REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (May 4, 2016) -- Good health requires regular checkups with a qualified physician. When encountering difficult health issues, one seeks the expertise of a specialist. Missiles and other equipment used by U.S. Soldiers go through similar health checks and sometimes require special expertise.
The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command's U.S. Army Redstone Test Center, or RTC, serves as a "specialist" when it comes to the health of Javelin missiles. The Javelin Environmental Test Set or JETS, was built, is maintained and operated by Javelin experts at RTC.
"The JETS system is used to test the Javelin from cradle to grave. We are very proud to be able to call ourselves Javelin experts," said Shane Basham, test engineer at RTC.
Of the eight known JETS systems, RTC possesses five of them. The other three were purchased from RTC. The system conducts a basic health check on the Javelin missile, from testing missile modifications to testing for the functionality of potentially damaged missiles.
"JETS allows us to wiggle the fins on the missile, check the circuitry by running a little current through it and allows us to ensure the sensor is working," Basham said.
RTC's Javelin specialty doesn't stop at the JETS system. RTC's hardware-in-the-loop technology, known as Electro-Optical Sensor Flight Evaluation Laboratory, known as EOSFEL, has been operational since 1999.
"We are the only hardware-in-the-loop of this kind for Javelin in the Army," Basham said.
Hardware-in-the-loop testing is a form of data collection that falls in between simulation and live firing. The process utilizes a combination of software simulation and actual hardware to offer a cost-effective manner of gathering a large amount of reliable data fairly quickly.
"EOSFEL takes pieces of the Javelin and electronically, mechanically and optically stimulates the pieces, forcing them to act like they are actually being fired," said Basham. "We know it works well because the data collected closely matches real flight data."
RTC's specialty in Javelin testing allows them to support the entire program from technology development to the operations and support phases. The testing currently being done on the Javelin at RTC includes missile modifications and upgrades, stockpile reliability, field failures, product verification, environmental qualification, lot verification, temperature conditioning and more.
Currently, RTC specialists are preparing the JETS system for Javelin Reset Testing at the Anniston Army Depot. This program examines Javelin rounds that have been in service to determine if they can be refurbished and returned to the field, if they can only be used for training purposes or if they are no longer serviceable and need to be safely destroyed.
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