REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center is the Army's focal point for providing research, development and engineering
of technology and providing services for aviation and missile platforms, across the life cycle.
AMRDEC's long history of providing service to its aviation and missile customers continued in 2017 with successful milestones.
Dr. Juanita Harris was announced as the AMRDEC technical director Nov. 17 and assumed her role Nov. 26. Harris previously served as the director for AMRDEC's Weapons Development and Integration Directorate, a position she assumed after being selected for Senior Executive Service in February 2015.
An official ceremony for Harris will be held Jan. 18, 2018.
In September, Vice President of the United States Mike Pence visited Redstone Arsenal. His sole Army stop was AMRDEC, where he was briefed on the critical PATRIOT and THADD hardware-in-the-loop mission.
AMRDEC hosted many distinguished visitors interested in learning about technologies and capabilities supporting Army readiness and the future force, including the Under Secretary of the Army, Acting Secretary of the Army, Army Chief of Staff, Principal Deputy ASA (ALT), Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Maintenance Policy and Programs, Army Vice Chief of Staff and the Pacific Command commander.
AMRDEC's Aviation Engineering Directorate upheld value engineering and cost savings through the storage, analysis, failure evaluation and reclamation program at Corpus Christi Army Depot. The program collects specifically identified candidate parts from air frames being overhauled at CCAD during depot maintenance, repair activity and other higher level maintenance operations. The return of parts has led to the success of overhaul and repair operations that would have otherwise failed or been over budget.
The UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter completed its initial test flight in January after two years of design, integration and development. The successful flight of the UH-60V working prototype represents a significant milestone in the UH-60V program and moves one step closer to getting an enhanced, modern air capability to the operational force. AMRDEC's Software Engineering Directorate simultaneously began developing the UH-60V Systems Integration Lab while the Engineering Directorate's Prototype Integration Facility developed the UH-60V prototype.
The SED's Joint Technology Center and Systems Integration Lab developed the Universal Mission Simulator, a full simulation training system providing readiness to Gray Eagle and Shadow Unmanned Aircraft Systems flight crews. The system was designed for maximum training effectiveness while meeting rigorous fielding schedules and maintaining a long term affordable solution set.
AMRDEC continued preparing the warfighter for the future fight through advancements in technologies and program successes.
The Aviation Development Directorate developed a system enabling air mission commanders to manage multiple unmanned aerial systems simultaneously. This resulted in faster completion of mission tasks without increasing operator workload.
Supervisory Controller for Optimal Role Allocation for Cueing of Human Operators, or SCORCH, is a system consisting of intelligent UAS autonomous behaviors and an advanced user interface that allows a single operator to effectively control up to three UAS.
ADD is leading the S&T effort charged with researching the Army's next-generation tactical UAS fleet slated to operate in the 2030 time frame. The Next Generation Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System Technology Demonstrator program, NexGen TUAS TD, held its Phase I kickoff meeting Oct. 18.
The effort is designed to identify, mature and demonstrate enabling air vehicle technologies to overcome key technology barriers and result in the desired performance, survivability and reliability for an advanced, multi-role unmanned aircraft.
AMRDEC successfully flight tested the Modular Missile Technologies guided forward firing Control Test Vehicle number 1 Nov. 8. MMT is a S&T demonstration program developing technologies to support future U.S. Army Aviation air-to-surface missiles. MMT's highly adaptable modular open systems architecture allows the system to evolve faster.
The System Simulation and Development Directorate will receive a space chamber designed to test kill vehicles December 2017. The new space chamber will simulate a missile seeker's response to outer space in a laboratory environment. There is only one other space chamber designed to test missiles in the country.
The Redesigned Kill Vehicle Development Laboratory will provide engineering and technical expertise to MDA in the development and testing of the next generation Exo-Atmospheric Kill Vehicle, the Redesigned Kill Vehicle.
Throughout the year, AMRDEC strengthened partnerships with allies, supported customers and collaborated with other government agencies to provide advancements for the DOD enterprise.
In February, WDI established a project agreement with the United Kingdom concerning joint energetic materials work. The arrangement allows exploration and examination of nitrocellulose, the most widely used energetic material in the world. Nitrocellulose is an energetic material found in more than 70 percent of weapons used by U.S. Soldiers. Often used in rocket motors, bullets and explosives, helping rocket propellants and ammunition burn quickly.
ADD was the executing agency in the European NATO flight trials for the Degraded Visual Environment Mitigation program in Germany and Switzerland. This program is designed to increase the capability and safety of the aviation fleet. Operations in DVE are the primary contributing factor to most Army aviation accidents over the last decade.
The PIF prepared Letterkenny Army Depot for production of the Army's next generation air defense launcher, the Multi-Mission Launcher. The MML is a short range air defense launcher designed around an open-systems architecture. The PIF partnered with integration teams from LEAD to transition the MML from the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction phase to the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development phase, preparing LEAD to produce future MML vehicles.
As an innovative workforce, AMRDEC adapts to ever-changing conditions to provide comprehensive solutions to the ultimate customer, the warfighter, ensuring victory on the battlefield.
AMRDEC continues to uphold a reputation for finding creative solutions, rapidly transitioning technologies and providing synergistic expertise to customers and stakeholders.
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U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to provide innovative research, development and engineering to produce capabilities that provide decisive overmatch to the Army against the complexities of the current and future operating environments in support of the joint warfighter and the nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
Related Links:
Army.mil: Science and Technology News
U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command
U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command
U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center
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