Test & Evaluation Science & Technology

Test and Evaluation Science and Technology is a critical initiative under the Department of Defense's Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) budget activity. The program aims to develop and exploit test technologies to keep pace with evolving weapons technologies. It supports the Department's initiatives to defend the homeland, deter strategic attacks and aggression, and build a resilient joint force and defense ecosystem. The program seeks to expedite the transition of new technologies from the laboratory environment to the test and evaluation community, leveraging industry advances in equipment, modeling and simulation, and networking to support test and evaluation activities. Additionally, it examines emerging test and evaluation requirements resulting from Joint Service initiatives to identify technology needs and develop a long-range roadmap for technology insertion.

Furthermore, Program PE 0603941D8Z includes specific projects such as High Speed Systems Test (HSST) and Nuclear Test (NT) that address critical national test capability gaps. The HSST project focuses on developing, validating, and transitioning advanced test and evaluation technologies for ground test, open-air range flight test, and advanced computational tools for high-speed weapon systems. It aims to enable robust, accurate, and timely testing of future weapon systems by addressing deficiencies in data accuracy, flight condition replication and simulation, test methods, productivity, modeling and simulation fidelity, and range safety. On the other hand, the NT project's mission is to provide accurate, robust, and efficient test solutions to successfully develop, validate, and inform the employment of a modernized nuclear enterprise. It prioritizes investments to modernize the nuclear enterprise while sustaining legacy systems' resiliency against emerging threats through strategic roadmap development and investment strategy establishment for nuclear test environments.

Both projects align with the Department of Defense's Science & Technology (S&T) priority investments by addressing specific technology shortfalls in their respective areas. These efforts are crucial for ensuring the readiness and effectiveness of future weapon systems while meeting national security objectives.