By Deidre MoonAEDC Public Affairs

With the first ballistic missile being introduced in 1944 during World War II, the newest threat to the nations of the world was realized.

At this time, the V-2 rock-ets, the world’s first long-range, guided, ballistic missiles, were not very accurate, but this new capability created new urgency for the U.S. and its allies.

When the war ended and American scientists had discov-

ered Germany’s sophisticated flight simulation test facilities, Henry “Hap” Arnold, the gen-eral of the Air Force, made it his mission to never let the U.S. fall behind in warfighting technol-ogy. Thus, Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC), named after Arnold at a cere-mony June 25, 1951, was estab-lished to provide much-needed test capabilities.

The Space Test Branch for AEDC, now known as the Ar-nold Engineering Development Complex, headquartered at Ar-

nold Air Force Base, Tenn., has contributed greatly to national defense and technology devel-opment over the last several de-cades by providing capabilities to ground test missiles, space vehicles and associated compo-nents.

Rocket motor test facilities

The Rocket Propulsion Ground test and evaluation

Arnold AFB, Tenn. June 21, 2021Vol. 68, No. 12

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE PAIDTULLAHOMA TNPERMIT NO. 29

AEDC expands footprint from coast-to-coast over past 24 years

By Deidre MoonAEDC Public Affairs

The Engine Test Facility (ETF), which is part of the AEDC Propulsion Test Branch at Arnold Air Force Base, was the first facility on base, with its construction completed in 1953.

Equipment making up the ETF test cells, such as the motors and compres-sors, were confiscated from a Bavar-ian Motor Works (BMW) plant in Mu-nich, Germany, following World War II. This equipment was modernized

and expanded considerably during its installation at Arnold. The motors and compressors were later decommis-sioned in 2008.

ETF test cells, which are known as the J (jet) cells and T (turbine) cells, are used for development and evalu-ation testing of engines most vital to the nation’s aerospace weapon sys-tems. The first turbojet engine test was conducted in the T-1 test cell on May 3, 1954. The engine was a J-47, which was later used to power the B-47 Stratojet bomber.

The largest rocket propulsion unit tested in ETF up until September 1959, was Reaction Motor’s 50,000-pound-thrust liquid-propellant engine for the X-15 Research Aircraft. The purposeof the test was to determine the start-ing and throttling capabilities of theengine under high altitude conditions.Altitudes from 20,000 to 70,000 feetwere simulated in the test cell, and atotal of 20 starts were made during thefirst phase of the test program.

AEDC’s past lays solid foundation for futureBy Bradley HicksAEDC Public Affairs

Arnold Engineering Development Complex has repeatedly been referred to as the U.S. Air Force’s “best kept se-cret,” but its role in supporting national defense since the site was dedicated on June 25, 1951, has been anything but hushed.

For the past 70 years, the test capa-bilities offered by AEDC have been key in providing foundational technology development of aeronautical and space systems. Even in the face of shifting priorities and evolving technologies, AEDC’s focus on elevating national defense is expected to continue for the

next 70 years and beyond. “AEDC will play an increasingly

important role in national defense in the future,” said AEDC Commander Col. Jeffrey Geraghty. “As tech-nology advances, AEDC is poised to test the new-est systems that the United States needs to meet the National Defense Strategy. Over the past few years, the Air Force Test Center has assigned primary responsi-bility for testing emerging technologies to AEDC, and our team continues to rise to the challenge.”

AEDC Vice Director Jason Coker added AEDC’s test capabilities have

provided the nation’s foundation to understanding aero and space systems phenomenology, allowing the U.S. to

dominate commercial and defensive air and space systems capabili-

ties for decades.“Jet and rocket engine

technologies that we take for grant-

ed every day owe their success to the

AEDC’s test and devel-opment capabilities,” Coker said.

“The same is true for Department of Defense aircraft and space systems, as virtually every aircraft and space system utilized today owes its birth and evolution to the test capabilities

and engineering expertise that AEDC provides.”

Going forward, AEDC will continue in its important role of supporting the nation’s aeronautical and space sys-tems development, Coker said. Several areas of priority spelled out in the most recent National Defense Strategy, such as space and hypersonic development and nuclear modernization, fall well within the purview of AEDC.

“As our nation continues to advance these technologies, AEDC will contin-ue to provide capabilities that reduce risk and ensure success of advanced air and space systems by identifying

See FuTure, page 5

Space Test Branch helps change the world with decades of testing

Propulsion Test Branch at Arnold AFB helping power the Air Force since 1950s

See spAce TesT, page 10

See propulsioN, page 4

A 1977 groundbreaking ceremony for the Aeropropulsion systems Test Facility at Arnold Air Force Base is attended by Air Force and industry officials, national, state and area representatives, and AEDC personnel. Construction on ASTF was completed around seven years later, and the facility was dedicated on Oct. 2, 1984. (U.S. Air Force photo)

By Bradley HicksAEDC Public Affairs

From the testing of subscale to full-scale models at speeds ranging from subsonic to hypersonic, work performed over the decades in the nine wind tunnels that comprise the Arnold Engineering Development Complex Aerodynamics Test Branch has played an integral role in protecting civilians and warfighters by providing customers with valuable risk-reduction data.

Six continuous-flow wind tunnels within the AEDC Aerodynamics Test

A scale model of the Apollo command and service module is tested in Tunnel B of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex von Kármán Gas Dynamics Facility. The NAsA Apollo program suc-ceeded in landing the first humans on the moon in July 1969 when the Apollo 11 crew touched down on the lunar sur-face. Tests in support of the Apollo pro-gram were conducted across AeDc. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Defense, Space exploration among

contributions of Aerodynamics Test Branch

See AeroDYNAMics, page 9

A full-scale GPS was tested in the Mark I Space Chamber at AeDc in 1977. (U.S. Air Force photo)

…page 2

Watch AEDC media for the Commander’s Welcome and other

“Hap Arnold Day” 70th Anniversary Open House videos

2 • June 21, 2021

Values

Vision

• Ethics. We are uncompromising in our integrity, honesty, and fairness.

• Safety & Health. We are relentless in keeping people safe from harm, andwe provide a safe and healthy work

environment.• Security. We are disciplined and vigilant in protecting sensitive AEDC information and ensuring system integrity to support

national security and our customers.• Excellence. We thrive on challenge, accomplishment, and mission success.• Quality. We are passionate about doing

our work right the first time.• People. We have a mission-focused,inclusive workforce who have a diverse skill set, are committed to success, demonstrate innovation and have a can

do attitude.• Culture. Our team is proud of our diver-sity, inclusiveness, and collaborative work environment. We are proud of what we do

and how we do it.• Relationships. We build positive, long-term business relationships through trust,

respect, and collaboration.• Innovation. We overcome challenges through creativity, perseverance, technol-ogy, and flexibility. We actively seek to

continually improve.• Sustainability. We plan and act for thelong term benefit of our communities and

our environment.

v

High Mach staff:Kathy Jacobsen,

NAS Executive Editor

Jill Pickett NAS Editor

Arnold Air Force

Base

richard TigheGeneral Manager,

National Aerospace solutions

High Mach is published by Lakeway Publishers, Inc. a pri-vate firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, Arnold Air Force Base, Arnold Engi-neering Development Complex (AEDC) or National Aerospace Solutions (NAS), under exclu-sive written contract with NAS at Arnold AFB, Tenn., 37389.

Everything advertised in this publication will be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital sta-tus, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or patron.

The High Mach office is located at 100 Kindel Drive, Suite A236, Arnold AFB, Tenn. 37389-1236. Editorial content is edited and prepared by NAS. Deadline for copy is Wednes-day at close of business one week before publication.

This commercial enterprise newspaper is an allowable NAS contractor publication for personnel at Arnold AFB.

The content of High Mach does not necessarily reflect the views of the Air Force, Arnold AFB, AEDC or NAS. The ap-pearance of advertising in this publication does not constitute endorsement of the products or services advertised by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, Arnold AFB, AEDC, NAS or Lakeway Publishers, Inc.For general information about High Mach, call (931) 454-5655 or visit www.arnold.af.mil.

core Values• Integrityfirst

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we do

use High Mach to mar-ket your products and services. Contact Joe at 931-455-4545 or jmartin@tullahomanews.com

“NAS delivers the best aerospace testing

capabilities today and in the future.”

Col. Jeffrey Geraghtycommander

Jason Austinchief,

public Affairs

smoking policy1. The following revised Arnold AFB smoking policy is effective immediately and applies to all individuals on

Arnold AFB.2. Traditional Tobacco products (e.g. cigars and cigarettes):

a. Smoking is permitted solely in Designated Tobacco Areas (DTAs) identified by designated signage. If nosignage exists, smoking is not permitted in that area. It is the responsibility of all smokers to keep DTAsclean of cigarette butts.

b. Tobacco use on the Arnold AFB Golf Course is permitted, but discouraged based on the health hazardsof tobacco use and secondhand smoke. No smoking is permitted within 50 feet of golf course buildingsexcept in the approved DTA.

c. Smoking in government-owned/leased vehicles is strictly prohibited. Personnel are allowed to smoke in theirpersonal vehicles at any time; however, at no time will personnel discard cigarette butts outside their vehicle.

d. For government employees, the fact that a person smokes has no bearing on the number of breaks theymay take. Breaks should be taken in accordance with the current supervisory and personnel policies thatafford all employees the same break opportunities consistent with good work practices and accomplish-ment of the mission.

