{"id":2184,"date":"2020-07-14T19:10:56","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T16:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/?p=2184"},"modified":"2020-12-04T19:13:43","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T16:13:43","slug":"usaf-416th-flts-afrl-tests-gray-wolf-prototype-cruise-missile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/?p=2184","title":{"rendered":"USAF 416th FLTS, AFRL Tests \u201cGray Wolf\u201d Prototype Cruise Missile"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The USAF 416th Flight Test Squadron recently completed a round of tests of the Air Force Research Laboratory\u2019s \u201cGray Wolf\u201d prototype cruise missile at Edwards Air Force Base, California.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"USAF<\/a>
USAF Members from the Gray Wolf test team and 416th Flight Test Squadron, pose for a photo following a captive-carry flight test of the Gray Wolf cruise missile prototype at Edwards Air Force Base, California, June 9. (US Air Force photo by Kyle Brazier)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gray Wolf is a DoD-directed prototype production and demonstration of low-cost, subsonic and networked collaborative cruise missiles. The missiles are designed to launch in a swarm to target enemy integrated air defense threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGray Wolf is a science & technology demonstration effort, intended as a proof of concept program,\u201d said Conor Most, 416th FLTS Flight Test Engineer. \u201cAFRL serves as the system program office (SPO) for the weapon and developed the original request for proposal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"USAF<\/a>
USAF F-16C Fighting Falcon (87-352) crew chief, Airman 1st Class Wyatt Hegner, prepares Maj. Jacob Schonig, 416th Flight Test Squadron, for a captive-carry flight test of the Gray Wolf cruise missile prototype at Edwards Air Force Base, California, June 9. (US Air Force photo by Kyle Brazier)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The missiles offer a stand-off solution for the warfighter through its variable payload capability. Earlier this year, the Gray Wolf\u2019s TDI-J85 engine completed a successful flight test campaign culminating in multiple inflight windmill starts and operation at high altitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program has already reached certain test milestones: Electromagnetic Interference & Compatibility (EMIC) and a \u201ccaptive carry\u201d flight. A live release test at the Naval Air Station Point Mugu Sea Test Range is scheduled later this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"USAF<\/a>
USAF F-16C Fighting Falcon (87-352) flown by Maj. Jacob Schonig from the 416th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, California, conducts a mid-air refueling operation with a KC-135 Stratotanker during a captive-carry flight test of a Gray Wolf cruise missile prototype, June 9. (US Air Force photo by Ethan Wagner)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe EMIC check is ground check to confirm the missile is okay to fly on our specific test aircraft,\u201d Most explained. \u201cA captive-carry flight is the first flight with the weapon; the goal is to rehearse the weapon flight profile and gather critical state\/environmental data about the weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most added that the importance of successfully conducting physical tests, as opposed to laboratory-simulated, provides the Gray Wolf team with invaluable critical data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGetting the weapon airborne and gathering data is crucial to the development for a new weapon system like this,\u201d Most said. \u201cWith just one captive carry flight, the team learned more than in weeks or months of laboratory testing. Modeling and simulation go a long way to helping you predict how a new weapon will behave, but they will never replace actually putting the weapon on an aircraft and observing how it actually behaves in a real-world environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conducting physical flight tests is critical to mission success, and the Gray Wolf test team faced challenges amidst COVID-19 restrictions as different portions of the test team were located throughout the country. Besides the test team at Edwards, the Gray Wolf tests included personnel from AFRL, Point Mugu, and others throughout the Air Force Test Center enterprise, namely at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"USAF<\/a>
USAF F-16C Fighting Falcon (87-352) Fighting Falcon flown by Maj. Jacob Schonig from the 416th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, California, conducts a captive-carry flight test with a Gray Wolf cruise missile prototype over the Pacific Ocean, June 9. ( US Air Force photo by Ethan Wagner)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKey support from AFRL and AFTC leadership enabled the missions to take place,\u201d said Capt. Adam Corley, AFRL Gray Wolf Program Manager. \u201cThese tests overcame, and were accomplished, during the COVID-19 posture. Collaboration between Eglin, Edwards, and the Point Mugu Sea Range made these flight tests possible. Through close partnership, we were able to fly on the sea range and stream live feeds to Edwards and Eglin control rooms overcoming the travel ban issue and allowing key personnel to participate in the flight tests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, California – By Giancarlo Casem, USAF 412th Test Wing Public Affairs<\/a> – 14 July, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adams Barret<\/strong><\/a> (USA XairForces <\/strong><\/a>Editor)
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The USAF 416th Flight Test Squadron recently completed a round of tests of the Air Force Research Laboratory\u2019s \u201cGray Wolf\u201d prototype cruise missile at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Gray Wolf is a DoD-directed...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,1675,1670,36,19,20,1725,1,7,31,28,177,26,30,18,16],"tags":[2871,2878,2876,2877,2641,1481,2868,2873,2870,2875,2874,2872,412,97,2869],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2184"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2184"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2190,"href":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2184\/revisions\/2190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xairforces.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}