TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. -- High above Tobyhanna Army Depot's Powder Smoke Ridge a 70-foot test tower makes it possible for operators to precisely survey targets at distances up to nearly a dozen miles away.
The Long-Range Advanced Scout Surveillance System (LRAS3) Test Tower platform is slated for completion early next month after a one-year, $1.25 million construction process. Corey Petruncio, electronics engineer in the Production Engineering's Counter Fire/Electro-Optics Systems Engineering Branch, said the tower provides testing capability to support a wide range of laser-based line-of-sight systems.
"The primary workload intended for the tower is the AN/TAS-8 LRAS3 overhaul program, a system that is expected to be fielded until at least 2025," he said. Tobyhanna will overhaul roughly 140 sight sensors per year, bringing them back to like-new condition.
The tower serves as the platform for line-of-sight testing of laser-based surveillance systems. At 70-feet tall, the tower allows the operator to see targets located at distances up to 11.5 miles.
The LRAS3 is an Army-only system managed by Product Management Ground Sensors. Although the LRAS3 is a standalone program, Tobyhanna supports other systems in the ground sensors family including Driver's Vision Enhancer, Boomerang and the Vehicle Optics Sensor System.
The platform tower structure consists of a vertical reciprocating conveyor that safely and efficiently lifts assets from the ground level workroom to the platform level for testing, and a cold room at the ground level for thermal stabilization.
Engineers encountered several challenges during planning and construction of the tower, including issues with technical data, software and structural concerns. Overhaul of an LRAS3 had never been done, requiring the development of a 1,600-page Depot Maintenance Work Requirement to outline the entire process.
During this capability development, depot personnel worked with the Night-Vision Electronics Sensors Directorate at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, to design the test bench and develop custom software for sight sensor testing. This software is currently being expanded to support other systems including the Thermal Imaging System and Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer, and will likely become the depot standard for testing other similar systems.
Petruncio said the unique landscape of Tobyhanna presented an equally unique challenge in building the test tower.
"Because of the topology and geographic location of the depot, the test platform needed to be elevated well-above the depot's primary operating area," he said. "For this reason, the tower was constructed on Powder Smoke Ridge, with the test platform itself located atop the structure. Because of the target distances, the platform was designed to be extremely stable, even under high-wind conditions."
In addition to the 140 overhauls each year, Tobyhanna supports the LRAS3 program through an Automatic Reset Induction program, repair of theater-provided equipment and secondary repairables.
Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna's Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C4ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.
Tobyhanna's unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, technology insertion, modification, and global field support to warfighters.
About 3,300 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., the command's mission is to research, develop, acquire, field and sustain communications, command, control computer, intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors capabilities for the Armed Forces.
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