Test and Evaluation Support
Abstract
This program element provides resources to operate the Air Force Test Center (AFTC) test activities which are included in the Department of Defense (DoD) Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB). Test facilities/capabilities include wind tunnels, rocket and jet engine test cells, hypersonic and subsonic testing, modeling and simulation, technology, limited space environmental simulation chambers, armament test ranges, hardware-in-the-loop test facilities, climatic test facilities, avionics test facilities, aircraft testbeds, dry lake bed landing sites, instrumented test ranges, and test aircraft maintenance, as well as USAF Test Pilot School. Test and Evaluation (T&E) Support funds institutional test infrastructure activities including: Command and supervisory staffs; supply stocks; maintenance, repair, and replacement of worn or obsolete test equipment and facilities; test infrastructure for data collection, transmission, reduction, and analysis; civilian salaries; temporary duty travel; range operations and material support contract costs for hardware and software engineering and maintenance; and minor improvement and modernization projects. It also funds institutional test aircraft depot level maintenance such as: Programmed Depot Maintenance (PDM), the calendar-based cyclic scheduling of aircraft into depots for update/inspection; modifications and any other depot level repairs required by the aircraft System Program Directors (SPD); engine overhauls; depot-provided area assistance; and assorted ground support equipment overhauls. Within AFTC there are three test wings. The first is Arnold Engineering and Development Complex (AEDC), located at Arnold Air Force Base (AFB), TN. The AEDC institutional test infrastructure supports operations of the largest complex of ground test facilities in the world (including transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic wind tunnels; rocket motor and turbine engine test cells; space environmental test chambers, hyper ballistic ranges; and other specialized facilities). AEDC also supports geographically separated facilities which include the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex (NFAC) located at NASA's AMES Research Center, California, Tunnel 9 located at White Oak, Maryland, and the McKinley Climatic Lab located on Eglin AFB, Florida. The 412 Test Wing (TW) is located at Edwards AFB, CA. Its institutional test infrastructure supports weapons system development and operational test and evaluation for aircraft, aircraft subsystems and aircraft weapon systems, aerospace research vehicles, unmanned miniature vehicles, cruise missiles, parachute delivery/recovery systems, cargo handling systems, communications, information operations, and Electronic Warfare (EW) systems for DoD and allied forces. The 412TW mission also includes the USAF Test Pilot School. Lastly, the 96 TW, located at Eglin AFB, FL, is a joint test and training complex comprised of 724 square miles of land area, and approximately 123,000 square miles of water area. The 96TW provides the institutional test infrastructure required to conduct developmental and operational test and evaluation of non-nuclear air armaments (including aircraft guns, ammunition, and air-to-surface and air-to-air guided munitions); Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence/Surveillance/Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems; target acquisition and weapon delivery systems; and special operations aircraft systems. 96TW provides a scientific test process that supports the development, production, sustainment, and enhancement of munitions systems that support tri-service digital weapons development. T&E support services contracts are awarded on the basis of full and open competition. As directed in the FY 2018 NDAA, Sec 825, amendment to PL 114-92 FY 2016 NDAA, Sec 828 Penalty for Cost Overruns, the FY 2018 Air Force penalty total is $14.373M. The calculated percentage reduction to each research, development, test and evaluation and procurement account will be allocated proportionally from all programs, projects, or activities under such account. This program is in Budget Activity 6, RDT&E Management Support because this budget activity includes research, development, test and evaluation efforts and funds to sustain and/or modernize the installations or operations required for general research, development, test and evaluation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- R2 Budgetary Justification
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2020
- Source ID
- 0605807F_6_3600_PB_2020
- Change Summary Explanation
- FY18: Test and Evaluation Support received $57.4 million in Congressional adds. $23.0 million was provided for a one-time increase to the Flying Hour Program to supports the AFMC test fleet. $4.4 million was a program increase to support weapon system cyber resiliency test and evaluation. The remaining $30.0 million was a general program increase that is being used to address budget shortfalls in areas such as facility security upgrades and operations. FY20: $2.005 million decrease due to civ pay reprice ($3.633 million decrease),fuel reprice ($1.820 million increase), and increase of 0.060 million to support the Dynamic Radar Cross Section (RCS) Range investment.
- Service Agency Name
- Air Force
Entities
Organizations
- United States Air Force
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