ARMY AL&T
Rigid adherence to the system permits this vital network to operate with few incidents, but dampens the spirit and ability to leap into the next epoch of air travel—refinement of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), which are pilot- less craft controlled autonomously. Our skyways are so busy that testing even the tiniest of these long-range marvels in a safe, sustained manner is prob- lematic. However, such restraints do not exist at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) in southwest Arizona.
“UAS testing is one of the most diverse commodity areas we have,” said Mary Beth Weaver, Lead Test Director for UAS at YPG’s Aviation Systems Branch. “We test everything from 1-pound platforms to very large platforms that weigh more than a ton.”
YPG is the second-largest installation in DOD in terms of area, which allows for the testing of long-range artillery projectiles and other weapon systems without fear of hitting occupied areas. However, YPG also includes nearly 2,000 square miles of restricted airspace. This vast holding is used by YPG’s Aviation Systems Branch for extensive testing of a variety of UAS platforms. The proving ground seems as close to an ideal venue for UAS testing as can possibly exist, with clear, stable air and an extremely dry climate in which inclement weather is a rarity.
“We have a low-density altitude, which translates into enhanced engine perfor- mance,” said Pat Franklin, a Test Director for the Aviation Systems Branch. “We also have a natural terrain bowl sur- rounded by high terrain on three sides, which keeps weapons, laser emissions, and radio frequency energy from propa- gating out and disturbing anything outside of the proving ground.”
This testing takes place across all stages of the development cycle. Though more than 90 percent of the YPG workload is conducted on behalf of military
29 OCTOBER –DECEMBER 2010
Weaponizing any aircraft is a complex business, and adding weaponry to a UAS can be particularly challenging. Decades of expertise in all facets of UAS evaluation, combined with extensive targeting and other infrastructure, makes weapons integration on a platform such as this Fire Scout a manageable enterprise at YPG. (U.S. Army photo courtesy of YPG.)
customers, private industry clients are attracted to the same expertise and range characteristics that military testers covet.
“We have a very diverse customer base with many different test objectives,” said Weaver. “On a given day, we might be working on a command-and-control system, while at the same time support- ing another customer who is developing a new airframe. There are no cookie- cutter tests here.”
A History Dating to World War II
Small aircraft drones have played a role in Army training since World War II. The gradual adaptation of these small-target craft to more sophisticated functions has been an important part of YPG’s test and evaluation mission for decades. The first hangar at Castle Dome Heliport, one of YPG’s UAS launching points, was constructed in the late 1950s to support a drone com- petition. More important for UAS testing at the proving ground, however, was the presence of the AH-56 Cheyenne helicopter in the early 1970s, which resulted in an influx of aviation testers from Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, and construction of a substantial amount of infrastructure, including laser and opti- cal tracking sites that can support both manned and unmanned aviation testing.
In the latter 1970s, construction started on a site for a vertical-lift UAS testing site, which began as a 250-square-foot asphalt landing pad and a lone double- wide trailer that served as a command center. Over the years, the size of the pad was doubled and an airstrip was added to accommodate fixed-wing air vehicles; four additional UAS shelters were constructed; an additional trailer was brought in; and a large earthen berm was added to shield the command center from tests involving weapon fires, supporting efforts to weaponize what previously had been platforms meant only for surveillance.
In the recent past, a number of unmanned aircraft have undergone testing at YPG, including the A160 Hummingbird, Fire Scout, Shadow, and Hunter.
Large or small, fixed- or rotary-wing, UAS are exquisitely intricate machines that must prove far more than the dif- ficult enough question of whether they are capable of flight. Like their manned cousins, UAS must be able to fly stably while supporting functioning sensors and accurate weaponry.
YPG is always busy testing the machines’ ability to do this and more. “UAS have shown their utility and
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