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ATC Light Armor technicians meet with Marine Corps counterparts

By Bruce DrakeNovember 1, 2022

ATC Light Armor technicians meet with Marine Corps counterparts
Ralph Croce (right), head of the Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity (MCOTEA)’s Live Fire Test Division, located at Quantico VA, discusses some recent developments regarding personal protective armor with the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center Lead Engineer, Geoff Cunningham (far left) on a recent visit to ATC’s Light Armor Range Complex. MCOTEA personnel visited the facility on 21 Oct to familiarize several of their new personnel with ATC’s capabilities as an independent testing agency. (Photo Credit: Bruce Drake) VIEW ORIGINAL

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD – The U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center, or ATC, recently hosted several representatives from the United States Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity, or MCOTEA, from Quantico, VA where they learned about the capabilities of ATC’s Light Armor Range Complex, or LARC, located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.

“This was an opportunity to introduce several new members of our MCOTEA staff to the labs and testing capabilities of ATC’s Light Armor Range Complex,” said Ralph Croce, head of MCOTEA’s Live Fire Test Division. “We share a lot of similar requirements in support of our operational forces and your proximity to our offices in Quantico (VA)."

“ATC’s ability to provide us with real-time data from independent testing really helps us in our own mission of being independent evaluators of protective systems under consideration by the Marine Corps also,” he added.

The MCOTEA personnel were shown several ranges and diagnostic equipment setups at the LARC during their visit to help them develop additional future testing programs where ATC could be their independent testing provider.

“We have worked with MCOTEA personnel in the past on other projects,” said Geoff Cunningham, one of LARC’s lead test engineers. “That partnership has continued to grow over the years, and we look forward to working them in the future on other projects.”