3. Smokeless Tobacco products (e.g. snuff and dip):Smokeless tobacco products are not to be restricted to DTAs. Smokeless tobacco use will be permitted in allworkplace areas (inside and out) subject to reasonable safety and sanitary conditions. Specifically, containersof tobacco waste product, including sealed containers, must not be left unattended or disposed of in trashreceptacles. Users of smokeless tobacco must flush tobacco waste down the toilet.

4. Electronic Cigarettes (also known as “e-cigs”):Pursuant to Air Force Instruction (AFI) 40-102, Tobacco Free Living, e-cigs are considered to be equivalent totobacco products; however, e-cigs are not restricted to DTAs and are allowed to be used outdoors at a minimumdistance of 25 feet from building entry/egress points. (This policy is dated July 27, 2016)

Team AeDc,I believe in free and open communications

with our Team AeDc employees, and that’s why we have the Action Line available. People can use the Action line to clear up rumors, ask ques-tions, suggest ideas on improvements, enter complaints or get other issues off their chests.

The Action line has been expanded to in-clude an option for your ideas, comments, or suggestions on the AcqDemo personnel sys-tem. simply call the normal x6000 commander’s action line. You will then be prompted to select option 1 for the commander’s Action line or op-tion 2 for the AcqDemo line. They can access the Action Line via the AEDC intranet home page and by calling 931-454-6000.

Although the Action Line is always available, the best and fastest way to get things resolved is by using your chain of command or by con-tacting the organization directly involved. I en-courage everyone to go that route first, then if the situation isn’t made right, give us a chance.

Col. Jeffrey GeraghtyAeDc commander

Action Line

AEDC expands footprint from coast-to-coast over past 24 years

By Jill pickettAEDC Public Affairs

Since Arnold Engineering De-velopment Center, now Complex, was dedicated in 1951 in middle Tennessee, the organization has grown to include many units, span-ning the country from Maryland to California with many points in between. Most of the units and or-ganizations were formed prior to joining AEDC and bring with them a history all their own. All of them have the ability to help AEDC to continue making history.

Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9

The expansion of AEDC be-yond the bounds of Tennessee be-gan in 1997 with the addition of the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9 at White Oak, Maryland - an ad-dition that boosted the hypersonic testing capability of the Complex.

The Naval Ordnance Labora-tory was established at White Oak in 1944. In 1945, a German super-sonic wind tunnel captured during World War II was transferred to the Navy for installation at the site and assigned the designation of Tunnel 1, thereby beginning the history of wind tunnel testing at White Oak. The wind tunnel complex at White Oak expanded over the years with Tunnel 9 being the last and most advanced facility established at White Oak to support the devel-opment of the strategic re-entry systems for both the Navy and Air Force. Tunnel 9 became opera-tional in 1976 and was operated as part of the Naval Surface Warfare Center before it was transferred to AEDC in 1997 as part of a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decision in 1995.

Tunnel 9 is a critical facility for the aerodynamic and aerothermal testing of advanced offensive and defensive hypersonic systems for the Department of Defense. The tunnel has a large 5-foot diam-eter test cell and can operate for longer durations than many other

hypervelocity facilities – up to 15 seconds compared to a few milli-seconds. These capabilities com-bined with the high pressure, high temperature operational range of the tunnel make it the highest Reynolds number, largest scale hypersonic ground-test facility in the U.S., with the ability to collect continuous pitch-polar static force and moment, pressure and heat transfer data during each run.

Since the initial operating capa-bility (IOC) of Tunnel 9, the capa-bility has expanded its operational environment to support evolving national test requirements. Most notably in recent years, members of Team AEDC have stretched even further. A new Mach 18 ca-pability was developed and suc-cessfully operated with IOC being officially achieved in 2020. Tunnel 9 operational capabilities now are available at Mach 7, 8, 10, 14 and 18.

“While the uncertainty associ-ated with the BRAC transition was difficult at the time, the end result

where Tunnel 9 became a part of AEDC was by far the best decision for the nation,” said Joe Coblish, AEDC White Oak Air Force site director. “I truly believe that since the transition, AEDC and our cus-tomers have benefited greatly by the synergy that has fostered over the years between Tunnel 9 and the other hypersonic capabilities within the enterprise. Working col-laboratively, we are maximizing our support to provide the test and evaluation insight necessary to re-duce developmental risk and field critical hypersonic systems to the warfighter in the shortest possible timeframe.”

National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex

The next remote site added to the AEDC footprint is located on NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field near Mountain View, California. In 2006, the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Com-plex, or NFAC, was placed under

AEDC operations and added a large-scale, subsonic test capabil-ity to the suite of AEDC wind tun-nels.

The 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel was built in 1944 by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronau-tics, known as NACA. An 80- by 120-foot test section was added in1987 by NASA, and the facilitywas dedicated the NFAC. In 2003,the NFAC was temporarily shut-tered as a result of a decision byNASA to reduce operating costs.However, it was soon reopenedunder AEDC management due toits unique capabilities and impor-tance to national security.

The 40- by 80-foot wind tun-nel circuit is capable of pro-viding test velocities up to 300 knots and Reynolds numbers up to 3 million/ft., while the 80- by 120-foot test section is capableof testing at velocities up to 100 knots at nominal unit Reynolds

See FooTpriNT, page 3

Test engineers Joe Norris, left, and John Lafferty ready a Hypersonic Technology Vehicle-1 model prior to a Hypervelocity Wind Tun-nel 9 operation in White Oak, Maryland in 2005. (U.S. Air Force photo)

in 2009, a uH-60 Blackhawk rotor was mounted on the large rotor Test Apparatus during testing of the Individual Blade Control system at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex’s 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel in Mountain View, california. (U.S. Air Force photo by Philip Lorenz III)

June 21, 2021 • 3

numbers of 1.1 million/ft. The large sizes of the test sec-

tions enable AEDC to conduct innovative and non-traditional types of experimentation that could never be done in a normal wind tunnel. These non-tradi-tional tests include flying refuel-ing systems in the tunnel, dem-onstrating active flow control over aircraft surfaces, shooting mortars in the tunnel to simulate planetary decelerator parachute deployments, spraying water on a test article to test improve-ments to pilot visibility in heavy weather, and operating rotor and tiltrotor testbeds at speeds never before accomplished anywhere on earth.

“It is clear that the NFAC facility and the dedicated team that operates and maintains it are a critical part of the AEDC suite of test and analysis capa-bilities used to develop the tools needed by our services,” said Scott Waltermire, site director, AEDC Moffett Field. “It is very satisfying knowing that so many of the military aircraft currently fielded and flying in support of our national defense were, in some small part, developed in the same place we go to work every day.”

McKinley Climatic Laboratory

The McKinley Climatic Lab-oratory, or MCL, located at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, was one of several units and facilities that joined AEDC in 2016.

MCL was built in the ear-ly 1940s and was part of the Army Air Corps when it first opened. The first operational test was conducted in 1947, the same year the Air Force was established as a separate military service.

MCL has five climatic testing chambers, including one capable of accommodating a full-scale operational aircraft. Tempera-tures from -65 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit can be generated in the Main Chamber, along with solar radiation, variation in hu-midity, wind, rain, sand, dust, snow, freezing rain, ground and inflight icing, and a high corro-sive salt fog environment.

In addition to the Air Force, the facility is used for testing by the Army, Navy, Marines, Missile Defense Agency, other government agencies, foreign militaries and many commercial companies.

In 2020, members of Team AEDC put an HH-60W Jolly Green II to the test at MCL. The Air Force’s new combat search and rescue helicopter was oper-ated in extreme conditions inside the facility, including tempera-ture extremes, high winds and heavy rains. The test team took the chamber from 100 degrees Fahrenheit to subfreezing in only three days.

“The McKinley Climatic Laboratory is an exciting place to work,” said Kirk Velasco, chief, McKinley Climatic Labora-tory. “You get hands-on with the

equipment that all of the DOD will be using in the future. The personnel at the MCL are proud to be supporting the warfighter in all aspects of their mission.”

704th Test Group

The 704th Test Group also became part of the AEDC family in 2016 and added four addition-al remote locations to the Com-plex’s footprint. The 704 TG is primarily located at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, where the headquarters for the Test Group; 704 TG, Detachment 1; 586th Flight Test Squadron; 746th Test Squadron; 846th Test Squadron; and the 704th Test Support Squadron are located. The 704th TG Operating Loca-tion AA is based at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The 704th TG Operating Location AC performs testing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The 586th Flight Test Squadron, Detachment 1 works out of the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

The history of the 704 TG stretches back to the 1950s, though the organization’s name has changed over the years. No-table accomplishments include Lt. Col. John Stapp’s ride of a rocket propelled test sled at 632 mph in 1954, earning him the nickname “The Fastest Man Alive.” In 1960, Capt. Joseph Kittinger Jr. stepped out of an open-balloon gondola at 102,800 feet to evaluate high-altitude bailout techniques, breaking four world records at the time – high-est open-gondola manned-bal-loon flight, highest balloon flight of any kind, highest bailout and longest freefall.

The 704 TG operates facili-ties and aircraft that provide a di-verse array of test and evaluation capabilities.

At Holloman AFB, the 846th TS operates the Holloman High Speed Test Track to simulate select flight conditions ranging from subsonic to hypersonic speeds, at large scale. The test track also is used for ejection seat testing.

Additionally, the Central Inertial and GPS Test Facility run by the 746th TS to test and evaluate GPS user equipment and integrated GPS-based guid-ance and navigation systems, is located at Holloman AFB. The Test Squadron also operates an antenna test range that allows multi-element GPS antenna test-ing using multiple jammers in an open-air environment.

