The Aviation Test Directorate plans, conducts, and reports manned and unmanned aviation related operational tests and experiments in order to provide essential information for the decision-making process.  Provides well-being for our Soldiers and civilians.

Who We Are

Cargo/Lift Test Division - plans and conducts testing on cargo and utility helicopters, and fixed wing aircraft.

Attack/Recon Test Division - plans and conducts testing of reconnaissance and attack helicopters, tactical trainers, aviation countermeasure programs, and unmanned aerial systems.

 

What We Do

Test aviation doctrine, training, organization, and equipment systems to ensure they meet Soldiers' needs in an operational environment.

Conduct tests under the most realistic conditions possible to approximate the anticipated aviation environment.
Test new aviation concepts, materiel, and systems to consider their effects on the total force.
Test equipment in theater without negatively impacting tactical missions.
Balance support to the Warfighter with traditional acquisition efforts.

Major Programs

Apache Block III (AB3).
UH-60M Blackhawk Upgrade Helicopter (UH-60Mu).
Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA).
Unmanned Aircraft System Tactical (UAS-T).
Unmanned Aircraft System Tactical Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (UAS ER/MP).

 

History

Army Aviation operational testing can trace its history to the earliest days of the aeroplane when Lieutenant Benjamin E. Foulois was directed to test a Wright Brothers biplane in 1910.  Aviation testing evolved with the "Air Service" as it transitioned to the "Army Air Corps."  By the mid-1930s, operational tests were conducted on the "autogiro" and the helicopter in 1941.  Various tests were conducted through WWII and the post-war years on the concept of aviation assets organic to maneuver units.  The Air Support Service Test Section activated in 1945 evolved at several locations until settling at Camp Rucker, Alabama, in 1954.

The test section became Army Aviation Service Test Division of Board number 1 in 1955 and was later designated the Army Aviation Board the same year.  In 1962, the board became part of the Test and Evaluation Command, a major subordinate command of the Army Materiel Command.

During this period materiel acquisition was heavily weighted toward hardware development.  In July 1976, the office of the Secretary of Defense and the Department of the Army recognized a need for user representation during the acquisition cycle, and as a result, the United States Army Aviation Test Board was divided into two new test organizations:  the United States Army Aviation Development Test Activity and the United States Army Aviation Board -- the latter designed to meet operational testing needs.

Formally activated by the Training and Doctorate Command (TRADOC) on 1 July 1976, the Aviation Board was assigned to the United States Army Aviation Center, Fort Rucker, Alabama.  In the ensuing years, the Aviation Board family established itself as a valuable member of the testing community, continually meeting the challenges that face Army aviation and taking great pride in the professional execution of its mission.

On 2 October 1988, the establishment of TRADOC's newest major subordinate command, the Test and Experimentation Command (TEXCOM), drew together all of TRADOC's user test and experimentation activities.  The Aviation Board became part of this new organization and was subsequently re-designated the TEXCOM Aviation Board.

On 8 November 1990, the TEXCOM Aviation Board was re-designated the TEXCOM Aviation Test Directorate.  During the month of January 1991, the Aviation Test Directorate moved from Fort Rucker, Alabama, to Fort Hood, Texas.

On 1 October 1999, TEXCOM officially became the Operational Test Command (OTC) under the newly designated Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC).  The OTC family consists of geographically dispersed testing entities.  Facilities not only provide crucial support to TRADOC schools, but also provide a broad-based quick reaction capability ready to meet both programmed and unprogrammed time sensitive tests and field experiments.