US Army

Infantry School

Army
Joint Logistics I 168.3m US Atlantic

Command, US European Command

Navy
Miniature Air-launched

Decoy

II 45.0m Air Combat

Command

Air Force
Navigation Warfare II 83.4m US Atlantic

Command

Air Force
Semi-Automated

IMINT Processing

I 123.2m US Atlantic

Command

Army, Air Force, DARPA,

National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA)

Tactical High-Energy

Laser

II 117.1m[c] Israeli Ministry

of Defense

Israel
Tactical UAV program II 131.3m Army, Navy,

Marine Corps

Army
*Class I = software development projects; class II = traditional platforms; class III = systems-of-systems

Abbreviations:

Fiscal year 1997

ACTDs Selected in Fiscal Year 1997
Fiscal Year[2] Title Class* Total Expected Cost

(1995–2003: mil, K)

User/Sponsor Lead Service or Agency
Oct. 1996

(FY 1997)

Chemical Add-On to

Air Base/Port Biological Detection

III 3.2m US Central

Command, US Pacific Command

Army
Consequence

Management

II 3.2m Army, Marine

Corps

Army, Marine Corps
Counter-

proliferation II

III 303.0m US European

Command

Air Force, Navy
Extending the Littoral

Battlespace

III 137.7m US Pacific

Command

Marine Corps
Information

Operations Planning Tool

I 55.1m US Central

Command

Air Force
Integrated Collection

Management

I 12.2m US Atlantic

Command

Defense Intelligence

Agency (DIA)

Joint Advanced Health

and Usage Monitoring System

II 15.5m n.a. Navy
Military Operations in

Urban Terrain

III 71.9m US Special

Operations Command (USSOCOM)

Army
Rapid Terrain

Visualization

II 54.6m XVIIIth Airborne

Corps

Army
*Class I = software development projects; class II = traditional platforms; class III = systems-of-systems

Abbreviations:

Fiscal year 1998

ACTDs Selected in Fiscal Year 1998
Fiscal Year[2] Title Class* Total Expected Cost

(1995–2003: mil, K)

User/Sponsor Lead Service or Agency
Oct. 1997

(FY 1998)

Adaptive Course of

Action

I 19.3m US Atlantic

Command, US Pacific Command

Defense Information

Systems Agency

C4I for Coalition

Warfare

I 20.0m US European

Command

Army
High Power

Microwave

II 2.0m US European

Command

Army
Information Assur-

ance: Automated Intrusion Detection Environment

I 75.1m US Strategic

Command

Defense Information

Systems Agency

Joint Biological

Remote Early Warning System

III 125.7m US European

Command

Army
Joint Continuous

Strike Environment

I 15.9m US European

Command

Defense Information

Systems Agency

Joint Modular Lighter

System

II 26.5m US Atlantic

Command

Navy
Line-of-Sight Anti-

tank

II 257.9m US Central

Command

Army
Link 16 (tactical data

network for NATO)

I 3.3m US Atlantic

Command

Navy
Migration Defense

Intelligence Threat Data System

I 11.4m US European

Command

Defense Intelligence

Agency (DIA)

Precision Targeting

Identification

II 23.0m[d] JIATF East

(Joint Inter- agency Task Force East)

Navy
Space-Based

Space Surveillance Operations

I 21.5m US Space

Command

Air Force
Theater Precision

Strike Operations

I 93.4m US Forces Korea Army
Unattended Ground

Sensors

II 20.8m US Central

Command, US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)

Air Force
*Class I = software development projects; class II = traditional platforms; class III = systems-of-systems

Abbreviations:

Although they are not represented in this section, additional ACTDs indeed followed those listed above (during FY 1999–2006).[1]

Outcomes

The following programs were completed under the Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration framework:

Notes

  1. ^ Includes $5.2 million added from fiscal year 1996 funds, i.e. the next year.
  2. ^ Excludes an additional $4.6 million to be provided by the United Kingdom.
  3. ^ Excludes an additional $64.7 million to be provided by Israel.
  4. ^ Excludes an additional $2.4 million to be provided by the United Kingdom.

References

  1. ^ a b "OSD RDT&E Budget item justification (R2 Exhibit)" (PDF). Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e "The Department Of Defense's Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations" (PDF). Congressional Budget Office, Washington, DC. September 1998. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 November 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b Drezner, Jeffrey A.; Leonard, Robert S. (January 2002). "Innovative Development: Global Hawk and DarkStar: Their Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator Program Experience, Executive Summary". RAND. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  4. ^ Benney, Richard; et al. "The Joint Precision Airdrop System Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration" (PDF). www.aiaa.org. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved 1 May 2012.

Further reading

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