Another significant facility run by the Test Group is the Na-tional Radar Cross Section Test Facility, or NRTF, it is located at the White Sands Missile Range, where the 586th FLTS, Det. 1 is located serving as the Air Force liaison for all Air Force programs tested at the Range. The mission conducted at the NRTF is radar cross section characterization of full-scale, aerodynamic vehicles and antenna radiation pattern de-velopment.

Back at Holloman, the 586th

FLTS, plans, coordinates, con-ducts and analyzes flight tests of advanced weapons and avionics systems. While based at Hollo-man, most of the flight testing is conducted at White Sands Mis-sile Range. The Squadron oper-ates three different types of air-craft – highly-modified AT-38C Talons, a C-12F and a Beechcraft C-12J Huron.

The 704 TG Operating Loca-tion AA located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is part of the Directed Energy Com-bined Test Force. Unlike the oth-er test and evaluation units, the OL-AA does not manage a test facility, but uses all available test community resources across all the military services to execute the test and evaluation mission of DE technology.

At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, the 704th TG Operating Location AC operates two facilities – the Aerospace Vehicle Survivability Facility, or AVSF, and the Landing Gear Test Facility, or LGTF. In the AVSF, the OL-AA team con-ducts research, development, test and evaluation of weapon systems and components against combat survivable aerospace vehicles. At the LGTF, the team can simulate real-world operat-ing conditions for the testing of aircraft tires, wheels, brakes and landing gear assemblies.

“The 704th Test Group is proud to be a part of AEDC. With a diverse portfolio of test capa-bility, the 704th fits well within AEDC’s already diverse portfo-lio and aligns synergistically in some areas such as hypersonic, nuclear modernization and di-rected energy,” said Col. Darren Wees, 704 TG commander.

Hypersonic Flight Test Team

The Hypersonic Flight Test Team (HFTT) based at Edwards Air Force Base, California, was the last unit to be realigned under AEDC.

Before becoming part of AEDC in 2017, the HFTT was part of the 412th Test Wing and called the Hypersonic Combined Test Force (CTF). The HFTT joined with the newly-formed AEDC Hypersonic Ground Test Team, which operates the Aero-dynamic and Propulsion Test Unit (APTU), to form the Hy-personic Systems Test Branch. A second ground test facility is currently under construction at Arnold AFB.

After the reorganization, the Branch was given responsibility for executing the Test Resource Management Center’s High Speed System Test Program and the Hypersonic Test and Evalua-tion Investment Portfolio.

The HFTT has been operating since the 1950s under many dif-ferent names, including a previ-ous stint as the HFTT – Manned Spacecraft Office, 1959-1969; Research Projects Branch, 1970-1974; Office of Advanced Manned Vehicles, 1975-1986; Research Projects Office, 1987-1995; Access to Space Office,

1987-2003; HFTT, 2004-2007; Hypersonic CTF, 2008-2017; and HFTT, 2017 to present.

Test programs supported by the organization have included the X-15, a hypersonic manned aircraft; the Space Shuttle; and the X-51 WaveRider, an un-manned scramjet.

More recent programs sup-ported by the HFTT include the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weap-on Concept, Tactical Boost Glide and the Air-launched Rapid Re-sponse Weapon. The HFTT part-ners with other organizations, such as the 412th Test Wing, to accomplish its assigned test mis-sion.

“By utilizing the expertise and capabilities of AEDC ground testing to support flight test plan-ning and analysis, the flight test team is able to assist with the rapid development and fielding of these critical capabilities,” said Lt. Col. Jeremy Hamilton, HFTT director.

ICBM Developmental Test Branch

The LGM-30 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic mis-sile (ICBM) is the currently fielded land-based component of the strategic nuclear triad. The Minuteman III first became operational in the early 1970s. The Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) ICBM is the planned replacement for the Minuteman III.

The ICBM Developmental Test Branch of AEDC and the GBSD Combined Test Force (CTF), both located at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, provide de-velopmental test and evaluation support for the sustainment of the Minuteman III and the devel-opment of the next-generation GBSD. The test branch stood up in 2017 and was the first ICBM-focused test organization within the Air Force Test Center. The GBSD CTF stood up in 2020.

Space Test Operating Location at

Peterson Air Force Base

The 2018 National Defense Strategy recognized space as a

warfighting domain and priori-tized investments in resilience, reconstitution and operations to assure U.S. space capabilities. To prepare future space systems to survive and operate through con-tested domains, AEDC joined then Air Force Space Command Test and Evaluation, Air Com-bat Command’s 53rd Wing, and Detachment 4 of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center in January 2019 as char-ter members of the first Space Warfighting Combined Test Force (CTF). The CTF was en-visioned to support life cycle test and evaluation (T&E) for Air Force and partnering organiza-tion space systems.

AEDC provided develop-mental T&E planning, provi-sioning, execution, analysis and reporting support to the CTF, and served as the formal con-duit to the Air Force Test Center (AFTC). AEDC established the Space Test Operating Location, consisting of three Test Pilot School graduate engineers, to provide on-site support to the CTF and space acquisition pro-grams.

With the creation of the Unit-ed States Space Force (USSF), AEDC continues its relationship to support space T&E, formal-ized through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the USSF Test and Evaluation Di-rectorate. This MOA established the roles and responsibilities between organizations, and al-lowed AEDC to provide exper-tise as the USSF determined its organization structure and life cycle T&E strategy.

“Today, the Space Test Oper-ating Location continues to pro-vide direct developmental test and evaluation support to U.S. Space Force programs, serve as liaison to the Air Force Test Center, and is instrumental to the establishment of the National Space Test and Training Com-plex,” said Lt. Col. Adam Quick, chief of the AEDC Space Test Branch. “The complex will pro-vide combined ground and on-orbit test and training resources to accelerate the fielding of space warfighting capabilities.”

FooTpriNT from page 2

Test engineers Joe Norris, left, and John Lafferty ready a Hypersonic Technology Vehicle-1 model prior to a Hypervelocity Wind Tun-nel 9 operation in White Oak, Maryland in 2005. (U.S. Air Force photo)

An HH-60W Jolly Green II sits under bright lights used to cre-ate heat in the McKinley Climatic Lab, March 19, 2020, at Eg-lin Air Force Base, Fla. The Air Force’s new combat search and rescue helicopter and crews experienced temperature ex-tremes from 120 to -60 degrees Fahrenheit as well as torrential rain during the month of testing. The tests evaluate how the aircraft and its instrumentation, electronics and crew fare un-der the extreme conditions it will face in the operational Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Samuel King Jr.)

Arnold Engineering Development Complex then Commander Col. Rodney Todaro, center, ob-serves while Col. Andrew L. Allen, fourth from right, the 704th Test Group commander reveals the 704th Test Group guidon during a re-designation ceremony Dec. 6, 2016, at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The Test Group was previously the 96th Test Group under the 96th Test Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Also pictured left to right is flag bearer then Master Sgt. Marc Berger, 96th Test Wing Commander then Brig. Gen. Christopher Azzano and flag bearer senior Master sgt. ian Hall. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dejaye Herrera)

An X-51A WaveRider hypersonic flight test vehicle is uploaded to an Air Force Flight Test Center B-52 for fit testing at Ed-wards Air Force Base, July 17, 2009. Four scramjet-powered Waveriders were built for the Air Force. The Air Force Research Laboratory, DARPA, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, and Boeing are partners on the X-51A technology demonstrator program. The Arnold Engineering Development Complex Hypersonic Flight Test Team was involved in the flight testing of the X-51A in 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Chad Bellay)

4 • June 21, 2021

During the 1960s, the J1 test cell was used for testing of space systems. A full-scale Gemini abort system was checked out in J1 in 1963 and helped determine a solution for retrorocket failures during a launch abort.

Over the years, J1 has test-ed the F100 for the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon; the F110 for the F-16 Fighting Falcon; the F118 for the B-2 Spirit and U-2; the F101 for the B-1B; and performed core testing on the Advanced Tur-bine Engine Gas Generator. J1 was also used to test the Rolls Royce Pegasus engine that powers the AV-8B Harrier Short Take-off/Vertical Land-ing aircraft as well as testing of the Tomahawk cruise mis-sile.

In 2006, the F118-GE-100 engine for the B-2 Spirit was tested in J1 as part of the Gen-eral Electric’s Service Life Extension Program, which was part of the Air Force Component Improvement Program to replace several components of the F118, F110 and F101 engines with a com-mon core system.

In 2017, a series of tests on the Pratt & Whitney Adaptive Engine Technology Demon-strator engine core was com-pleted in J2. The test was con-ducted as part of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Adaptive Engine Technology Development program, the goal of which is to provide a 25 percent reduction in fuel consumption and a 10 percent improvement in thrust levels.

Testing of the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine recently resumed in the J2 test cell in 2019 to validate the structural integrity and aerodynamic characteristics of a new fan rotor design for the F135, the powerhouse of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II. Testing of the engine was lat-er halted because of a planned outage to accommodate main-tenance. Once that outage concluded, testing started again in early 2021.

In J2, altitudes up to 75,000 feet can be simulated, along with temperatures from -60 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.Flight speeds of up to Mach2.6 can also be simulated.

The F135 program has conducted more than 5,500 hours of testing in test cells across AEDC.

ASTF added to provide T&E for advancing engines

In the 1960s, NASA and the Department of Defense

Aeronautics and Astronautics Coordinating Board identi-fied the need for a facility designed to test integrated, full-scale propulsion systems under more realistic simulat-ed flight conditions. To sup-port the test and evaluation of more advanced engine sys-tems, AEDC leadership began planning for the addition of the world’s largest jet engine testing facility, known as the Aeropropulsion Systems Test Facility (ASTF), at Arnold Air Force Base.

