DOD Starts Uncrewed Systems Budget Process for FY 2023

As note in an AUVSI news release, the DOD’s budgeting process for uncrewed systems (UxV) in Fiscal Year 2023 has commenced. The charts suggest DOD priorities among systems intended for deployment in Air, Counter-UAS, Ground, Maritime Surface and Maritime Subsurface domains.
“Military organizations worldwide are continuing to integrate uncrewed vehicles (UxV) into their operations at a growing rate. The United States (U.S.) Department of Defense (DOD) has funded the research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) and procurement of UxV for decades, and support for these systems and associated technologies continues with the President’s most recent budget request. … This report will discuss some of the programs with the largest funding in the next fiscal year as well as some key growth areas over the next five years.

“The programs discussed in this report cover the major funding areas for UxV systems across all operational domains. The platforms range greatly in size and mission profile but the core technologies being developed share a common theme. There is significant emphasis on autonomy and MUM-T solutions which improve the efficiency and survivability of UxV teamed with soldiers on the battlefield. Autonomy can be found in most subsystems integrated on UxV platforms such as sensors, navigation and control systems, communication systems, mobility solutions, and others. Additional areas of significant focus include common control systems, cross-domain interoperability, cyber resilience, and improved energy and propulsion systems.

“With regards to funding, air programs continue to exceed all other domains. … As a final note, this report only covers the requested budget for FY 2023. Congressional committees will review these requests and finalize the budget through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2023.” For more information, see the AUVSI release.