System Test AND Evaluation

Military systems are subjected to some of the most stressing operational requirements and geographic environments. Before a military system is deployed, it is tested and retested in simulated and actual environments. It is very difficult to replicate the environments, conditions and situations that are placed on military equipment and it takes special skills and talents to properly develop test criteria and suitable measurements to verify system performance. Acoustic sonar and sonobuoy testing requires testing in water of the same temperature, pressure, salinity and sea state of the actual environments - and there have to be suitable models and replicas of the target of interest. Refueling drogues need to be tested in suitable wind tunnels with variable flowfield perturbations. Optical systems need to simulate the correct wavebands, target signatures and atmospheric effects. Unmanned aircraft need to be tested safely in unmanned autopilot modes and different geographic atmospheric conditions. Navmar personnel develop test methodologies, design tests, fabricate test fixtures, and perform tests for these and other situations.