By 1972, a design contract was awarded for ASTF, also known as C Plant. Construc-tion on ASTF began in 1977, and then in October 1984, the new facility was completed. It cost $625 million to build ASTF, which sits on 57 acres at Arnold, making it the larg-est of the test facilities on base. Comprised of altitude test cells C-1 and C-2, ASTF is designed to test large mili-tary and commercial engines in true mission environments. It allows data which was pre-viously only available after extensive flight testing to be acquired through ground test-ing.

Each test cell within ASTF is more than 25 feet in diam-eter and just under 50 feet long. The facility is capable of simulating flight condi-tions at altitudes up to 75,000 feet and at speeds up to Mach 2.3. Either cell can provide engine inlet temperatures of up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and accommodate engines producing up to 100,000 pounds of thrust.

The C-1 test cell is typi-cally used to conduct perfor-mance testing of large aug-mented turbine engines that power supersonic military fighters and bombers. While C-2 can also be used for test-ing these engines, the test cellhas more recently been usedfor performance testing oflarge turbofan engines thatpower large commercial air-liners.

Aeromechanical testing, vectored-thrust testing, ic-ing testing and inlet pressure distortion testing may also be accomplished in ASTF.

In recent years, ASTF has been used to test F119 en-gines for the F-22A Raptor aircraft and F135 engines for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Turbofan engines such as the Rolls-Royce Trent 800 for the Boeing 777, the Trent 900 and GP7200 for the Airbus A380, the Pratt & Whitney 6000 for the Airbus A318, the Trent

1000 for the Boeing 787, the XF7-10 for the Kawasaki P-1, and the BR725 for the Gulf-stream G650 have also been tested in ASTF.

“We are the beneficiaries of our predecessors’ fore-sight, technical skill and ded-ication,” said Lt. Col. Lane Haubelt, director of the Aero-propulsion CTF at Arnold AFB. “ASTF remains an ex-tremely capable test facility and is the centerpiece of ad-vanced turbine altitude test-ing for the nation. The task in front of us now is sustaining this world-class test capabil-ity while investing to keep ASTF the facility of choice for propulsion system test and evaluation over the next 35-plus years.”

Sea level engine testingat Arnold

In addition to the J, T andC test cells, the Propulsion

Test Branch includes test cells with sea level testing ca-pabilities. These cells, SL-2 and SL-3, were acquired in the late 1990s from the Navy base in Trenton, N.J., closing as a result of base realign-ment and closure.

SL-2 and SL-3 provide cost-effective durability test-ing of large augmented tur-bine engines at near-sea level conditions. Arnold AFB sits at approximately 1,000 feet above sea level.

Durability is assessed through accelerated mission testing, or AMT, which allows the simulation of a lifetime of missions in a matter of weeks. The facility can also support RAM AMT, in which air inlet pressures are higher than am-bient. AMT and RAM AMT conditions can be alternated throughout a single test pro-gram to increase efficiency and reduce cost. In addition

to AMT, SL-3 is equipped for specialized testing, such as corrosion testing.

In recent years, SL-2 and SL-3 have been primarily used to test F100 engines for the F-16 Falcon, F119 en-gines for the F-22 Raptor, and F135 engines for the F-35 Lightning II.

The Propulsion Test Branch continues to build upon this legacy of ground test and evaluation today.

“It was AEDC’s disci-plined engineering and tech-nical excellence that under-wrote many of the advance-ments in American aerospace history,” Haubelt said. “Our team continues that tradition today. The rich history of pro-pulsion ground test and eval-uation here at AEDC instills a sense of pride in everything we do, and everyday provides us a new opportunity to con-tinue that legacy.”

propulsioN from page 1

Testing of an F135 engine with a new rotor design in the J2 test cell of the Engine Test Facility at Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn., shown in this image Sept. 2, 2020. (u.s. Air Force photo by Jill pickett)

The largest rocket propulsion unit tested in AeDc’s engine Test Facility up until september 1959, was Reaction Motor’s 50,000-pound-thrust liquid-propellant engine for the X-15 Research Aircraft. The purpose of the test was to determine the starting and throttling capabilities of the engine under high altitude conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo)

June 21, 2021 • 5

and correcting system issues early in their development,” Coker said. “AEDC’s capability to identify and correct technology issues early can save the nation billions of dollars and significant fielding time as compared to discovering problems later in man-ufacturing or flight test.”

AEDC leadership is constantly looking to the future to ensure the preeminence of the nation’s defen-sive capabilities.

“We have taken on the respon-sibility of proving the superior-ity of some of the most advanced warfighting technology in the world, to include space warfighting capabil-ities, directed energy weapons, our nuclear deterrent and hypersonics,” Geraghty said. “To meet this respon-sibility, we continue to invest in a ca-pable workforce and to improve and sustain the complex.”

Over the past five to seven years, total investments in the neighbor-hood of $1 billion have been made to extend the life of AEDC infrastruc-ture and develop new facilities, such as “Project Phoenix,” which will pro-vide a clean-air variable Mach test capability for hypersonic systems, and the “Dragon Fire” project, which will enable AEDC to meet the high demand for its arc heater capabilities.

“These investments will play a key role in supporting major Department of Defense priorities such as hyper-sonic system development,” Coker said. “Moreover, the Wing staff of-fices such as the Plans and Programs Division engage daily with local sub-ject matter experts and national pro-grams to identify capability, capacity and technology gaps to program of-fice memorandums and partner with agencies such as the Office of the

Secretary of Defense Test Resource Management Center as we strive to stay ahead of future requirements.

“Having said that, the age of our infrastructure and shrinking discre-tionary budgets will continue to pres-ent challenges for years to come, and we must stay vigilant to sustain and improve our capabilities to support DOD acquisition needs.”

However, Coker said what has been AEDC’s most valuable asset over its first 70 years will remain its most vital asset – its people.

“The bottom line is that our most advanced test capability is our high-ly-skilled workforce whose creativ-ity, innovation and dedication to duty is the heart of what makes AEDC tick,” he said. “Advanced facilities mean nothing without the teams of experts that know how to utilize, col-lect and report test results in support

of data-driven decisions.” Coker said as technology continues

to advance, ensuring a highly-skilled workforce is in place to support the multifaceted trades, engineering and scientific disciplines necessary to achieve AEDC efforts will be impera-tive.

Geraghty concurred, stating the knowledge and expertise of AEDC personnel will remain the “lynchpin” of American air and space power su-periority.

“Since the establishment of AEDC 70 years ago, the expertise of our personnel has proven key to solv-ing challenging technical problems and advancing key capabilities,” he said. “Our workforce is bril-liant, resilient, resourceful and pa-triotic. We place service before self, work with integrity and dedicate ourselves to excellence.”

Enjoy the sun safelyAround Arnold

FuTure from page 1

By AeDc safety

The sun on your face after a stretch of cloudy days or being cooped up inside for work is a welcome feeling. This natural mood enhancer does not come without the need for precau-tions.

Excessive exposure to ul-traviolet (UV) light is the cause of most skin cancers according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-tion, or CDC. When working or recreating outside it is im-portant to take precautions to protect your skin from these

damaging rays emitted by the sun.

While the summer is when people think of sun safety the most, UV rays pose a risk year round. They can penetrate clouds and reflect off of sur-faces. The UV Index from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, provides a forecast of the intensity of the UV radiation from the sun with recommendations for precau-tions based upon the level. The index is searchable by zip code or city and state at epa.gov/en-viro/uv-index-search.

Shade, clothing, hats, sun-glasses and sunscreens are all measures recommended by the CDC to protect yourself from UV rays. See summaries of their rec-ommendations below, for the full text of advice from the CDC go to https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/sun-safety.htm.

• Shade – Staying in the shadecan reduce your risk of sundamage and skin cancer, butusing sunscreen or wearingprotective clothing is stillrecommended.

• Clothing – Wearing long-

sleeved shirts and long pants or skirts is recommended, or a t-shirt or beach cover-up when those items aren’t practical. The color of the fabric, the tightness of the weave and whether it is wet or dry all factor into how effective a clothing item is at blocking UV rays.

• Hat – A hat with a brimoffers the most protectionby shading the face, earsand back of the neck.

• Sunglasses – Sunglasses

protect the eyes and skin around the eyes. Look for sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays.

• Sunscreen – A broadspectrum sunscreen thatblocks both UVA and UVBwith an SPF of 15 or higheris recommended. Thehigher the SPF the betterthe sunscreen blocks UVrays. Remember to reapplysunscreen regularly since itdoes wear off. Sunscreenis not recommended forbabies who are 6 monthsold or younger.

AEDC Legal Office discusses off-duty employment for government personnelBy eric NortonAEDCLegalOffice

Most Arnold Engineering Development Complex gov-ernment employees have heard about off-duty employment and have a vague awareness that there are rules and regu-lations that apply. This short article addresses some of the rules and guidelines that apply and what one must do to be in compliance.

All government personnel, military and DOD civilian, of all ranks, within Air Force Materiel Command must com-plete an AF Form 3902, Off-Duty Employment Approval

Form before engaging in off-duty employment. This form is filled out by the employee, signed by his/her immediate supervisor and coordinated with the base legal office. The key point to remember is that if the activity you are engaging in is on your personal time and you are getting compensated for it, then you are required to accomplish the AF 3902.

