Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration

Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program
Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program
Active	1994-2005
Branch	Used by United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force
Type	Defense acquisition program
Role	Reduce 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.^[1]

No ACTDs have been initiated since 2005, when the deputy under-secretary initiated the follow-on Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) 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.

Lists of selected 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)	1	Advanced Joint Planning	I	40.5m^[a]	US Atlantic Command	Defense Information Systems Agency
	2	Cruise Missile Defense, Phase I	III	74.2m	US Pacific Command	Navy
	3	High-Altitude Endurance UAV	II	922.6m	US Atlantic Command	Air Force
	4	Joint Countermine	III	402.1m	US Atlantic Command	Navy
	5	Kinetic Energy Boost- Phase Intercept	II	40.0m	Air Combat Command	Air Force
	6	Low-Life-Cycle-Cost Medium-Lift Helicopter	II	800K	Military Sealift Command	Navy
	7	Medium-Altitude Endurance UAV (Predator)	II	128.4m	US Atlantic Command	Air Force
	8	Precision/Rapid Counter-MRL	III	86.3m	US Forces Korea	Army
	9	Precision SIGINT Targeting System	I	45.4m	US Forces Korea	Navy
	10	Rapid Force Projection Initiative	III	567.8m	XVIIIth Airborne Corps	Army
	11	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: UAV - Unmanned aerial vehicle MRL - Multiple rocket launcher SIGINT - Signals intelligence

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)	1	Air Base/Port Biological Detection	III	19.7m	US Central Command, US Pacific Command	Army
	2	Battlefield Awareness and Data Dissemination	I	113.4m	US Atlantic Command	Defense Information Systems Agency
	3	Combat Identification	II	92.7m	US Atlantic Command	Army
	4	Combat Vehicle Survivability	II	48.6m	III Corps	Army
	5	Counterproliferation I	III	123.3m	US European Command	Air Force, Defense Special Weapons Agency (DSWA)
	6	Counter Sniper	II	1.0m	US Army Infantry School	Army
	7	Joint Logistics	I	168.3m	US Atlantic Command, US European Command	Navy
	8	Miniature Air-launched Decoy	II	45.0m	Air Combat Command	Air Force
	9	Navigation Warfare	II	83.4m	US Atlantic Command	Air Force
	10	Semi-Automated IMINT Processing	I	123.2m	US Atlantic Command	Army, Air Force, DARPA, National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA)
	11	Tactical High-Energy Laser	II	117.1m^[c]	Israeli Ministry of Defense	Israel
	12	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: UAV - Unmanned aerial vehicle IMINT - Imagery intelligence

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)	1	Chemical Add-On to Air Base/Port Biological Detection	III	3.2m	US Central Command, US Pacific Command	Army
	2	Consequence Management	II	3.2m	Army, Marine Corps	Army, Marine Corps
	3	Counter- proliferation II	III	303.0m	US European Command	Air Force, Navy
	4	Extending the Littoral Battlespace	III	137.7m	US Pacific Command	Marine Corps
	5	Information Operations Planning Tool	I	55.1m	US Central Command	Air Force
	6	Integrated Collection Management	I	12.2m	US Atlantic Command	Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
	7	Joint Advanced Health and Usage Monitoring System	II	15.5m	n.a.	Navy
	8	Military Operations in Urban Terrain	III	71.9m	US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)	Army
	9	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: n.a. - not applicable

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)	1	Adaptive Course of Action	I	19.3m	US Atlantic Command, US Pacific Command	Defense Information Systems Agency
	2	C4I for Coalition Warfare	I	20.0m	US European Command	Army
	3	High Power Microwave	II	2.0m	US European Command	Army
	4	Information Assur- ance: Automated Intrusion Detection Environment	I	75.1m	US Strategic Command	Defense Information Systems Agency
	5	Joint Biological Remote Early Warning System	III	125.7m	US European Command	Army
	6	Joint Continuous Strike Environment	I	15.9m	US European Command	Defense Information Systems Agency
	7	Joint Modular Lighter System	II	26.5m	US Atlantic Command	Navy
	8	Line-of-Sight Anti- tank	II	257.9m	US Central Command	Army
	9	Link 16 (tactical data network for NATO)	I	3.3m	US Atlantic Command	Navy
	10	Migration Defense Intelligence Threat Data System	I	11.4m	US European Command	Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
	11	Precision Targeting Identification	II	23.0m^[d]	JIATF East (Joint Inter- agency Task Force East)	Navy
	12	Space-Based Space Surveillance Operations	I	21.5m	US Space Command	Air Force
	13	Theater Precision Strike Operations	I	93.4m	US Forces Korea	Army
	14	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: C4I - command, control, communication, computers, and intelligence

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:

Global Hawk^[3]
JSTOW ACTD as part of Joint Semi-Automated Forces

DarkStar^[3]
JPADS^[4]

Notes

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

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "OSD RDT&E Budget item justification (R2 Exhibit)" (PDF). Retrieved 8 May 2023.
^ ^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.
^ ^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.
^ 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.

External links

"Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations (ACTD) Website". Defense Acquisitions University. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.

[3] Includes $5.2 million added from fiscal year 1996 funds, i.e. the next year.

[4] Excludes an additional $4.6 million to be provided by the United Kingdom.

[5] Excludes an additional $64.7 million to be provided by Israel.

[6] Excludes an additional $2.4 million to be provided by the United Kingdom.

[:1-1] "OSD RDT&E Budget item justification (R2 Exhibit)" (PDF). Retrieved 8 May 2023.

[:0-2] "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.

[autogenerated1-7] 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.

[8] 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.

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