Development and qualification of sophisticated sensor and communications systems requires the ability to test them in the air.
Located at the Phoenix-Goodyear, Arizona airport, our Flight Operations site offers some of the best flying weather in the United States, with more than 350 days of visual flight rules (VFR) per year.
Our staff of full-time pilots and mechanics have decades of experience modifying aircraft and flying exacting profiles on and off military ranges. We also call on local engineering staff as necessary to meet program needs such as electrical, mechanical, radio frequency, avionics. We have tested a wide variety of intelligence sensors including EO, IR, radar, laser, munitions guidance packages, data communications links, voice communications systems, navigation systems, and missile airframes.
Services include:
- Program planning and execution
- Planning and execution of exacting flight profiles
- Multi-aircraft test coordination and formation flying
- Participation in major military demonstrations and experiments
- Classified facilities and flight operations
- Engineering design, fabrication, and safety of flight analysis of aircraft modifications and mounting fixtures
- Installation of mission equipment in centerline pods, wing mounts, and fuselage enclosures
- Power distribution design, fabrication, and integration
- Cabin configuration of mission equipment and operator consoles
- FAA coordination and certification
- Crew member training
- Test plan development and execution
- Payload instrumentation design, installation, and data analysis
- Ground site configuration and target choreography
Three aircraft are readily available for flight test duties; two Sabreliner 60 (T-39) jet aircraft, and a twin propeller Piper Navajo Chieftain, and additional aircraft such as Cessna 207, King Air 200, Lear 36 aircraft and Hawker 800XP aircraft have been leased to meet specific program requirements.
Engineering Flight Test is a highly specialized skill requiring an experienced team and specialized resources.
Additional Information
The World's Most Advanced Radar and Sensors Family.
Lockheed Martin’s radar and electro-optical/infrared sensor systems provide advanced precision targeting, navigation, threat detection and next generation intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. We’ve designed and delivered radars and sensors for every armed service and operational environment. Our space-based solutions collect and transmit imagery and sensor data that informs critical decisions made by national leaders, troops on the battlefield, intelligence agents and emergency responders, as well as the public and private sector.