EPG Facilities
EPG is the Army’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) Developmental Tester headquartered at Fort (FT) Huachuca, Arizona. EPG conducts bench tests, lab tests, field tests, and large-scale, geographically distributed systems of systems tests. EPG employs a mix of live and simulated instrumentation and assets.
The Antenna Test Facility (ATF) measures the electrical performance of antennas either as a “stand alone” configuration or when mounted on ground or air vehicles. Sprawling over approximately 300 acres, the ATF is composed of five main components:
- Arc Range
- Low Observable Tower
- Two (2) Turntables
- Compact Range
These assets provide Radio Frequency (RF) testing capabilities for conducting specialized test of direction finding, emitter dentification, other RF signal processing systems, and Far-Field antenna testing.
The Blacktail Canyon Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) Team applies over sixty years of combined E3 experience to testing equipment in early research and development through deployment and system modification stages. Our personnel are certified TEMPEST Professional Level II and the National Association of Radio and Telecommunication Engineers (NARTE) – Electromagnetic Capability (EMC). They conduct and evaluate Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), Electromagnetic Capability (EMC), and TEMPEST tests on sophisticated electronic equipment and systems.
The CS&N (Communication Systems and Networks) provides a relevant environment to assess legacy, current force and future technologies. The CS&N plans, conducts, analyzes and provides a venue for technical tests of systems. This includes C4I systems and SoS. The CS&N has expertise in testing a wide variety of radios and networks for many military program managers (PM) such as WIN-T, GMR, HMS, SINCGARS, and JCR/FBCB2.
COSPAS-SARSAT is an international, humanitarian satellite-based search and rescue system. The United States, Canada, France and Russia developed the system in 1979; it became fully operational in 1984.
EPG is the sole emergency beacon certification facility in the U.S.; it is the only certification facility in the Western Hemisphere. COSPAS-SARSAT provides global air, sea, and land search and rescue coverage using two satellite systems: Low Earth Orbit System for Search and Rescue (LEOSAR), Medium-altitude Earth Orbit Search and Rescue (MEOSAR), and Geostationary Search and Rescue (GEOSAR).
The Environmental Test Facility (ETF) conducts tests in simulated environments to analyze the impact on equipment throughout an emulated life cycle. Complete climatic and dynamic testing capabilities adhering to military and other environmental standards are available. The ETF is well equipped with assets to monitor a variety of test variables and provide real-time or post-test analysis utilizing Instrumentation and climatic chambers with capacities from 2 to 5,830 cubic feet (ft³).
The ETF meets most requirements referenced in MILSTD- 810 and DO-160, providing environmental conditions that are precisely controlled and 100% repeatable. Environmental subject matter technical experts are available to assess the performance capability/suitability of commercial contractor facilities and test chambers for required first article acceptance tests.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) Test Facility performs a variety of testing using the GPS Instrumentation Suite (GPSIS) and specialized data collection, reduction and analysis tools. Fort Huachuca’s 80,000 acres of test range allows personnel to conduct testing in a variety of real-world environments to include desert, canyon, and mountainous terrain.
We also support differentially corrected GPS data providing sub-meter range position accuracies and can produce truth data during tests. EPG is well known and respected in the GPS Test community with over 20 years of GPS test experience. We are members of the GPS Wing’s GPS Test Center of Excellence, Satellite Simulator Control Working, Joint Test Agency Working Group and Army Integrated Product Team. GPSIS provides test receiver flexibility by allowing operational control of dynamic and repeatable scenarios in a low-cost laboratory environment.
The mission of the EPG Meteorological (MET) team is to collect, archive, and analyze weather information to support military and civilian test operations. The team provides climatology, daily forecasts, radar weather, watch/advisory/warning notifications, and upper air data for EPG planners, testers, and post operations. Services consist of test planning, test support (forecasting, meteorological measurements, and atmospheric characterization), test analysis, and test data reports.
T2D2 provides advanced technology development capabilities that significantly enhance the effectiveness of EPG’s testing operations. The lab supports Test Officers by integrating and synthesizing unique innovative technologies, providing solutions to meet the complex demands generated by innovative C5I, Electronic Warfare and APNT systems testing. These systems are often geographically dispersed and must operate reliably under extreme environmental conditions.