U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) is at the forefront of Army transformation efforts.
Conducting developmental testing of the Army’s most cutting-edge systems requires a staggering array of high tech equipment to record, quantify, and verify performance.
From radars and acoustic scoring systems to high-speed cameras and specialized weather-measuring equipment, members of the YPG workforce had the opportunity to see the apparatus that the YPG Instrumentation Division offers in a special ‘showcase’ on January 22.
“There are new test officers who aren’t familiar with all we can do or are familiar with some areas but not all of them: this helps them understand some of our capabilities,” explained Jason Swain, Instrumentation Division Chief. “It’s also good for personnel from offices like resource management and contracting that we work with to procure and maintain this instrumentation. It helps them better understand what it is when we discuss it: otherwise, it is just a piece of paper to them.”
Attendees could control optical tracking mounts used to follow artillery and parachutes in flight, use a surveying instrument to try to find a metal washer on the ground, and measure the velocity of a golf swing. They also got a look at new video editing equipment, telemetry antennas, and ballistic instrumentation.
Even long-time YPG test personnel found the opportunity to get up close and personal with the division’s equipment valuable.
“There’s always new stuff that I don’t know about, so I like to get out here and see what they have,” said Michael Diehl, Air Combat Systems Directorate Technology and Safety Advisor. “It also gives me a chance to talk to people I don’t see all the time. It’s all about relationships and how to make it work.”