en Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration

An Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration enables the evaluation of mature advanced technology for usage by the United States military. These demonstrations allow technology evaluation earlier and cheaper than is possible through the formal acquisition of new production capabilities. They must be sponsored by an operational user with approval and oversight from the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts. None have been initiated since 2006, when the deputy under-secretary initiated the follow-on Joint Concept Technology Demonstration program to emphasize multiservice technology development and improved planning for transition to operations.^[1]

Some of the Congressional Budget Office assessments, such as the 1998 CBO 1998 Memorandum ^[2] review progress since the program's initiation in 1994 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 (Predator) as on its then successes, having transitioned into a formal DOD Acquisition Program.