The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, or NAWCAD, at NAS Patuxent River maintains a comprehensive set of ground-based facilities for testing various facets of aircraft and airborne systems and weapons. NAWCAD's ground test facilities include the Air Combat Environment Test & Evaluation Facility (ACETEF), the Facility for Antenna and Radar Cross Section Measurement (FARM), and the Electromagnetic Pulse Facility. Each will be outlined on this page.
1. Air Combat Environment Test & Evaluation Facility (ACETEF)
ACETEF is an integrated set of facilities that collectively create a virtual battlespace for testing electronic warfare and other avionics systems. ACETEF comprises the Large Anechoic Chamber, the Shielded Hangar, the Manned Flight Simulator, a high-performance computing center, the Electronic Warfare Integration System Test Lab, a warfare simulation lab, and a threat air-defense lab. These facilities are linked to each other, and can be securely linked to complementary facilities anywhere in the world.
Large Anechoic Chamber
Pax River's Large Anechoic Chamber opened in 1999. In the chamber, the transmitters used in electronic warfare and communication systems can be fully exercised without external electrical interference and, of equal importance, without being monitored by outsiders. Such testing can identify undesirable and possibly dangerous interference issues that the transmitters may unintentionally induce in various aircraft systems. Multiple aircraft can be tested simultaneously within the anechoic chamber.
Carbon-impregnated pyramids of polyurethane foam line the chamber’s interior, as seen below. By suppressing electronic ‘echoes’, these foam spikes allow highly accurate measurements to be taken of electronic signals.
Shielded Hangar
Initially constructed in 1948, the Shielded Hangar isolates aircraft and systems from external electromagnetic radiation. This allows sensitive electronic equipment to be tested without fear that the data being collected has been contaminated by spurious or outside signals.
Manned Flight Simulator (MFS)
The MFS is a set of ground-based cockpits and simulation stations, some with full-motion capability. Unlike the simulators used to train flight crews, the MFS is strictly focused on complementing the flight-test process. Beyond supporting the testing of avionics, data links, crew systems, and other aircraft systems, MFS can also augment the assessment of aircraft flying qualities and performance.
2. Facility for Antenna and Radar Cross Section Measurement (FARM)
The FARM is an outdoor site that allows the radiation patterns and effectiveness of aircraft antennas to be measured. Aircraft radar cross-sections can also be measured at the FARM.
3. Electromagnetic Pulse Facility
By applying various real-world and worst-case electromagnetic environments, electronic system vulnerabilities that require additional ‘hardening’ can be identified. E3 tests can simulate the electromagnetic environment of an aircraft carrier flight deck, or conditions ranging from lightning and precipitation static to high power microwaves.
Easily the most visible E3 test facility at Pax River is the Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP - external link) Facility. Commissioned in 1986 by the TACAMO strategic communications program, the EMP facility evaluates an aircraft’s vulnerability to the extreme electromagnetic conditions created by, among other things, a nuclear explosion.
USAF Boeing KC-46 at the EMP Facility
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Sources include:
- 'Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division', NAVAIR brochure, Jul 2018
- Numerous Tester articles, including - 'Electronics Test Hangar Nearing Date of Completion', 22 Jan 1948
- Numerous Aviation Week articles, including - 'Industry Observer', 15 Jun 1992; 'New US Navy Anechoic Chamber Test Two Aircraft Together', 21 Jun 1999
- The Military Engineer articles - 'Plant for Testing Electronic Devices', Sep 1946; 'News and Comment', Nov / Dec 1952
- Article - 'Navy Tests C-17 Avionics', Aviation Week, 13 Sep 1993;
- Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division brochure JUL 2018
- 'Operational Performance of the Horizontal Fast Rise EMP Pulser at the Patuxent River EMP Test Facility', NAVAIR, Jun 2011
- Web article - https://www.dcmilitary.com/tester/news/local/manned-flight-simulator-celebrates-30-years/article_66287954-0435-52a3-8654-8d0f1810122d.html
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Updated 22 Jan 2024. The material herein, excluding images, is copyright the author, Robert Tourville, and the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum. Image copyrights are as noted.