Arnold Engineering Development Center

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= Arnold Engineering Development Center


caption= Emblem of the Arnold Engineering Development Center
dates= 1951–Present
country= United States
branch= US Air Force
role= Test facility
size=
command_structure= Air Force Materiel Command
garrison= Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee
garrison_label=
nickname=AEDC
patron= Gen Henry "Hap" Arnold
motto=
decorations=
commander1= [http://www.arnold.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=9382 Col Arthur Huber]
commander1_label= Commander
commander2= [http://www.arnold.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=11173 John Sutton]
commander2_label= Executive Director (Acting)

Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) is a ground-based flight test facility operated by the US Air Force Materiel Command.

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.

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. [cite web | url=http://www.arnold.af.mil/units/ | title=Arnold Air Force Base Units | accessdate=2008-06-29 | author=US Air Force | publisher=AEDC]

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 also 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 prisoner of war camp.

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
** 650th Test Systems Squadron
** 651st Test Systems Squadron

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.

See also

* Theodore von Kármán

References

External links

* [http://www.arnold.af.mil/ Arnold Engineering Development Center] (official)
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/arnold.htm Arnold Engineering Development Center at GlobalSecurity.org]
* [http://www.utsi.edu/ University of Tennessee Space Institute]