Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration

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Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program
Active1994–2006 (or FY95–FY07) [a]
BranchUsed by United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force
TypeDefense acquisition program
RoleReduce time to field improved technology, incorporate user into development process

The Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) program was a Department of Defense research and evaluation initiative for mature, advanced technology for United States military usage. These demonstrations allowed for cheaper and earlier evaluation of technology and systems than the formal acquisition process. [1]

Contents

An ACTD must be sponsored by an operational user, with approval and oversight from the now-terminated role of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts, or DUSD(AS&C), previously titled the Deputy USD for Advanced Technology, or DUSD(AT). [1] [2]

The follow-on Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program was initiated by the deputy under-secretary in 2005. [2] The new JCTD framework emphasized multiservice technology development and improvements in planning. ACTDs were replaced by JCTDs during about a three year span from 2005 to 2008. During 2006, the final round of ACTDs were up for selection, and in September 2006 the winning projects received their formal approval. [3] All remaining ACTDs continued to be funded, though, and were expected to conclude by 2008. [2]

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 [1]
Fiscal Year [1] #TitleClass*Total Expected Cost

(1995–2003: mil, K)

User/SponsorLead Service or Agency
Oct. 1994

(FY 1995)

1Advanced Joint

Planning

I40.5m [b] US Atlantic

Command

Defense Information

Systems Agency

2Cruise Missile

Defense, Phase I

III74.2m US Pacific

Command

Navy
3High-Altitude

Endurance UAV

II922.6m US Atlantic

Command

Air Force
4Joint CountermineIII402.1m US Atlantic

Command

Navy
5 Kinetic Energy Boost-

Phase Intercept

II40.0m Air Combat

Command

Air Force
6Low-Life-Cycle-Cost

Medium-Lift Helicopter

II800K Military Sealift

Command

Navy
7Medium-Altitude

Endurance UAV (Predator)

II128.4m US Atlantic

Command

Air Force
8Precision/Rapid

Counter-MRL

III86.3m US Forces Korea Army
9Precision SIGINT

Targeting System

I45.4m US Forces Korea Navy
10Rapid Force

Projection Initiative

III567.8m XVIIIth Airborne

Corps

Army
11Synthetic Theater

of War

I174.2m [c] 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 [1]
Fiscal Year [1] #TitleClass*Total Expected Cost

(1995–2003: mil, K)

User/SponsorLead Service or Agency
Oct. 1995

(FY 1996)

1Air Base/Port

Biological Detection

III19.7m US Central

Command, US Pacific Command

Army
2Battlefield Awareness

and Data Dissemination

I113.4m US Atlantic

Command

Defense Information

Systems Agency

3Combat IdentificationII92.7m US Atlantic

Command

Army
4Combat Vehicle

Survivability

II48.6m III Corps Army
5Counterproliferation IIII123.3m US European

Command

Air Force, Defense Special

Weapons Agency (DSWA)

6Counter SniperII1.0m US Army

Infantry School

Army
7Joint LogisticsI168.3m US Atlantic

Command, US European Command

Navy
8Miniature Air-launched

Decoy

II45.0m Air Combat

Command

Air Force
9Navigation WarfareII83.4m US Atlantic

Command

Air Force
10Semi-Automated

IMINT Processing

I123.2m US Atlantic

Command

Army, Air Force, DARPA,

National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA)

11 Tactical High-Energy

Laser

II117.1m [d] Israeli Ministry

of Defense

Israel
12 Tactical UAV programII131.3m 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 [1]
Fiscal Year [1] #TitleClass*Total Expected Cost

(1995–2003: mil, K)

User/SponsorLead Service or Agency
Oct. 1996

(FY 1997)

1Chemical Add-On to

Air Base/Port Biological Detection

III3.2m US Central

Command, US Pacific Command

Army
2Consequence

Management

II3.2m Army, Marine

Corps

Army, Marine Corps
3Counter-

proliferation II

III303.0m US European

Command

Air Force, Navy
4Extending the Littoral

Battlespace

III137.7m US Pacific

Command

Marine Corps
5Information

Operations Planning Tool

I55.1m US Central

Command

Air Force
6Integrated Collection

Management

I12.2m US Atlantic

Command

Defense Intelligence

Agency (DIA)

