Rapid Prototyping Program

Abstract

This program supports the Department's initiatives to Defend the Homeland, Build Sustainable and Long-Term Advantage, and Build a Resilient Joint Force and Defense Ecosystem. The Rapid Prototyping Program (RPP) supports the rapid development of prototypes required in 12-to-24 months (technical maturation TRL 7-9) to address urgent needs identified through ideation with the Joint Staff, Combatant Commands, or Secretary of Defense guidance. Prototype requirements are developed using threat-informed physics-based mission analyses and are evaluated under the Office of the Under Secretary for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)) Mission Capabilities’ (MC) campaign of experimentation, resulting in a military utility assessment. RPP may support the maturation of prototypes across the Department (to include those developed by the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO), Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the Services (TRL 5-6)) that have successfully demonstrated a required capability but have not been independently assessed in operational system of system architectures. Overarching program goals include modernization of cross-cutting technology areas, providing fieldable end-to-end mission capabilities for Services and joint application, informing programs of record, and delivering capabilities more quickly than traditional acquisition. RPP develops prototypes that reduce technical and integration risk and accelerate capabilities to programs of record and future experimentation, including Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER) Joint experiments. RPP project selection aligns to priority mission and technology areas including artificial intelligence / machine learning; autonomous systems; hypersonics; electronic warfare; sensors for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); and resilient communications. RPP rapidly develops and fields cross-cutting, prototype capabilities demonstrated in an operational environment to inform DoD and Service leadership.

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Document Details

Document Type
R2 Budgetary Justification
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2024
Source ID
0604331D8Z_4_0400_PB_2024
Change Summary Explanation
FY 2023 and out-year funding of Project Code 073, Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER) is transferred to a new Program Element and Project Code, 0604790D8Z, Project 790. FY 2024 Program Adjustment is comprised of a re-alignment of $2.442 million to support the Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Serving Institutions program, which is a priority of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)), $0.118 million to support departmental priorities, and $0.620 million for an economic assumption inflation increase
Service Agency Name
Office of the Secretary Of Defense

Entities

Organizations

  • Office of the Secretary of Defense

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Engineered Resilient Systems (Alumni COI)

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Battle Damage Assessment
  • Command And Control
  • Defense Planning
  • Department Of Defense
  • High Altitude
  • Machine Learning
  • Procurement
  • Product Development
  • Radio Frequency
  • Software Prototyping
  • System Of Systems
  • Systems Management
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Defense Technology Research and Development.
  • Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.
  • Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.

Technology Areas

  • AI & ML
  • AI & ML - DoD AI Strategy
  • Autonomy
  • Autonomy - UAVs
  • Hypersonics
  • Microelectronics

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