Special Equipment for Test and Evaluation

The Special Equipment for Test and Evaluation program is designed to support the testing of Army Modernization Priority Programs. This initiative includes Major Developmental & Operational Testing Instrumentation and the Army Threat Simulator Program. The primary goal is to provide essential testing instrumentation and experimentation, such as Major Operational Testing Instrumentation, Force Development Testing and Experimentation (FDTE), and Army Warfighting Experiments (AWE). These efforts align with the five joint functional concepts outlined in the Army Modernization Plan: Force Application, Protection, Focused Logistics, Battlespace Awareness, and Command and Control.

A significant component of this program involves procuring foreign hardware and Non-Developmental Items (NDI) for integration into threat simulator designs. This includes acquiring test assets like the Threat Battle Command Force, Advanced Jammer Suite, and Advanced Electronic Support Sensor Suite. These assets are crucial for user testing and training at various Army facilities such as the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) and Operational Test Command (OTC). The program aims to enhance testing capabilities at locations including Fort Cavazos, Fort Sill, Fort Liberty, Fort Huachuca, Aberdeen Test Center, Redstone Test Center, White Sands Test Center, and Yuma Test Center.

Optics Modernization is another key objective within this program. It focuses on replacing outdated optical tracking systems with advanced technology at several test centers. This effort involves deploying two types of optical tracking systems: a small Close-In Optical Tracking System for ground-level or elevated platform deployment and a medium-sized Fly-Out Optical Tracking System for larger payloads over longer ranges. These systems will feature multi-waveband optics and sensors for simultaneous visible and infrared sensing. The modernization supports Long Range Precision Fires, Next Generation Combat Vehicle initiatives, Future Vertical Lift projects, and Air & Missile Defense Cross-Functional teams.

Additionally, the Threat Systems component aims to procure multiple threat systems necessary for developmental and operational testing. These include Electronic Warfare systems, Command Control Communications tools, and Advanced Jamming capabilities. The objective is to create realistic threat scenarios that integrate digital battlefield data collection tools to enhance command and control capabilities. By 2028, these efforts will support ongoing multi-domain operations by providing validated threat jammers across the Radio Frequency spectrum. This aspect ensures that operationally relevant environments are available for testing and evaluation purposes.