Anna Forrester
Orbital ATK has opened its new Ramjet Test Facility at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in West Virginia to provide a clear-air testing environment that simulates supersonic flight conditions.
The company said Monday it has also completed the final validation and tests for the facility, which replicates up to Mach 4.5 in air mass flow and up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature.
Pat Nolan, vice president and general manager of the missile products division in Orbital ATK’s defense systems group, noted that the Ramjet Test Facility also works to test new missile propulsion components.
Orbital ATK’s new facility has also received a funding commitment from Naval Sea Systems Command.
The Ramjet Test Facility adds to the company’s scramjet test and aerothermal research facility in New York.
