Arnold Engineering Development Center
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| Arnold Engineering Development Center | |
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 Emblem of the Arnold Engineering Development Center |
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| Active | 1951–Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | US Air Force |
| Role | Test facility |
| Part of | Air Force Materiel Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee |
| Nickname | AEDC |
| Patron | Gen Henry "Hap" Arnold |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Col Arthur Huber |
| Executive Director (Acting) | John Sutton |
Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) is a ground-based flight test facility operated by the US Air Force Materiel Command.
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[edit] Mission Statement
The AEDC mission is to:
- Test and evaluate aircraft, missile and space systems and subsystems at the flight conditions they will experience during a mission;
- Conduct a research and technology program to develop advanced testing techniques and instrumentation and to support the design of new test facilities;
- Maintain and modernize the center’s existing test facilities.
[edit] History
Originated in 1951, the center operates 58 aerodynamic and propulsion wind tunnels, rocket and turbine engine test cells, space environmental chambers, arc heaters, ballistic ranges, and other specialized units. Currently, AEDC's prime contractor is the Aerospace Testing Alliance.
The center has helped to develop most aerospace systems in the U.S. government's inventory, including the Atlas, Titan, Minuteman and Peacekeeper ICBMs, the Space Shuttle, space station, and Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo.[1]
It is named for General Henry "Hap" Arnold, the father of the US Air Force and an air power visionary. The University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) is located adjacent to AEDC.
The center lies near Manchester, Tennessee and Tullahoma, Tennessee, and occupies much of the site of the former Camp Forrest, a U.S. Army base and World War II POW camp.
[edit] Units
- 704th Test Group
- 716th Test Squadron (Flight Systems - Aerodynamics)
- 717th Test Squadron (Aeropropulsion)
- 718th Test Squadron (Space & Missiles)
- 704th Maintenance Group
- 704th Maintenance Squadron
- 804th Maintenance Squadron
- 704th Mission Support Group
- 704th Communications Squadron
- 704th Civil Engineering Squadron
- 704th Test Systems Group
- 649th Test Systems Squadron
- 650th Test Systems Squadron
- 651st Test Systems Squadron
[edit] Facilities
- The Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9 is located off site at Silver Spring, Maryland
- The National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) is located at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California. The NFAC was closed by NASA in 2003. In February 2006, AEDC entered into an agreement with NASA to lease the facility for a period of up to 25 years.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "Arnold Engineering Development Center".
- ^ US Air Force. "Arnold Air Force Base Units". AEDC. http://www.arnold.af.mil/units/. Retrieved on 2008-06-29.
[edit] External links
- Arnold Engineering Development Center (official)
- Arnold Engineering Development Center at GlobalSecurity.org
- University of Tennessee Space Institute
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