Test acceleration expedites fielding warning system

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Brooke Davis
  • Air Force Flight Test Center Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) --  Engineers here cut the test time for a crucial missile warning system from months to weeks, speeding the operational debut of the system on C-17 Globemaster IIIs.

Changes to the system, which warns of an approaching missile and automatically fires flares to confuse the missile’s guidance system, were performed by the C-17 Combined Test Force here.

Changes were made to the pilot-vehicle interface to improve how the pilot recognizes when the system is warning of a potential threat.

Engineers tested these changes by repeating test points used last year on the original system to see if the changes affected any other aspects of system performance, said Chris McMurtry, 418th Flight Test Squadron electronic warfare engineer.

In a 23-day series of ground tests, engineers stimulated the system so they could analyze the changes and their effects on how the aircraft's upgraded system responded to the stimulus, Mr. McMurtry said.

"We learned several lessons from this test, but the team effort and hard work really made the test acceleration a success," he said. "The test team's dedication to getting the latest combat abilities to the warfighter overseas is truly impressive. A normal test sequence like this would take more than 90 days to complete."

"It's incredible that we pulled this off in such a short amount of time and helped get the upgrades successfully fielded," said Jeannette Illsley, a contracted flight test engineer.