The US Air Force’s newest combat rescue helicopter, the HH-60W, spent some seven weeks suspended in a soundproof chamber at Eglin Air Force Base for defense system testing.
The 413th Flight Test Squadron’s HH-60W went into the Joint Preflight Integration of Munitions and Electronic Systems facility as it prepares for flight tests.
Testing the HH-60W in J-PRIMES will characterize the performance of the helicopter’s systems prior to electronic warfare flight-testing. The tests ensure it is capable of defeating hostile threats while performing its designated combat search and rescue mission.
The JPRIMES facility has the unique capability to capture high quality data on those defensive systems by isolating the electromagnetic radiation inside the facility’s anechoic chamber. The chamber is a room designed to stop reflections of either sound or electromagnetic waves and insulated from exterior sources of noise.
The new aircraft arrived to the 96th Test Wing in early November. The Air Force is contracted to purchase 113 HH-60W aircraft to replace its aging fleet of HH-60G helicopters.
The JPRIMES facility hosts similar test missions like this throughout the year. The facility provides an environment to facilitate testing air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions and electronics systems on full-scale aircraft and land vehicles prior to open air testing.
The JPRIMES test data will be used to support specification compliance and check for defensive system discrepancies or concerns.