7Joint Advanced Health

and Usage Monitoring System

II15.5mn.a. Navy
8 Military Operations in

Urban Terrain

III71.9m US Special

Operations Command (USSOCOM)

Army
9Rapid Terrain

Visualization

II54.6m 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 [1]
Fiscal Year [1] #TitleClass*Total Expected Cost

(1995–2003: mil, K)

User/SponsorLead Service or Agency
Oct. 1997

(FY 1998)

1Adaptive Course of

Action

I19.3m US Atlantic

Command, US Pacific Command

Defense Information

Systems Agency

2 C4I for Coalition

Warfare

I20.0m US European

Command

Army
3 High Power

Microwave

II2.0m US European

Command

Army
4Information Assur-

ance: Automated Intrusion Detection Environment

I75.1m US Strategic

Command

Defense Information

Systems Agency

5Joint Biological

Remote Early Warning System

III125.7m US European

Command

Army
6Joint Continuous

Strike Environment

I15.9m US European

Command

Defense Information

Systems Agency

7Joint Modular Lighter

System

II26.5m US Atlantic

Command

Navy
8Line-of-Sight Anti-

tank

II257.9m US Central

Command

Army
9 Link 16 (tactical data

network for NATO)

I3.3m US Atlantic

Command

Navy
10Migration Defense

Intelligence Threat Data System

I11.4m US European

Command

Defense Intelligence

Agency (DIA)

11Precision Targeting

Identification

II23.0m [e] JIATF East

(Joint Inter- agency Task Force East)

Navy
12Space-Based

Space Surveillance Operations

I21.5m US Space

Command

Air Force
13Theater Precision

Strike Operations

I93.4m US Forces Korea Army
14Unattended Ground

Sensors

II20.8m 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 not represented in this section, additional ACTDs indeed followed those listed above (during FY 1999–2006). [2] [4]

Congressional Budget Office assessments

Some of the Congressional Budget Office assessments, such as the CBO 1998 Memorandum, [1] 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.

Outcomes

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

See also

Notes

  1. FY07 ACTD planning had happened two years in advance, from candidacy in Dec. 2005 to Sept 2006 approval, in time for activation just before FY07 (i.e. Oct. 2006 to Sept 2007).
  2. Includes $5.2 million added from fiscal year 1996 funds, i.e. the next year.
  3. Excludes an additional $4.6 million to be provided by the United Kingdom.
  4. Excludes an additional $64.7 million to be provided by Israel.
  5. Excludes an additional $2.4 million to be provided by the United Kingdom.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "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.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "OSD RDT&E Budget item justification (R2 Exhibit)" (PDF). apps.dtic.mil (Defense Technical Information Center = DTIC). February 2008. p. 1. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025. It is anticipated that all ongoing ACTDs will be complete by FY09.
  3. Peterson, Mark (18 April 2006). "Microsoft PowerPoint - Peterson NDIA ACTD Brief April 2006-Public.ppt" (PDF). ndia.dtic.mil (National Defense Industrial Association = NDIA | Defense Technical Information Center = DTIC). Director, Program Resources & Integration, Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), DDR&E/AS&C (Advanced Systems & Concepts). pp. 7, 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 December 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2025. JCTD First introduced in the FY 2006 President's Budget"; "FY07 ACTD Candidates Submitted [in] Dec [2005] (__Note__): FY08 programs are referred to as ACTDs instead of JCTDs due to pending nature of the JCTD program, circa April 2006. Presumably once approved, it would have been updated to match. (__Editor Note__)
  4. "[FY 1995 to FY 2009] Joint Capability Technology Demonstrations (JCTD) | JCTD website". acq.osd.mil (Acqusition, Office of Secretary of Defense = OSD). July 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  5. 1 2 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.
  6. 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