Chief of YPG cold weather test center visits Yuma

A lot of the same weapons systems that are tested in hot weather at Yuma Proving Ground are also tested at the installation's Cold Weather Test Center, said the center's commander, who was concluding a three-day trip to Yuma on Thursday.

"We see a lot of the same systems because the testing we do is part of the natural environment testing where the systems are required to operate in all the environments the military would find itself operating in," said Lt. Col. Vince Malone. "So we like to get down here every quarter to check in with the staff and have face-to-face meetings."

The Cold Weather Test Center, located at Fort Greely, Alaska, is a subordinate command of YPG, just as is the Tropic Regions Test Center, which does testing in Hawaii and Panama and other tropic areas.

In addition to also being the winter test element of the Army Test and Evaluation Command, Fort Greeley is the premier cold-weather test facility within the Department of Defense.

Given the country is fighting a war on terrorism in a desert environment, Malone said a lot of the equipment tested at YPG's hot weather facility is sent directly into the theater due to combat necessity.

He added, however, that at some point it will eventually be sent up at the Cold Weather Test Center for testing in extreme cold weather.

"You've got to keep in mind that our goal is to get the equipment into the hands of the soldier as soon as possible," Malone said.

YPG spokesman Chuck Wullenjohn added that a part of the testing conducted at the hot weather facility is what is called rapid reaction testing. Since the weapon system is currently being used in a desert environment, it often only initially goes through the extreme hot weather testing.

"You don't want to issue equipment to soldiers that doesn't work," Wullenjohn said. "It has happened before."

But weapons systems aren't the only thing the Cold Region Test Center tests. Wullenjohn said a lot of automotive testing is conducted at the installations.

Wullenjohn said the hot weather test center is currently conducting tests on a hybrid Humvee that is scheduled to be tested at the Cold Region Test Center later this fall.

"All kinds of things can go wrong with a vehicle in extreme cold weather, from freezing lubricants and coolants to hoses and belts breaking," Wullenjohn said.

Other tests conducted at both test centers include the Excalibur shell, which uses is designed to be shot from a 155 mm howitzer gun and use Global Positioning System technology to lock on to targets once it reaches a specific altitude.

Both test centers also tested the Stryker Armored Vehicle, which is currently undergoing testing at the Tropic Region Test Center.

Located in the heart of Alaska, the testing cycle at the Cold Region Test Center runs from October through April, when the temperatures range from -5 degrees to -50 degrees, Malone said.

"A requirement for some of the testing we do is to be conducted within that temperature range. That is the time of year when we start getting those conditions."

The periods of below-zero temperatures can last from several days to several weeks, Malone added.

The testing conducted at the Cold Region Test Center accommodates a full range of cold weather or temperate climate tests, depending on the season, Malone said.

In addition to an extensive array of test facilities, the Cold Region Test Center has a mobility test track complex and 670,000 acres of ranges.

The facility also researches home energy efficiency.

Since the Cold Region Test Center doesn't have the available work force that the hot weather test center in Yuma has, Malone said the test centers also share employees.

"What we can provide is cold weather expertise, but our work force here is not nearly as robust or broad as the work force that is available in Yuma," Malone said.

With a Stryker brigade and an airborne brigade also stationed at Fort Greely, Malone said the Cold Region Test Center's biggest challenge, due to the Army's operational activity, is keeping a balance between testing and supporting units that train at the facility.


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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.