There are some restric-tions to off-duty employment that everyone should be aware of. For example, employees should not engage in activi-ties that produce a conflict of interest; pose a security risk or detract from readiness; so-

licit sales to those junior in rank; or have an appearance of impropriety. The off-duty employment restrictions are fact dependent, so each one receives an individual legal review. Generally speaking, traditional off-duty employ-ment in “typical enterprises” (e.g. retail, services, etc.) is allowed as long as it doesn’t interfere with one’s official duties. (Note: If you are cur-rently engaged in off-duty employment that has not been approved via the AF 3902 pro-cess, then please process one immediately.)

Once the AF 3902 has been routed to the base legal of-

fice for coordination and ap-proval, the form is kept in the employee’s personnel file with their immediate supervi-sor. The employee and legal office also keep a copy. There is no need to re-accomplish the form each year. The only reason to do a new form is if the terms of the off-duty em-ployment change significantly (e.g. increase in hours), if new employment is considered or if there is a change in official duties that would be impacted by the off-duty employment.

Something for all personnel to keep in mind is that while you are on terminal leave you are still a government employ-

ee and therefore the rules re-quire that you get an approved off-duty employment form be-fore engaging in any employ-ment endeavors.

Off-duty employment is a simple process, but it’s one many employees and supervi-sors overlook. The AEDC Le-gal Office is here to help you if you have any questions about this process. For more infor-mation you may contact our office at 931-454-7814. There is also information available to you via our organizational SharePoint site at: https://org2.eis.af.mil/sites/21526/ja/OffDuty%20Employment%20ODE/Forms/AllItems.aspx.

By Dan HawkinsArnold AFB Security Forces

Correction: Our previous article on firearms incorrectly cited 18 USC 930. The cor-rect citations should be DODI 5200.08, DODD 5210.56 and AFI 31-101.

In our last Cop Corner ar-ticle, we explained that Ten-nessee is changing state law to make it easier to carry firearms but the rules governing Arnold Air Force Base will not change. Since the rules and regulations that govern Arnold AFB re-quire different standards than state law, we are taking this op-portunity to highlight some of the items and practices prohib-

ited on Arnold AFB that are not necessarily violations of state law.

The Arnold AFB Integrated Defense Plan (IDP) outlines prohibited items, to include the following:

• Firearms, ammunition and archery equipment, to include BB guns and pellet rifles, except as specifically authorized in the IDP for hunting or participating in Highland Rim Gun Club events on the scheduled day.

• Edged weapons such asknives, razors and ice picks(except pocket knives).

• Other weapons such asTasers, throwing stars, nun-chucks, blackjacks, saps,clubs, brass knuckles or anydevice intended to be used tostrike a blow.

• Explosives includingdynamite, C4, explosivepowder, initiating explosives,squibs, detonating cord,blasting caps, detonators,fuses, fireworks, and anychemical compound,mixture or device which theprimary or common purposeis to function by explosion.

Prohibited practices include the following:

• Using metal detectors onArnold AFB.

• Using radar detectors.

• Privately owned vehicles thatare not properly licensed,inspected and insured inaccordance with state andlocal laws.

• Littering.

• Destroying or removingproperty of the government,contractor or public.

• Picking, digging, disturbingvegetation including flowersor plants.

o Blueberries and black-

berries can be gleaned for personal use if done safely without impacting mission.

o Firewood and Christmastrees can be cut only byobtaining a permit.

• Building fires along trails.

• Using drones except in areasexpressly authorized andposted.

For questions or clarificationon these issues or anything relat-ed to security or law enforcement operations, please contact us via our distribution group: AEDC.Arnold.CopCorner@us.af.mil.

Cop Corner: Prohibited items and practices

By Air Force Research Lab, AFWERX

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFRL) – AF-WERX Agility Prime and new partner Kitty Hawk reached a milestone in May

with the first operational exercise.“This exercise produced impor-

tant data that will bolster the program going forward,” said Lt. Col. Martin Salinas, the mission design team lead in the Air Force Operational Test and

Evaluation Center (AFOTEC).The technology and companies in the

AFWERX Agility Prime program con-tinue to mature rapidly with a new part-ner Kitty Hawk joining the government/industry team. In the program’s first ex-ercise, a diverse group of industry and government operators, engineers, and test professionals assessed the ability to do medical evacuation, personnel re-covery, and logistics with Kitty Hawk’s Heaviside electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The Kitty Hawk team also demonstrated Heavi-side’s remote flying capabilities.

The multi-disciplinary team gath-ered a rich catalogue of data to inform dual-use utility at the prototype stage that will inform future developmen-tal and fielding decisions. Besides as-sessing different loading scenarios, the team also observed demonstrations of remotely piloted and fully autonomous flights with Heaviside.

“The world is going to need new modes of transportation and Heaviside is one path to getting us there,” said Se-bastian Thrun, Kitty Hawk CEO. “We are excited to be working with Agility Prime and look forward to our contin-ued collaboration as we bring eVTOLs to more people.”

Founded in 2010 and based in Cali-fornia, Kitty Hawk, has developed nu-merous eVTOL vehicles including the Heaviside vehicle, named after the Eng-lish engineer, Oliver Heaviside. Designed to be fast, small, quiet and green. The air-craft flies at up to 180 mph with a poten-tial range of 100 miles plus reserves on a single charge, according to Kitty Hawk’s website. Heaviside takes off and lands in

a 30x30 foot space, reaches sound levels of 38 dBA at 1,000 feet, is 100x quieter than a helicopter and requires less than half the energy per mile of a convention-al electric car.

“The Agility Prime and Kitty Hawk teams facilitated the convergence of Air Force and Marine Corps testers and oper-ators to engage with Heaviside, all while experimenting within the context of Per-sonnel Recovery and logistics use-case scenarios,” Salinas said.

Salinas attributed the success of the California tests to the eagerness of those involved. “Pushing experimental tests in an operational context is challenging and exciting,” he said.

Col. Don Haley, Commander of Air Education and Training Command De-tachment 62, who leads a team in de-veloping training syllabi for these new electric aircraft, noted that, “this collab-orative commercial/DoD use-case explo-ration revealed common attributes that serve both urban air mobility and search and rescue operations: High-reliability, responsive launch & recovery, minimal logistical footprint, accessibility for mo-bility-challenged, low acoustic signature, and high levels of autonomy.”

Col. Nathan Diller, AFWERX Direc-tor, said, “We are pleased to welcome a new partner and happy about the prog-ress in this first Agility Prime exercise. This is just the beginning of many ex-amples that the team will be exploring in the coming months to partner with commercial companies in a way that ac-celerates maturity for commercialization, while providing the Department of the Air Force with decision-quality data for future force design.”

6 • June 21, 2021

AFWERX Agility Prime partners with Kitty Hawk in first medical evacuation exercise with electric aircraft

An Air Force pararescue jump (PJ) expert evaluates how to load a simulated injured survivor or “Rescue Randy” into Kitty Hawk’s Heaviside vehicle as part of a personnel rescue scenario. The event demonstrated dual-use capability for civil and government applications. (Photo courtesy of Kitty Hawk)

June 21, 2021 • 7

8 • June 21, 2021

Department of the Air Force announces fourth Vanguard program

By secretary of the Air Force public Affairs

WASHINGTON (AFNS) – The De-partment of the Air Force announced June 4 the designation of Rocket Cargo as the fourth Vanguard pro-gram as part of its transformational science and technology portfolio identified in the DAF 2030 Science and Technology strategy for the next decade. Additionally, the U.S. Space Force was designated as the lead service for Rocket Cargo Vanguard, marking the service’s first such pro-gram.

Under the Rocket Cargo Van-guard, the Air Force Research Labo-ratory will lead a science and tech-nology effort to determine the via-bility and utility of using large com-mercial rockets for Department of Defense global logistics, potentially expanding the portfolio of capabili-ties the USSF presents to combatant commanders. The Space and Mis-sile Systems Center will serve as the Program Executive Officer.

AFRL will research and develop the unique aspects needed to lever-age the new commercial capability for the DOD logistics mission. This includes the ability to land a rocket on a wide range of non-traditional materials and surfaces, including at remote sites. In addition, AFRL sci-entists and engineers will research the ability to safely land a rocket near personnel and structures, engi-neer a rocket cargo bay and logistics for rapid loading and unloading, and air drop cargo from the rocket after re-entry in order to service locations where a rocket or aircraft cannot possibly land.

“The Air Force has provided rapid global mobility for decades and Rocket Cargo is a new way the Department can explore comple-mentary capabilities for the future,” said Acting Secretary of the Air Force John Roth. “Vanguard initia-tives lead to game-changing break-throughs that preserve our advan-tage over near-peer competitors, and this latest addition is also a signifi-cant milestone as the first Vanguard evaluated under the Space Force’s oversight.”

Based on the advertised com-mercial capability and business ob-jectives, the AFRL is currently as-sessing emerging rocket capability across the commercial vendor base, and its potential use for quickly transporting DOD materiel to ports across the globe.

“The Rocket Cargo Vanguard is a clear example of how the Space Force is developing innovative solu-tions as a service, in particular the ability to provide independent op-

tions in, from, and to space,” said Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond. “Once realized, Rocket Cargo will funda-mentally alter the rapid logistics landscape, connecting materiel to joint warfighters in a fraction of the time it takes today. In the event of conflict or humanitarian crisis, the Space Force will be able to provide our national leadership with an in-dependent option to achieve strate-gic objectives from space.”

Delivering cargo via rocket trans-portation is not a new concept. His-torically the high costs of launch have been prohibitive for a logis-tics-focused application, and the relatively small payload capability constrained the types of cargo that could be delivered, also limiting its suitability. Today several commer-cial companies are quickly generat-ing new opportunities by developing large rockets and reusable stages that safely land back on earth, ex-panding cargo capacity and dramati-cally reducing launch costs.

