Armor test team provides vital warfighter testing year-round

The immense size of Yuma Proving Ground makes it ideal for testing long-range artillery shells.
 
But the test range also has had a long and active automotive testing program that puts Abrams tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles and other vehicles through their paces.
 
That program depends on the efforts of the Armor Systems Test Team (ASTT). Since its founding in the late 1980s, the branch has more than doubled in size, handling both production acceptance and developmental testing.
 
“We cover more ground than people know,” said Kevin Selitto, the supervisor of a large, fast-paced shop that is the home base of dozens of turret operators, mechanics and combat vehicle drivers.
 
The ASTT is responsible for the firing, maintenance and repair of everything from 9 mm small arms to 120 mm cannons, rocket-propelled grenades to Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
 
They conduct direct fire tests at a variety of range locations and have supported numerous direct fire tests conducted by YPG's National Counterterrorism/Counterinsurgency Integrated Test and Evaluation Center (NACCITEC).
 
ASTT is responsible for more than guns alone - it tests and maintains everything from sophisticated software, electronics, communications, and targeting equipment to the smallest bolt and rivet.
 
“We're responsible for everything from the turret up,” explained Tom Counts, a leader for ASTT.
  
“We're different from any other section in that we have to know everything about the turret of these vehicles. We really don't call outside people in to help us.”
 
Counts gives credit to the mechanics responsible for maintenance and repair of the hull and drivetrains of vehicles.
 
“Without the hull, the turret can't move,” he said. “Our lives depend on the work they do. I have 100 percent confidence in them.”
 
“This division has even rebuilt unserviceable M1 tanks to field-ready condition,” added Graham Stullenbarger, division co-founder who now heads the environmental test division. “Tasks like that are usually performed only by the manufacturer or one of the Army's two rebuild depots.”
 
All tests are meant to simulate a typical mission likely to be experienced in combat. A tested vehicle is often driven 50 miles or more per day, usually over punishing terrain. The work can be grueling in the summer, when temperatures inside an un-air-conditioned Bradley Fighting Vehicle can exceed 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
Despite the discomfort, testers must meticulously gather data on the performance, durability and capabilities of numerous tiny but key components of these vehicles.