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 Joint 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 Assistant Secretary of Defense for Mission Capabilities’ (ASD(MC)) campaign of experimentation, resulting in a military utility assessment. RPP may support the maturation of Joint 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 an inneroperable, system of system architectures. Overarching program goals include modernization of cross-cutting Joint technology areas, providing fieldable end-to-end mission capabilities for joint application, informing disparate programs of record, and delivering capabilities more quickly than traditional acquisition. RPP develops prototypes that reduce technical and integration risk across the services and accelerate capabilities to programs of record and future experimentation, including Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER) Joint experiments. RPP project selection aligns to priority Joint mission threads 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, Joint prototype capabilities demonstrated in an operational environment to inform DoD and Service leadership.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2025
• Source ID: 0604331D8Z_4_0400_PB_2025
• Change Summary Explanation: FY 2025 net increase of $39.643 million consists of $5.000 million classified increase $65.400 million increase for JADC2 development $0.368 million increases for Economic Assumptions. -$1.125 million to meet DoD overall funding reductions, which were spread to mitigate impact. -$30.000 million are funds realigned to Service RDT&E and Procurement PEs to fund selected efforts needed to meet operational needs
• Service Agency Name: Office of the Secretary Of Defense

Entities

Organizations

• Office of the Secretary of Defense

Tags

Readers

• 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