746th Test Squadron announces 'JAMFEST 2009'

  • Published
  • By Paul Benshoof
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The 746th Test Squadron will offer authorized GPS users another testing and training opportunity in its series of JAMFEST events Nov. 2 through Nov. 6 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
 
Introduced in May 2004, JAMFEST provides a realistic GPS jamming environment for testing GPS-based navigation systems. Since its inception, JAMFEST has hosted a diverse customer base, including multi-service Department of Defense groups, defense contractors and civil organizations with objectives ranging from training personnel in GPS-denied or degraded conditions to characterizing the performance of prototype advanced anti-jam technologies against operationally realistic threats. 

The 746th TS, also known as the Central Inertial and GPS Test Facility, is located on Holloman, adjacent to White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico, near Alamogordo. JAMFEST '09 will be conducted out of Stallion Air Field in northern WSMR, near Socorro. 

JAMFEST scenarios offer multiple-site configurations and "threat laydowns" that include transmissions of various forms of radio frequency noise, bi-phase shift keying and a mix of waveforms at low, medium, and high power levels on L1 and L2 frequencies. Event participants are invited to stand, walk, drive or fly through these environments to measure their effects on a variety of GPS applications. 

For organizations needing transportation for their equipment during tests, the squadron offers a Small Test Vehicle, a Large Test Vehicle and a variety of aircraft upon request. Although use of these testbeds is not included in JAMFEST's low cost, projected to be between $8,000 and $12,000, these unique assets offer interesting test advantages to those who might need them. 

The STV is a specialized testbed that can be modified for a broad range of antenna configurations - holding up to three controlled reception pattern antennas and fixed reception pattern antennas - and can supply electrical power to most test items. This vehicle can accommodate test aircraft racks and has the capability of carrying a configuration of three pallets and three operator seats. 

The LTV is a vehicle specifically equipped for land navigation testing and has a 20-KVA generator to supply the electrical power to the environmentally controlled cab and test items with a variety of power requirements. This vehicle provides ample space for the simultaneous testing of several test items and can accommodate up to six aircraft racks with operator seats. 

The 746th TS can also provide access to fully instrumented aircraft, which include the AT-38, C-12 and UH-1, useful for providing a range of dynamic operating environments for systems under test. Each platform is fully instrumented for data acquisition and capable of hosting virtually any combination of GPS, inertial navigation (INS), or integrated GPS/INS navigation and guidance systems. 

After the conclusion of JAMFEST, the 746th TS provides participants with a detailed data package that accurately describes the vulnerability scenarios used during the event, along with time space position information spectrum analyzer data collected while those scenarios were run. Participants use this information to help analyze the data amassed during JAMFEST in order to understand the capabilities and limitation of their equipment under evaluation. 

For more information on JAMFEST or 746th TS capabilities, contact the 746th TS at 866-256-7878 or 575-679-1769 or via e-mail at gpstest@holloman.af.mil.