“Rapid logistics underpins our ability to project power,” said Gen. Arnold W. Bunch, Jr., commander of Air Force Materiel Command. “That is the fundamental motiva-tion for initiating the Rocket Cargo

program. We see its initial applica-tions in swiftly restoring operational capability for forces forward in aus-tere environments as well as dramat-ically reducing the time required to deliver crucial humanitarian assis-tance and disaster relief.”

Under the new Rocket Cargo Vanguard, the DAF will seek to le-verage these commercial advances and position the DOD to be an early adopter of the new commercial ca-pability. This approach is a marked departure from the past, where the U.S. government led rocket tech-nology development and bore the brunt of the cost. Today, with the commercial space launch providers developing the advanced rockets, the DAF will instead primarily in-vest in the S&T needed to quickly adapt the capability to the DOD logistics missions, and then be the first customer procuring the new commercial capability through ser-vice leases.

The military utility of the new capability includes support to the United States Transportation Com-mand resupply mission. AFRL is closely partnered with USTRANS-COM to assess the trade space of a potential Rocket Cargo capabil-ity for global logistics, including

potential improvements in delivery cost and speed compared to existing air cargo operations. Potential mis-sion applications include Special Airlift to deliver equipment needed to quickly restore a loss of mis-sion operations, and humanitarian aid and disaster relief payloads to stricken areas.

Rocket Cargo joins three cur-rent Vanguard programs, including Skyborg (an autonomy core system in a low-cost, attritable unmanned aerial platform to enable autono-mous operations); NTS-3 (a flight experiment to examine and field ca-pabilities across the ground, space and user segments to enhance space-based positioning, navigation, and timing); and Golden Horde (an ini-tiative to demonstrate collaborative autonomous networked weapons by creating an integrated weapon sys-tem where different technologies work together to defeat targets).

Vanguard programs rapidly ad-vance emerging weapon systems and warfighting concepts through proto-typing and experimentation. With these programs, the DAF aims to de-liver game changing new operation-al capabilities that provide warfight-ers with superior advantages on the battlefield in the next decade.

The Department of the Air Force announced June 4 the designation of Rocket Cargo as the fourth Vanguard program as part of its transformational science and technology portfolio identified in the DAF 2030 Science and Technology strategy for the next decade. (U.S. Air Force illustration)

June 21, 2021 • 9

Branch are located across two facilities at Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn., headquarters of AEDC.

The Propulsion Wind Tunnel

The Propulsion Wind Tunnel (PWT) is home to the 16-foot transonic wind tunnel (16T), the 4-foot transonic wind tunnel (4T) and the recently-reactivat-ed 16-foot supersonic wind tun-nel (16S).

PWT is devoted to aerody-namic and propulsion integra-tion test and evaluation of air-craft models. Some of the most powerful electric motors ever built are contained within the facility.

16T has a 16-foot-square by 40-foot-long test section that canbe operated from Mach numbers0.06 to 1.60. 16S, comprised ofthe same test section dimen-sions as 16T, is capable of oper-ating from Mach numbers 1.60to 4.75. These tunnels are usedfor testing that includes aerody-namic tests and combined aero-dynamic/propulsion systems.

In 2020, the aerodynamics team added large-scale mass flow assembly testing to the suite of capabilities available in 16T and 16S.

4T is a mid-sized, 4-foot-square by 12.5-foot-long test section used for testing at sub-sonic to low-end supersonic air-speeds, a range approximately equivalent to 160 to 1,600 miles per hour at sea level.

Planning for PWT began in early 1950 when the Air Force Research and Development Board on Facilities met with representatives from aircraft propulsion companies. They concurred that a supersonic propulsion wind tunnel with a 15-foot-diameter test sectionwas needed.

In December 1951, AEDC’s commanding general approved a proposal design, construction and operation of PWT’s tran-sonic circuit. The entire PWT complex was completed and ac-cepted by the Air Force by early 1961. The project, spread out over nearly 40 contracts, cost just south of $79 million.

Utilizing the trio of tunnels currently housed within, PWT provides customers with access to capabilities such as store sep-aration testing and testing using pressure-sensitive paint. Store separation testing is done to ensure bombs, missiles, tanks, and other stores separate clean-ly from aircraft when released. Store separation and flow-field mapping is completed using the Captive Trajectory Support system. During store separation testing, a model of a store can be positioned where needed for testing in proximity to the air-craft model to determine aero-dynamic loads caused by the aircraft’s flow field. Pressure-sensitive paint is used to opti-cally determine the surface pres-sure across wind tunnel models, with each image pixel contain-ing pressure data to provide millions of measurements on a model as opposed to dozens or hundreds of mechanical pres-sure measurements on a simi-larly sized model.

The PWT 1-foot transonic wind tunnel

The first test in PWT was per-formed in 1953 in the now-inac-tive 1-foot prototype wind tun-nel (1T) known as “Pee Wee.” This test was on a 0.03-scale model of the Bomarc missile for the Boeing Company.

The 1T served as the prede-cessor for the still-active 16T, which was completed in 1956 and that same year underwent its first powered operation prior to calibration.

The PWT 16-foot transonic wind tunnel

Within AEDC’s first decade, testing on the Navy Polaris and the Air Force Titan missiles was conducted in 16T. In mid-1957, the nose cone proposed for the Air Force Atlas missile was

tested in 16T. Also among the first tests conducted in 16T was a program involving a model of the B-58 Hustler, the country’s first supersonic bomber.

A significant milestone oc-curred in 16T in December 1959 when a liquid-fueled rocket engine was tested in a closed-circuit wind tunnel for the first time. The prior year, the GAM-72 decoy system, also known as the Green Quail, was tested in 16T. This was the first combined aerodynamic-propul-sion test of a full-scale missile of this type at AEDC.

Not long after tunnel opera-tions began, 16T was utilized in support of the national space program. In April 1959, tests supporting the NASA Mercury program, America’s first hu-man spaceflight program, were performed in the tunnel. This work involved the aerodynamic stability study of a manned cap-sule.

Even 1T was used for space program testing. In 1966, the Saturn 1B and Saturn V upper-stage configurations were tested there. These launch vehicles were developed to support the NASA Apollo program. Project Apollo succeeded in landing the first people on the moon in July 1969.

In the 1970s, programs car-ried out in 16T included full-scale B-1 inlet testing, testing on the Air-Launched Cruise Missile and testing on a full-scale model of the General Dy-namics Tomahawk.

Testing in 16T occurring in the 1980s included one to deter-mine the effect of a pilot after bailing out of an aircraft travel-ing several hundred miles per hour.

In the early 1990s, tests were conducted in 16T to support the European Space Agency’s Huy-gens probe to the Titan moon of Saturn. These tests evaluated the performance of the parachute used to slow the probe down as it descends to Titan’s surface.

In the early 2000s, store separation was conducted on a model of the EA-18G warfare aircraft. More recently, the fa-cility has been used to perform store separation to support the B-1B Lancer.

The PWT 16-foot supersonic wind tunnel

The first run in 16S occurred in 1960. The first user test oc-curred the following year. Just a year after this, RS-70 inlet test-ing began in 16S. This was then the largest model ever tested in a wind tunnel, as it measured 75-feet long and weighed morethan 200,000 pounds with sup-port equipment.

Scale model tests of the F-111 aircraft began in 16S in1964. The launch vehicle forTitan III was also tested in 16S,with testing completed in 16Sand 16T in December 1966.

The first propulsion test in 16S occurred in 1962 during a shakedown program on the B-70 propulsion system.

In the early 1970s, testing insupport of the B-1 bomber was performed in 16S.

As national priorities shifted, usage of the 16S facility de-clined at it was mothballed in the 1990s. However, efforts to return the tunnel to service be-gan several years back. The tun-nel returned to operational sta-tus early this year.

The PWT 4-foot transonic wind tunnel

4T was added to the PWT in 1968. This tunnel was built to aid in the development of new weapons and to ensure stores could be safely released from high-speed aircraft.

The concept of a 4-foot tran-sonic wind tunnel dates back to the early 1960s. Officials at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where store separation is man-aged, had determined that in the midst of the jet age, the develop-ment of new weapons that could

safely separate from aircraft and strike the intended targets was critical.

In 1965, 1st Lt. Roland H.A. West, with the help of others in the U.S. Air Force Develop-ment Division and AEDC per-sonnel, prepared and submitted a brochure which detailed the need for a new wind tunnel and the plans for its construction at Arnold AFB. In the document, West wrote the development of a 4-foot wind tunnel would pro-vide an economical capability for conventional weapons de-velopment.

According to West, weap-ons of the time would need to be redesigned and new ones developed for use in subsonic and transonic speed regimes to meet then-current and projected requirements.

At the time, 16T and 1T were the only two tunnels in these de-sired speed ranges AEDC had at its disposal. West pointed out issues with both. He wrote that 16T was designed for testing large- or full-scale articles. The testing West had defined would not require a tunnel of this size. Other concerns including the cost to operate 16T and its avail-ability, as the tunnel was booked for the foreseeable future which would make the rapid testing of weapons difficult. West further indicated 1T would be too small to meet testing requirements.

Planning and discussions led to the development of 4T to study the separation of stores from aircraft. The first user test in the tunnel began in January 1968 and was conducted at the request of the Air Force Arma-ment Laboratory. It involved the testing of a Hard Structure Mu-nition missile model at transonic speeds.

