BAE Systems (FTSE: BAE) has begun building work on a new test rig designed to reduce cost, risk and timescales on the UK Ministry of Defence’s two most important programs for the British Army.
The £4.5m Turret Test Rig (TTR) will mimic field testing of turrets for FRES Scout and Warrior upgrade by subjecting them to “shake, rattle and roll” tests under extremes of temperature. It will be able to take a turret through a 20-year life-span in 12-18 months.
The facility is closely modeled on BAE Systems’ Mission Equipment Vibration Table (MEVT) in Minneapolis, built for the US FCS program. Until now this was unique.
The vibration created by tracked vehicles makes attaining good reliability very challenging, particularly for electronic components. Testing in the field, while necessary, is time-consuming, expensive and inefficient.
