Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration

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.

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).

The follow-on Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program was initiated by the deputy under-secretary in 2005. 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. All remaining ACTDs continued to be funded, though, and were expected to conclude by 2008.

Lists of selected programs

The following lists of ACTDs are separated into which year they were selected and approved during.

Fiscal year 1995

Fiscal year 1996

Fiscal year 1997

Fiscal year 1998

Although not represented in this section, additional ACTDs indeed followed those listed above (during FY 1999–2006).

Congressional Budget Office assessments

Some of the Congressional Budget Office assessments, such as the CBO 1998 Memorandum, 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:

• Global Hawk
• JSTOW ACTD as part of Joint Semi-Automated Forces
• DarkStar
• JPADS

See also

• The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) – An international defense science and technology collaboration between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Notes

Further reading

• . www.fas.org. Federation of American Scientists. 21 March 1997.
• Haas, David J.; et al. (2000). . vtol.org. American Helicopter Society International. Archived from on 23 June 2017.

External links

• . Defense Acquisitions University. Archived from on 3 March 2016.