The first store separation test at 4T was conducted in April 1968. Tests were conducted to determine the dynamic and stat-ic stability characteristics of the AGM-12E missile and to inves-tigate the separation characteris-tics of the missile from the in-board wing pylons of the F-105 aircraft. This test determined that the store would separate from the inboard pylon without jeopardizing the aircraft.

Within its first 10 years, 4T had been used in a number of test programs for the Air Force, Army, Navy and NASA.These tests supported the development of stores and certified their use with nu-merous aircraft, including the

F-105, F-4, A-7 and A-10.In the 1980s, testing was

performed in 4T to determine the ability of the F-16 to jet-tison both a new external fuel tank and the pylons by which they are attached to the plane’s wings. The ability of the AV-8 Harrier “jump jet” to carry and deliver a new munition was also studied in 4T in the 1980s.

Testing conducted in 4T in the fall of 1999 satisfied require-ments for later flight testing of the F-22 Raptor. The follow-ing year, the tunnel was used to prepare the Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle for upcoming flight tests.

In 1989, the American So-ciety of Mechanical Engineers designated PWT an Internation-al Historical Mechanical Engi-neering Landmark.

The von Kármán Gas Dynamics Facility

VKF is home to the mid-sized continuous-flow wind tun-nels known as Tunnel A, Tunnel B and Tunnel C.

Recommendations for what was originally known as the Gas Dynamics Facility were ap-proved by the Air Force Engi-neering Development Division commanding general in early 1951. The first developmental-type test occurred in the facility a little more than two-and-half years later. The facility was ded-icated as the von Kármán Gas Dynamics Facility in October 1959 to honor mathematician, physicist and engineer Dr. Theo-dore von Kármán.

Tunnel A is a supersonic wind tunnel with a 2D variable flex-wall nozzle. Tunnels B and C are the only operational con-tinuous-flow hypersonic wind tunnels in the world, utilizing fixed Mach number nozzles. Both VKF and PWT wind tun-nels are renowned for their flow quality and operational tempo that allows rapid acquisition of large aerodynamic databases to accelerate the pace of vehicle development.

Each VKF tunnel is equipped with a model inject system that allows continuous pitch and roll sweeps of the test articles. These systems also provide a means to remove test articles from the flow so that changes to the test articles can be performed during air-on operation.

The first test in Tunnel A was performed in June 1958, just two years after the Air Force turned the tunnel over to the Arnold Research Organization,

which had been selected to man-age AEDC operations, to begin shakedown operations. This ini-tial effort involved testing for the Thor weapons system.

The tunnel was also used in the early days of AEDC to test a model of the Air Force Atlas missile.

Like PWT, VKF played a part in helping to get Americans in space and to the moon. Tests supporting the NASA Apollo program began in VKF in June 1962. Apollo command module tests were completed in Tunnels B and C in July 1966.

Years after the first men landed on the moon, Tunnel A was still utilized to aid in space exploration efforts. In the mid-1970s, a model of the complete Space Shuttle assembly was tested in the tunnel. This design of the Space Shuttle was aided by testing in facilities across Ar-nold, including those in PWT. Materials testing of the spray on foam insulating the shuttle’s ex-ternal tanks occurred in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s in VKF’s Aerothermal Mach 4 Tunnel C. Testing in PWT and VKF also supported conclusions made by the Columbia Accident Investi-gation Board in the aftermath of the ill-fated STS-107 mission.

Along with these efforts, testing on the Poseidon ICBM reentry vehicle was conducted in Tunnels A, B and C in 1967. An upgraded version of the Pa-triot air and missile defense sys-tem was among systems tested in Tunnel A during the 1990s.

Testing to support the De-fense Advanced Research Proj-ect Agency Operational Fires program was completed in VKF in October 2020. The goal of this program was to develop and demonstrate a novel ground-launched system enabling hy-personic boost-glide weapons to penetrate modern enemy air de-fenses and rapidly and precisely engage critical time-sensitive targets.

One of the three remaining tunnels under the Aerodynamics Test Branch umbrella is located at AEDC Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9 in White Oak, Mary-land. The other two are located at the National Full-Scale Aero-dynamics Complex at Moffett Field in Mountain View, Cali-fornia. For more information on these facilities, see the article titled “AEDC expands footprint from coast-to-coast over past 24 years” on page 2 in this edition of High Mach.

One of the first C-5A models is given a final inspection before testing in the Arnold Engineer-ing Development Complex 16-foot transonic wind tunnel at Arnold Air Force Base in the mid-1960s. The wind tunnel, also known as 16T, is part of the AEDC Propulsion Wind Tunnel facility. PWT was designated as an International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1989. (u.s. Air Force photo)

This image of the 16-foot supersonic wind tunnel at Arnold Air Force Base was taken in 1960. The tunnel is part of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex Propulsion Wind Tunnel fa-cility. The PWT was designated as an International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1989. (u.s. Air Force photo)

AeroDYNAMics from page 1

(T&E) capability has been a component of AEDC since its founding. The upper-stage motors powering

Peacekeeper, Minuteman, Trident and Titan are just a few of the motors that have been tested in the facilities. From ballis-tic missiles to the lunar lander to rockets for positioning commercial satellites into orbit, AEDC has played a role in their development and ensuring they work as designed.

The earliest documented solid-fueled rocket motor testing took place in 1958 in the T-3 test cell in the AEDC Engine Test Facility. Before it was converted in 1989 to conduct small turbine engine testing, T-3 was a rocket workhorse, conducting2,423 firings.

In 1961, AEDC’s first vertically-oriented Rocket Motor Test Facility J-3 came into service, fulfilling the need to provide the capability to test liquid-pow-ered rocket motors.

AEDC Rocket Development Test Cell J-4, also a vertical test cell designed fortesting large rocket engines, came intoservice in 1964 to support the Apolloprogram, which put man on the moon.This facility provided unmatched testingof liquid propellant rocket engines andsolid-propellant rocket motors. J-4 wasused to test a variety of engines over theyears, including the test firings conductedon the RL-10B-2 between Sept. 8 andOct. 3, 2001, in support of the EvolvedExpendable Launch Vehicle (EELV). TheEELV, in turn, led to the development ofthe Delta IV and Atlas V, the two primarylaunch systems for U.S. military satellites.

After it became operational in 1963, the Rocket Development Test Cell J-5 was used to test more than 500 motors for such systems as Minuteman and Peace-keeper, both Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles; and Poseidon and Trident, both submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The facility was used until 1994.

AEDC’s J-6 facility went into service in 1994 to provide expanded ground test capabilities for solid-propellant rocket motors from ignition through steady state thrust production to thrust termina-tion at simulated altitude conditions up to 100,000 feet above sea level. These tests support development efforts by the DOD and commercial aerospace industry.

For the last several years, the focus of AEDC Rocket Propulsion Ground T&E has been on the aging and surveillance of the Minuteman III Intercontinental Bal-listic Missile rocket motors. That role is

expanding with the development of the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent pro-gram and the growth of hypersonics.

“AEDC’s contribution to closing the missile gap, the space race and nuclear surety are unmatched,” said Randy Quinn, Rocket Propulsion Ground T&E capabil-ity manager.

Multi-Spectral Signature Measurement and Analysis

The Space Test Branch has also con-tributed to the study of missiles through multi-spectral signature measurement and analysis carried out by the AEDC Ad-vanced Missile Signature Center.

Multi-spectral signature measurement and analysis is carried out by the AEDC Advanced Missile Signature Center (AMSC) to support the development and evaluation of missile defense systems, aircraft warning systems, surrogate threat simulators and countermeasures.

The AMSC Field Measurement Team, which can deploy worldwide, collects op-tical, infrared and ultraviolet signatures from missile launches, impact engage-ments and threat systems, including air-to-air missiles, anti-tank guided missiles, man-portable air defenses and rocket-pro-pelled grenades, and small arms fire.

The AMSC Modeling and Simula-tion takes the data collected by the Field Measurement Team and creates modeling tools that replicate the threat system sig-natures for the development of detection, identification and self-protection systems.

Space environmental chambers

The first space chamber went into op-eration in 1961 when 7V was accepted for service. The 7-foot diameter, 30-foot long space chamber has been reconfig-ured over its lifetime to support a variety of test programs, with support in recent years to Missile Defense Agency and Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center.

7V is part of the Space Systems Test Facility, or SSTF, at Arnold and is one of the thermal-vacuum chambers for electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors and satellite component testing. The three large chambers in the SSTF are 7V, 10V and 12V. Additionally, an assortment of

smaller chambers of varying sizes are available for internal and external use. These include the Characterization of Combined Orbital Surface Effects, cham-ber, the 7A Chamber, the Ultra-High Vac-uum Chamber and the Component Check-out Chamber.

The 10V Chamber at Arnold provides mission simulation capability for the Ground-Based Interceptor, specifically its kill vehicle sensor. The chamber is able to stimulate the EO/IR sensor in a hardware-in-the-loop/software-in-the-loop configu-ration to characterize sensor performance in a space environment against simulated operational scenarios.

The 12V Chamber, a vertical chamber, is a thermal vacuum test facility originally designed and constructed for thermal bal-ance testing of small vehicles and compo-nents and with solar simulation capabil-ity. In the early 2000s, the chamber was configured for electric propulsion thruster plume analysis and integration effects testing.

12V supported the development of the International Space Station (ISS) by testing a hatch for the station in 1992.

