US Army - ARDECPicatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806

The Robert A. ReismanThe Robert A. ReismanPrecision Armaments Precision Armaments

LaboratoryLaboratory

For More InformationUS Army – ARDEC – Picatinny Arsenal, NJ

Munitions Engineering & Technology CenterFuze & Precision Armaments Technology Directorate Munition Sensors & Guidance Technology Division

~Mark Woolley, Facility/Test Manager

973-724-2460, DSN 880-2460Fax 973-724-8539, Email: mark.woolley@us.army.mil

“Fully automated R&D test facility dedicated to evaluating sensor/ seeker performance in adverse weather”• 215-ft tower• Fully automated• MET Instrumentation• Programmable elevator labs• Various clutter environments• Northern NJ’s adverse weather

Background A major mission within the US Army's Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) is the life cycle development of gun fired precision munitions and other systems (e.g., weapon fire control, command and control, battlefield damage assessment, communication, etc.) that employ sensors. All of these systems have a requirement to operate in "all weather" or "near all weather" conditions. Current sensor/ system evaluation methods do not adequately address performance during these conditions. Therefore, a demonstrated need exists for conducting sensor performance measurements during adverse weather occurrences and in such a way that duplicates, as nearly as possible, the actual sensor altitude and range with respect to the target.

PAL Mission The Precision Armaments Laboratory (PAL) represents a new and unique mission essential facility at ARDEC for gun fired precision guided and smart weapon system research and development. This mission concentrates on the experimentation, development, and evaluation of sensors and seekers during adverse weather conditions, and represents a new Department of Defense (DoD) capability that was not available previously. This unique capability will enable the development and fielding of precision ammunition that require “all weather” performance capability.

PAL Facility Characteristics 215 foot Tower - Enclosed Equipment Platform (EEP) at 200 feet (Dimension: 30’ x 40’) - Stationary outdoor platforms at every 40 feet including roof of EEP

Two Programmable Elevator Laboratories - Variable rates from 1 to 350 ft/min - Stationary heights within a 1/10 of a foot - 7’ 8” x 9’ 4” dimension - 7500 lbs weight capacity - 5’ x 5’ maximum window opening - 4’ x 7’ door opening - Available power feed - Data/communication lines w/ EEP - Remote elevator operation

Dedicated Base Laboratory Building - High-bay garage - Secure offices - Conference rooms - Fabrication shop

Three Dedicated Target Sites - Russian 2S3 surrogate targets installed provide RADAR & IR signatures

Meteorological Instrumentation - Located at top of tower, target sites, and intermediate site - Temperature, Humidity, Pressure Wind Speed and Direction, Solar Radiation, Cloud Height & Thickness, etc. - Particle (rain/snow) sizes and rates

Laboratory-grade Near, Mid- & Long Wave Infrared Sensors

Dedicated Target Sites: Available with power, communication/data links & MET devices in various clutter environments. (1) Short Range 45m; (2) Mid-Range 550m; (3) Long Range 1280m; (4) Intermediate 640m

(Additional locations available)

Typical Applications The PAL facility has the flexibility to support a wide variety of research, development, test and evaluation applications including: - Sensors/seekers performance in adverse weather - Target and clutter phenomenology - Autonomous Target Recognition (ATR) algorithm development - Real-time dynamic simulations - Data collection for predictive modeling - Surveillance sensors/system development - Countermeasure effectiveness in adverse weather - Effects to munition communication, command and control links during all- weather conditions - Weather effects on receipt of GPS signals (acquisition/tracking) - Antenna/Data links

Facility Automation Features A computer controlled network of various meteorological instrumentation located on the tower and at target sites allow for remote and autonomous data collection of customer’s devices per customer’s weather requirements. Elevator laboratory operation is included in autonomous loop providing the customer with a dynamic data collection environment. Russian 2S3 surrogate targets are remotely heated to provide customers with 2S3 IR and RADAR signatures and ground truth data collection.