REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (Feb 2, 2015) -- Redstone Army Airfield is in a state of constant development and has been for the past six years as Redstone Test Center expands its footprint to meet its expanding mission.
The airfield's transformation came about as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Congressional initiative. BRAC brought more than 400 people, 65 aircraft, and a new mission to RAAF. RTC's mission is to provide superior technical expertise and state-of-the art facilities and capabilities to plan, conduct, analyze and report the results of tests on aviation, missile and sensor systems, subsystems and components. Therefore, the facilities must be structured to support the many aircraft and associated tests.
At the beginning of BRAC, the existing infrastructure at RAAF consisted of limited buildings on the east side that were only able to accommodate a small fraction of RTC's needs; big changes were required. Construction began in 2008 and since then seven new buildings have been constructed, outdoor aircraft parking pads added, and existing facilities upgraded and expanded to support operations on both sides of RAAF.
BRAC construction began in 2008 with two administrative buildings on the east side, culminating in August 2011 when RTC's Rotary Wing Center opened. The RWC is 126,287 sq. ft., 72,500 sq. ft. of which is hangar space. This facility supports more than half of RTC's airfield workforce.
In 2014, the RWC was expanded to give more space to the sheet metal shop and to improve the storage of test instrumentation supplies. Additionally, the two pre-BRAC hangars on the east side were updated to meet RTC's testing demands and safety and security standards. A new ground support equipment building is scheduled to be completed in the next two months, allowing RTC personnel to maintain and repair GSE.
This year a compass rose is scheduled to be constructed on the west side of the airfield to the north of the current parking pads. The compass rose will provide a much needed place to calibrate aircraft heading indicators, a part of routine maintenance for all Army aircraft.
Another increase to the RAAF footprint is on the horizon as RTC continues to strive to meet its growing capabilities. A construction project, called the Aviation Test, Instrumentation and Integration Facility, is planned. The ATIIF will provide another 73,000 sq. ft. of necessary hangar space to support RTC's test and instrumentation efforts and house aircraft in the event of inclement weather.
BRAC might be complete, but construction and development on the airfield is long from over. RTC's mission is ever evolving, and as the Army's needs change, RTC will continue to build the infrastructure necessary to meet those needs.
RTC, a subordinate command of the Army Test and Evaluation Command, provides technical expertise, state-of-the-art facilities, and capabilities to plan, conduct, analyze, and report the results of test on missile and aviation systems, sensors, subsystems and components.
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