Intelligence Advanced Development

Intelligence Advanced Development (IAD), Program Element 0603260F, develops and demonstrates technologies that give warfighters timely, all-source intelligence for global awareness, consistent battlespace knowledge, and time-critical missions. Its work emphasizes data analytics, machine learning, and software automation to mine, interpret, and exploit intelligence from new and existing sources. In FY 2027, the Air Force intends to deliver more timely information to warfighters and intelligence analysts through streamlined analysis while reducing the operational footprint required to produce it.

IAD is funded under the Air Force Research, Development, Test & Evaluation appropriation, Budget Activity 4, Advanced Component Development and Prototypes. That category supports evaluation of integrated technologies and prototype systems in realistic, high-fidelity operating environments. Air Combat Command (ACC) identifies and prioritizes tactical and operational intelligence deficiencies, while the Air Force Research Laboratory's Rome Research Site, Information Intelligence Systems and Analysis Division (AFRL/RIE), works directly with users to develop responses. The program uses rapid prototyping and evolutionary development to move evaluated modules from the laboratory into operational use, and may redirect existing resources when new or revised warfighter requirements arise out of cycle.

Intelligence Exploitation Tools (IET), Project 64536A, is the funded IAD project in FY 2027. It develops prototypes for correlating and fusing intelligence from Communications Intelligence (COMINT), Electronics Intelligence (ELINT), Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT), Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT), Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Publicly Available Information (PAI), and other sources. Its analytics, machine-learning methods, and automated tools help analysts search imagery, video, documents, and signals; detect anomalies; and work across multiple classification levels. IET also develops methods for analyzing current and future foreign weapon systems, seeking more accurate warning and more options for national and military authorities to avert or manage crises.

Intelligence Analysis Capabilities (IAC), Project 64537A, historically covered a distinct portfolio of threat-analysis, modeling, and simulation tools. Its purpose was to improve the speed and accuracy of predictive air and space intelligence used in military operations, force-modernization decisions, policy making, and threat estimates for deployed forces. In FY 2027, the Air Force transfers all IAC efforts and funding into IET to streamline the program: the earlier separation of projects is no longer needed as overall IAD funding has declined. Work begun under IAC, including predictive targeting and the electronic warfare database effort, continues within IET rather than ending with the separate project line.

Before that consolidation, FY 2026 IET work included completing demonstrations of knowledge-representation and reasoning tools that use semantic embeddings to cluster and filter audio and video. It also included predicting aircraft trajectories and behavior without real-time positioning information and completing over-the-horizon tracks of adversary air, land, and maritime assets for Department of the Air Force Family of Systems aircraft. Threat airborne radar work continued to support predictive analysis, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and Electronic Warfare (EW) programmability. These efforts establish the technical work that IET carries into the requested year.

In FY 2027, IET plans to complete the threat airborne radar effort, including its predictive-analysis, hardware-in-the-loop, and EW-programmability applications. It also plans to complete a unified targeting and operational predictive intelligence application designed to predict adversarial threats; IAC had continued this work in FY 2026. The targeting and predictive intelligence activity is scheduled across FY 2027. Together, these tools are intended to turn analysis of observed and modeled threats into more useful operational estimates.

A separate FY 2027 commitment is continued cloud enablement of the electronic warfare integrated reprogramming database (EWIRDB), which IAC initiated in FY 2026. The goal is to improve dissemination of electronic warfare reprogramming capability, with the IET schedule extending this activity through FY 2028. IET's development, evaluation, and prototype releases also continue in capability spirals beyond FY 2027. This approach allows operational users to assess software prototypes and receive finished capabilities incrementally rather than waiting for a single final configuration.

For acquisition, ACC prioritizes requirements and AFRL's Rome Research Site manages development; users evaluate prototypes before they transition to the operational community. Major project contracts are awarded through full and open competition. FY 2027 IET funding covers product development and program support through AFRL's Information Directorate in Rome, New York. The project's funding increase from FY 2026 chiefly reflects the transfer of IAC work, with a smaller inflation adjustment, rather than the creation of an unrelated mission.