10 • June 21, 2021

spAce TesT from page 1

See spAce TesT, page 11

Kellye Burns, right, a space test engineer, hands a material sample to Eric D’Ambro, a test operations engineer, that will be tested in the Space Threat Assessment Testbed thermal vacuum chamber, Aug. 3, 2020, at Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. Materials and space systems can be subjected to the natural and induced threat sources, such as protons, electrons, solar, atomic oxygen, thruster ions, material outgassing and spacecraft charging. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jill Pickett)

Laser-Illuminated photography was developed to study ablative effects on a 12,000 mph free-flight projectile in the 1,000-ft hypervelocity ballistic range at Arnold Air Force Base. The technique provided a photographic exposure equivalent to 20 billionths of a second. (U.S. Air Force photo)

June 21, 2021 • 11

The 200-pound, 53-inch-square hatch, which will close the pas-sageway between compartments in the station, underwent the thermal/vacuum testing in the chamber.

Testing in the 7A Chamber helped prepare the Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA), for its successful experimental deploy-ment in June 2017 at the ISS in June 2017. ROSA is an innova-tive type of a solar panel that rolls open in space like a tape measure and is more compact than current rigid panel designs.

The AEDC Mark 1 Test Fa-cility was constructed starting in February 1965. This facility is a space environment simulation test chamber for full-scale space systems testing. At 42-feet-di-ameter by 82-feet-high, the facil-ity exposes test articles to condi-tions that replicate the extreme vacuum and temperatures of space. Mark 1 was essential for testing the Global Positioning Satellite in 1977. In late-1999 to early-2000, the Solar Arrays for the Wilkinson Microwave An-isotropy Probe (WMAP) were tested in Mark I. The WMAP imaged some of the first light in the universe – the Cosmic Mi-crowave Background – created in the Big Bang some 13 billion years ago. In 2000, The GOES-M Weather Satellite underwent pre-launch qualification testing in the facility. GOES stands for Geostationary Operational Envi-

ronmental Satellite that provide weather predictions and hurri-cane warnings. Mark 1 has also been used to conduct faring sepa-ration testing.

“So many of the everyday things we take for granted, from the GPS on our cell phone to whether to grab an umbrella or sunscreen on our way out the door, to cutting edge knowledge of the universe and more, came through AEDC along the way,” said Jim Burns, deputy, Space Test Branch.

Another unique facility within the Space Test Branch is the Space Threat Assessment Testbed, known as STAT. STAT is a combination of two 7-foot diameter chambers that enables research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) of materi-als, components, subsystems, and small satellites in environ-ments that may threaten per-formance to reduce the risk of failure of mission-critical assets. In the STAT, test engineers can simulate a mission environment for evaluating space systems-of-systems and subsystems as if in orbit.

Arc jet heater facilities

The arc jet heater facilities, H1, H2 and H3, at Arnold AFB reproduce thermal environments simulating flight from Mach 8 to Mach 20 for the long exposure periods required to validate ther-mostructural performance and

survivability of materials and components. In the arc heater facilities, high-speed vehicles, such as hypersonic missiles, re-entry vehicles and high speed transports, ordinances and mu-nition systems are tested.

The arc heaters use an arc discharge to conduct ablation testing, which is the burning away of a material from an ob-ject. This kind of testing shows engineers how the high-speed vehicles will perform and sur-vive under simulated condi-tions. The goal is to maintain the structural integrity of the test material.

Testing in the arcs have sup-ported programs such as the Intercontinental Ballistic Mis-sile, Navy Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile, Defense Ad-vanced Research Projects Agen-cy (DARPA) Hypersonic Tech-nology Vehicle 2 and HTV-3, DARPA Materials Development for Platforms, the Air Force Hy-personic Technology Scramjet, Army missile programs and Missile Defense Agency hy-personic interceptor programs, among others. Civil and NASA programs supported include the Crew Exploration Vehicle, Mars Science Lab, Heat Shield for Extreme Entry Environments and the Orion/Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle.

Hypervelocity ballistic ranges

The Hypervelocity Flyout,

Impact and Lethality Ground T&E capability is conducted in the ballistic ranges at Arnold to collect data about flight charac-teristics of projectiles in re-en-try, hypersonic and orbital flight environments, and the result of their impact.

Projectiles are launched with a two-stage, light-gas gun into a simulated altitude chamber, up to speeds nearing 7 kilometers per second, or Mach 20. Re-entry vehicles, interceptors, and simulated space debris are some of the projectiles tested.

“Currently, we’re working with the Hypersonic Test and Evaluation Investment Program to reinvigorate our weather en-counter test capability,” said Jonathan Carroll, Hyperveloc-ity Flyout, Impact and Lethal-ity Ground T&E capability manager. “The range is config-ured with a track to ensure the projectile encounters the gen-erated rain, snow, ice or dust fields that simulate real world flight conditions. This allows programs to evaluate the surviv-ability of hypersonic and re-en-try systems.”

Range G, the workhorse of the facilities, propels a sub-scale model of projectiles down a 1,000-foot long track at speeds up to 23,000 feet per second. Testers are also able to recover model fragments after impact. Specialized photogra-phy using laser illumination

provides still and video imag-ery of the projectile models in flight.

The hyperballistic ranges also include Range I, S-1 and S-3 facilities. Range S-3, a7-inch, single stage gun, wasoriginally used for bird-strikeimpact testing of aircraft cano-pies. It was also used to conductimpact testing of space shuttleblock foam in support of theReturn to Flight mission fol-lowing the Columbia disaster.

In 1977, a track was in-stalled inside the Range G, al-lowing models to be guided through erosive environments, not just experience ablation. Testing in the range has also included work done on the gun barrels and ammunition of the Air Force’s A-10 Warthog and testing in support of NASA’s Apollo capsule. In 2001, a scale model of a conceptual missile powered by a scramjet was launched down the facil-ity’s two-stage light gas gun through its 130-foot long gun barrel. This was the first-ever successful free-flight demon-stration that AEDC performed of a hypersonic projectile pow-ered by a scramjet engine burn-ing hydrocarbon fuel.

While relishing in the suc-cess of the last 70 years, the Space Test Branch team mem-bers are also looking forward to what the future holds for ground test in their facilities.

spAce TesT from page 10

By Marisa Alia-NovobilskiAir Force Materiel Command

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The Air Force Materiel Command has established a new office to manage digital transfor-mation activities across the Air and Space Force enterprise.

The 12-member Digital Transfor-mation Office (DTO) will fall under the AFMC Engineering and Technical Management Directorate. It will focus on creating a digital governance struc-ture and facilitate on-going and new digital acquisition transformation ac-tivities across the enterprise.

“This office is the first organization that will stand-up from an enterprise-wide perspective to address digital needs with a long-term perspective in mind,” said James Kyle Hurst, Director, Digital Engineering Enterprise Office, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science, Technology, and Engineer-ing, who will be the new DTO Branch Chief. “Though the office sits at AFMC, it will have a perspective for the entire Department of the Air Force acquisi-tion community and encompass activi-ties from research and development to fielding, sustainment and beyond…the entire cradle-to-grave of life cycle man-agement.”

According to Hurst, while a num-ber of organizations are in the process of establishing digital-focused offices internally, these are specific to par-ticular mission sets, such as informa-tion technology infrastructure, sustain-ment activity, munitions, etc. The DTO will look at all digital activities from a broader, enabling perspective.

“This office will look across all of those teams and activities to facilitate the sharing of best practices and lessons learned across the entire department. We will focus on the enablers that will help the program…the ‘this is what you want to do, and here’s how you can do it’ aspect,” said Hurst.

AFMC officially launched its Digital Campaign in 2020 with the goal to cre-ate an integrated digital ecosystem that provides enterprise access to the data individuals need to develop, test, field

and maintain complex weapon systems. By leveraging modern digital capabili-ties, the service can decrease the time it takes to move a weapon system from a concept into the hands of a warfighter, while providing the ability to adapt ca-pabilities at speed to meet the require-ments of today’s dynamic warfighting domain.

“We are fielding capability much slower than our near peers. We’re tak-ing decades to field our major complex weapons systems, whereas our near

peer adversaries are doing it in half the time,” said Hurst. “We need to make sure we’re not delivering yesterday’s technology to tomorrow’s fight. We have to address and invest on how we acquire our weapons systems…not just focus on delivering the capabili-ties themselves.”

The manning for the DTO was au-thorized under Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown’s call to establish “innovation positions” to help advance innovation and modern-ization efforts across the service. The 12 positions in the DTO are part of the more than 300 positions being estab-lished across the command for efforts related to software innovation facto-ries, AFWERX, the Advanced Battle Management System and more.

For more information on current Digital Campaign efforts, internal Air Force audiences can visit the Digital Guide team site for guidance, refer-ences, templates and more. The team also hosts a public version of the Digi-tal Guide for industry and academia to access at https://wss.apan.org/af/aflcmc. General information on the AFMC Digital Campaign is available at https://www.afmc.af.mil/Digital/.

“This office along with the entire Department of the Air Force is still in the process of trying to figure out how to leverage digital and the best way to do it. We will continually be look-ing for inputs from programs, industry and academia who are currently doing this and doing it well, so we can learn from them and share,” said Hurst. “Collaboration and sharing are key to our success across the air and space enterprise.”

New AFMC office to drive digital transformation across Air, Space enterprise

Digital transformation leverages information technology and data to drive more efficient collaboration and weapons system development to bring capabilities to the warfighter faster and smarter. Faster development and deployment of technologies help the warfighter maintain a technological advantage over U.S. adversaries. The Air Force Materiel Command has established a new office to manage digital transformation activities across the Air and Space Force enterprise. The office will focus on creating a digital governance structure and facilitate on-going and new digital acquisition transformation activities across the enterprise. (U.S. Air Force graphic by Randy Palmer)

12 • June 21, 2021