Air Force Test Investments
Abstract
This PE provides planning, improvements, and modernization for test capabilities at four Air Force Test Center (AFTC) organizations: 96 Test Wing at Eglin AFB FL, 704 Test Group at Holloman AFB NM (and operating locations at Wright-Patterson AFB OH), Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) at Arnold AFB TN, and the 412 Test Wing at Edwards AFB CA. The purpose is to help test organizations improve and develop their test infrastructure and capabilities to keep pace with improvements in weapon system technologies. The improvement and modernization (I&M) requirements are defined through the AF Test Investment Planning & Programming (TIPP) Process. All projects have been reviewed through the Tri-Service Reliance process (to communicate AF efforts to the other Services and avoid unwarranted duplication of effort) and are documented in the Technology Development Acquisition Program (TDAP) database. Each project has its own planning, development, equipment acquisition, equipment installation, and checkout phases which often require significant differences in funding from one year to the next. As such, the changes in category funding from year to year do not necessarily indicate program growth, but rather a planned phasing of improvement and modernization efforts. The test capabilities at these locations enable testing through all phases of weapon system acquisition, from system concept exploration through component and full-scale integrated weapon system testing to operational testing. These test organizations are a part of the Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB), operated and maintained by the Air Force for DoD Test and Evaluation (T&E). These national test assets are available to others requiring their unique capabilities. The 96 TW, at Eglin AFB FL, conducts and supports developmental test and evaluation (DT&E) of non-nuclear air armaments; Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems; target acquisition and weapon delivery systems; navigation systems; provides a climatic simulation capability; determines target/test item spectral signatures; and provides Cyber testing capabilities as part of the Joint Information Operations (IO) Range. AEDC, at Arnold AFB TN, provides pre-flight and reliability ground environmental test support for DoD aeropropulsion, flight systems, and space and missile programs. The center has 53 test facilities providing: aerodynamic testing of scale model aircraft, missiles, and space systems; testing of large and full-scale satellites, sensors, and space vehicles in a simulated space environment; altitude environmental testing for aircraft, missile, and spacecraft propulsion systems; testing of large-scale models such as space boosters together with their propulsion systems and it provides a climatic simulation capability. The 704 TG at Holloman AFB, NM provides independent test and evaluation of inertial navigation systems, Global Positioning System (GPS) and integrated systems used for aircraft navigation and missile guidance systems, including vulnerability to electronic interference; provides the liaison function for coordinating and scheduling all US Air Force test operations at White Sands Missile Range; provides subsonic through hypersonic ground testing of aircraft and missiles in a flight-representative environment under highly instrumented conditions; and executes flight test and test support for advanced avionics and weapons development of joint, international and commercial test programs. The 704 TG, OL-AC at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH provides independent T&E in support of aircraft survivability and full-scale aircraft landing gear T&E. These T&E activities include the development, T&E of aircraft landing gear components supporting engineering acquisition, design, safety, and performance evaluations. In addition, they provide an independent T&E capability for component qualification. The 412th Test Wing, at Edwards AFB CA, conducts and supports DT&E and Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) of aircraft and aircraft systems, aerospace research vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles, parachute delivery/recovery/systems, and cargo handling systems. I&M efforts within this PE are identified in four mission area categories: Airframe/Propulsion/Avionics (APA); Armament/Munitions (A/M); Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (C4ISR)/Cyber; and Space. These categories describe general types of effort that will be conducted in this PE. APA provides planning, improvements, and modernization needed for test capabilities to conduct and support DT&E and OT&E of aircraft and aircraft systems, aerospace research vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles, parachute delivery/recovery systems, cargo handling systems, and turbine engines. APA focuses on evaluation of the vehicle airframe, propulsion system, and avionics systems, as well as overall systems integration testing. It encompasses both ground test facilities, on-board test aircraft systems, and open-air range infrastructure, including instrumentation and data processing. A/M provides planning, improvements, and modernization to conduct DT&E of air-to-ground and air-to-air armaments and munitions, which include gun, chaff and flare systems, as well as aerial decoy and target systems. The A/M category encompasses the full range of DT&E from digital modeling and simulation, to precision measurement testing, to hardware-in-the-loop and installed systems testing, to open-air range testing. Elements of A/M DT&E include environmental, warhead effectiveness, arena blast/fragmentation, guidance navigation and control, aerodynamics, propulsion, electromagnetic interference and compatibility, mass properties, seeker and signature measurement, survivability, lethality, integration, reliability, net-centric and terminal effects testing. A/M also involves the design and development of systems needed to support A/M DT&E including the design and development of high speed sleds, targets, range support systems and various instrumentation and measurement systems. C4ISR provides planning, improvements and modernization to conduct DT&E of systems that support Command and Control (C2) functions which range from air campaign planning at the theater level to wing level C2 operations, to planning individual missions, to putting weapons on target using concepts such as machine to machine targeting. C4ISR includes ground and flight performance testing of airborne C2 networks and tactical data links, air operation centers, mission planning systems, multi-level security systems, radio and communication systems, ISR systems, information assurance systems, and radar systems such as those used by Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar Systems (JSTARS) and air traffic control systems. C4ISR conducts DT&E on a full range of systems covering the sensor (detection) to the shooter (weapon), including functional and environmental testing of these systems. C4ISR/Cyber also includes DT&E for offensive and defensive Cyber capabilities. Space provides planning, improvements, and modernization needed for test capabilities to perform developmental and operational testing for space and launch acquisition and sustainment programs. Test capabilities include launch vehicle, satellite, missile, sensor, thermal protection system, signature, hardness, and interface testing. The capabilities reside at Vandenberg, Kirtland, Arnold, Patrick, Schriever, Peterson, Holloman Air Force Bases and others. Infrastructure includes launch sites, mobile control units, thermal vacuum chambers, sled tracks, arc heated wind tunnels, ballistic test ranges, signature collection, and the requisite personnel. 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
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2018
- Source ID
- 664597_0604759F_6_3600_PB_2018
Related Documents
- Root: Major T&E Investment
- Child Accomplishment: Airframe/Propulsion/Avionics T&E I&M
- Child Accomplishment: Armament/Munitions T&E I&M
- Child Accomplishment: C4ISR T&E I&M