Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab
U.S. Air Force battlelab dedicated to UAV development and problem-solving.
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The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab is a U.S. Air Force flight test and development facility dedicated to unmanned aerial vehicles. It is one of six original Air Force battlelabs established in 1997 and falls directly under the Air Warfare Center.
Quick Facts
- Established
- 1997
- Parent organization
- Air Warfare Center
- Location
- Creech Air Force Base, near Indian Springs, Nevada (recently moved from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida)
- Commanding officer
- Col. Larry Felder
- Number of liaisons
- 6
- Liaison organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory
- Electronic Systems Center
- reserve components
Facts from the source article.
Background
The battlelab's mission is to work UAV problems and then seek solutions from industry, academia, and service and national labs. According to Col. Larry Felder, who commands the unit and helped develop the original battlelab concept, the lab finds problems, identifies solutions, and transitions them to the warfighter through objective demonstrations. Although the core is on the West Coast, small UAV activities remain at Eglin Air Force Base, which serves as a seed corn of knowledge for training new personnel.
Initially aligned under the Air Warfare Center's 53rd Wing, control of the battlelab transferred to the Aerospace Command and Control and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, on 1 March 1999. Control returned to the Air Warfare Center in April 2002 as the UAV mission evolved to include weapons delivery, forward-air control, and surface attack. The battlelab relies on six liaisons from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Electronic Systems Center, and reserve components to reach back into the lab system and forward into the acquisition system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the UAV Battlelab based?
The facility currently operates out of Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada. It previously ran out of Eglin Air Force Base in Florida before relocating to its present site.
What does the UAV Battlelab actually do day to day?
It acts as the Air Force's dedicated hub for UAV development and solving technical problems in the unmanned domain. The lab maintains six liaison ties to partner organizations, including the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Electronic Systems Center, and reserve components.
Who commands the UAV Battlelab?
Colonel Larry Felder serves as the commanding officer of the facility. The unit sits under the Air Warfare Center, which is its parent organization within the Air Force structure.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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