AFTC, Gulf range & hypersonic testing

EDWARDS AFB, Calif. – The Air Force Test Center is the lead agency in the arena of test and evaluation, and tasked with testing future aerospace systems while keeping an eye on ever-changing technology. The AFTC has a history of providing significant value to war-fighters, but the national security environment has been “evolving at a pace I haven’t seen across my entire career,” said Brig. Gen. Christopher Azzano, AFTC commander at Edwards AFB, Calif. The center has oversight of various testing missions at the 96th Test Wing at Eglin AFB, Fla., Arnold (Tenn.) Engineering Development Complex, and the 412th Test Wing at Edwards. Azzano, and Command Chief Master Sgt. Michael Ditore recently shared the AFTC’s principles and visions and future of assurances that the center stays ready for tomorrow’s threats, and ahead of adversaries. The general’s vision is to take test and evaluation capabilities, workforce, and products, then evolve them to meet the nation’s future needs. That vision focuses on testing Air, Space, and Cyber systems that interact and create effects on battlefields that overwhelm adversaries, he continued. The AFTC is involved in emerging technologies such as hypersonic systems, cyber-warfare systems and space. “Being able to test the weapons systems of tomorrow is absolutely job number one,” he said. One of the technological weapon trends is hypersonic systems, and AFTC is poised at to be at the lead of the country’s test and evaluation efforts in that area. (Source: 412th Test Wing 01/31/19) Gulf Coast Note: The military's Gulf Test Range covers more than 120,000 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico, and is used by a myriad of military units, including the 33rd Fighter Wing and 96th Test Wing from Eglin AFB, and the Air Force Special Operations Command out of Hurlburt Field. Air combat training, air-to-air missile testing, drone targeting, and hypersonic weapons testing are conducted within the range.