regarding funding,
Strange, I thought that this project would be very important. My understanding it will have a significantly better performance against VLO platforms

VLO works against all radars, both friendly and adversary. VLO systems’ ability to suppress RF returns are better than radar systems capability for detecting them. The physics of how receivers work and the self-generated noise of those radars keeps the VLO RF return below the detection threshold for a given power density. It would take a radically different approach to improve the detection/tracking radius against VLO, and nobody has a system which is capable of that feat. Until that new technology miracle occurs, MEADS/Patriot/AEGIS are just as blind as S-300/MQ-9/S-400.