Department of Defense Invests in Hypersonic Testing Upgrades at Arnold Air Force Base

Additional staffing will allow the high-temperature laboratory to operate longer hours as demand for testing is expected to increase in the year ahead.

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, January 06, 2022 at 06:21 PM ET

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A carbon-carbon leading edge undergoes testing in the arc jet test cell H-2. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

Arnold Air Force Base's AEDC is significantly increasing its capacity for hypersonic systems testing to meet anticipated demand.
This expansion is supported by $2.35 million in DoD funding, enabling the hiring of new staff to extend high-temperature lab operations and procuring supplies for hypervelocity ground tests, aiming to boost test throughput.
In parallel, AEDC is also modernizing its facilities for testing next-generation turbine engines for military aircraft, including restoring and upgrading two key altitude test cells.

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Arnold Air Force Base’s space testing branch is ramping up testing throughput capacity in anticipation of an increase in demand for hypersonic systems testing in the coming year, it announced.

The move comes as the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) at the air base in Tullahoma, Tennessee, is also modernizing testing capacity for next generation turbine engines for military aircraft.