The US Navy and the Indiana National Guard have opened a ground-based facility for testing aircraft countermeasures.
The US Navy and the Indiana National Guard have opened a ground-based facility for testing aircraft countermeasures before they advance to more extensive flight trials.
Located at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, the facility was established through a partnership between the National Guard and the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane).
The latter is a US Navy laboratory under Naval Sea Systems Command that develops and supports technologies for strategic, electromagnetic, and expeditionary warfare missions.
The facility comprises a 176-meter (578-foot) track with a 123-meter (402-foot) opening. It can conduct controlled countermeasure tests at speeds of up to Mach 1 (1,235 kilometers/767 miles per hour).
Supported platforms include the F-35 Lightning II, F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-16 Fighting Falcon, MH-60 Seahawk, and C-130 Hercules.
During testing, imaging equipment records the infrared performance of airborne expendable countermeasures as they move along the track.
Engineers can then analyze the results, modify the design, and repeat the test under controlled conditions.
This process is intended to accelerate design changes and produce more mature countermeasures before testing moves to crewed aircraft.
Reduced Reliance on Flight Trials
NSWC Crane estimated that moving early evaluations from aircraft to the ground could save $1.7 million annually.
The approach is also intended to reduce aircraft scheduling constraints and shorten development timelines.
Flight trials will still take place, but the countermeasures should be at a higher level of maturity by the time they reach that stage, reducing risks to aircraft and aircrews.
The track will also support Lot Acceptance Testing, which verifies that countermeasures in individual production batches meet the required specifications.
