Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site

Abstract

The Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS), with its remote location and one-of-a-kind instrumentation systems, provides a valuable strategic test environment that cannot be replicated. Its function is to: 1) support test and evaluation of major Army and Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition programs of strategic importance to the national defense; and 2) provide space operations and intelligence data (Space Situational Awareness, object tracking & identification) in support of United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), acting as a high value contributing sensor to the United States (U.S.) Space Surveillance Network. Due to its unique geography and instrumentation, RTS is able to provide unmatched data collection capabilities that provide critical test data for programs of national interest to include: Army Missile Defense; Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency hypersonic Boost-Glide developmental tests; Air Force and Navy Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) developmental and operational tests; Army, Air Force, Navy, and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) operational, demonstration, and validation tests; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientific and unique space programs; NASA ionospheric studies; space debris tracking; and data collection in support of space experiments. Funding in this Program Element (PE) covers management and contracting personnel support (salaries and travel) to enable the management of the test and evaluation of major Army and DoD missile systems for the RTS. Funds also provide contracting support for end item procurement, life cycle acquisition planning, and solicitation, negotiation, award, execution and management for weapon systems contracts. This PE provides contractors to accomplish key operations and maintenance functions for RTS instrumentation suites and also provides mission essential bandwidth via a fiber optic cable system. Funds provide the expertise required for operating and maintaining a number of one-of-a-kind radar, optical, telemetry, command/control/communications, safety, and data reduction systems. These systems include: the four unique radars of the Kiernan Reentry Measurement Site; Super Recording Automatic Digital Optical Tracker long range video-metric tracking systems; high density data recorders for high data-rate telemetry collected by ten antennas; an underwater acoustic impact location system; and data analysis/reduction hardware/software and Continental United States (CONUS) based mission control center. The Advanced Research Project Agency Long-Range Tracking and Instrumentation Radar and the Target Resolution Discrimination Experiment radars located at RTS are the only radars in this area of operation that have deep-space tracking capability. The Millimeter Wave Radar is one of the highest resolution imaging radars in the world, providing critical intelligence data. Funding also enables weapon system assessment of operational effectiveness and suitability for the Army, Air Force, Navy and MDA, which all have programs planned that have significant test and data gathering requirements at RTS. This test data cannot be obtained except through the use of technical facilities available on and in the vicinity of RTS. Program supports Army's PATRIOT air defense system; Air Force's Minuteman III ICBM and the Space and Missile Center's associated programs; MDA's Ballistic Missile Defense System, ICBM Targets, and Layered Ballistic Missile Defense operational tests (including: PATRIOT, Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense , and Aegis Weapon System), and NASA's space experiments.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2022
• Source ID: 0606002A_6_2040_PB_2022
• Change Summary Explanation: Additional increase for Cyber Compliance Refresh and Instrumentation Maintenance to improve Radar Availability.
• Service Agency Name: Army

Entities

Organizations

• United States Army

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Ground and Sea Platforms
• Space
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Acquisition
• Air Defense
• Area Defense
• Ballistic Missiles
• Defense Systems
• Department Of Defense
• High Altitude
• Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
• Millimeter Waves
• Procurement
• Situational Awareness
• Space Debris
• Space Situational Awareness
• Space Surveillance
• Systems Engineering
• Test And Evaluation
• United States Strategic Command

Readers

• Aerospace Engineering.
• Aerospace Test and Evaluation
• Missile Defense Systems.

Technology Areas

• 5G
• 5G - DoD 5G Program
• Fully Networked C3
• Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control
• Hypersonics
• Hypersonics - Hypersonic Flow
• Space
• Space - Space Objects