The U.S. Air Force Test Center (AFTC) at Edwards AFB, Calif., plans to purchase telemetry transmitters for Edwards’ RB-1B Data Lab prematurely of hypersonic weapon testing. The info lab is a retired B-1B bomber for Air Force system integration tests.
Ohio-based Quasonix supplies “telemetry transmitters, analyzers, receivers, and accessories”–“highly specialized components required to support the High-Speed Systems Test (HSST) program via the Universal Beamforming Telemetry (UBT) project,” based on an Aug. 23 business notice.
California-based Creative Digital Systems Integration, Inc. (CDSI, Inc.) designed UBT, which is to show “enhanced range capabilities using NASA’s Global Hawk USA to trace and re-radiate telemetry transmissions from hypersonic vehicles,” the notice said. “It will eliminate the necessity for expensive sea-based (i.e., ships) tracking systems throughout the South Pacific. It’s paramount that these units be inter-operable with existing Global Hawk system components. As well as, these units should be compatible with units already on-hand and currently utilized by the system developer (CDSI Inc.).”
Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense panel, has desired to base the SkyRange hypersonic tracking effort, using retired Air Force MQ-9s and Block 20 and Block 30 RQ-4 Global Hawks, at Grand Sky N.D. (, Oct. 20, 2021). DoD’s Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) and Huntsville, Ala.’s Integration Innovation Inc.‘s (i3) are teamed on SkyRange.
“Currently, DoD uses an aging fleet of ships deployed across a Pacific Ocean corridor to check hypersonic missiles,” Hoeven’s office has said “DoD is just in a position to conduct 4 to 6 tests per 12 months, because it takes several weeks to deploy and position the ships for every test. Moreover, this process signals the testing schedule to our adversaries. SkyRange would replace the ships, that are expensive to operate, with modified Global Hawks that would deploy quickly and increase testing capability through the creation of additional testing corridors within the Pacific and elsewhere.”
On Aug. 30, TRMC is to carry an event on the Grand Sky Business and Aviation Park. “Because the SkyRange hypersonic missile testing program comes closer to reality, we would like to maintain you up thus far on the large opportunity this represents for the region,” the TRMC invitation says.
Northrop Grumman [NOC] builds the RQ-4 Global Hawk and General Atomics the MQ-9.