McKinley Climatic Laboratory

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The C-5M Super Galaxy undergoes extreme heat and ultraviolet exposure during the Re-engining and Reliability Program at the McKinley Climactic Laboratory Oct. 21 through Nov. 17. Some of the unique challenges the laboratory crew faced was getting the C-5M inside the hangar. Some of the hangar piping hung lower than the C-5 tail creating an obstacle for the crew moving it inside the hangar. They needed to lower the tail-end of the airplane within inches of touching the ground and jacked up the front-end in order to get the right leverage. Because the airplane's size, the solar panels had to be constructed after the C-5 was loaded rather than have everything pre-constructed. (Photo by Greg Murry)

Chilled Lightning

An F-35 endures freezing temperatures in the 96th Test Wing's McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Jan. 27. The joint strike fighter has undergone four months of climate testing in the lab to certify the fleet to deploy to any corner of the world. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

McKinley Climatic Laboratory

Published Jan. 24, 2017
By Raquel March
AEDC/PA

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --

The McKinley Climatic Laboratory, an AEDC facility located here, has chambers where any climatic environment in the world can be simulated.

The capabilities available at the Climatic Laboratory help engineers ensure maximum reliability and operational capability of complex systems as global operational theaters continue to impose harsh environments.

Tests at the facility for the Department of Defense, other government agencies and private industry have included items such as large aircraft, tanks, missile launchers, shelters, engines, automobiles and tire manufacturers.The Climatic Laboratory has five testing chambers which include the Main Chamber; the Equipment Test Chamber; the Sun, Wind, Rain and Dust Chamber; the Salt Fog Chamber; and the Altitude Chamber.

The Main Chamber is the largest environmental chamber in the world. At approximately 252 feet wide, 260 feet deep and 70 feet high, tests have consisted of large items and systems for aircraft such as the B-2 Bomber and the C-5 Galaxy. The temperatures achieved in the chamber range between -65 degrees Fahrenheit to 165 degrees Fahrenheit with a simulation of all climatic conditions including heat, snow, rain, wind, sand and dust.

The Equipment Test Chamber is 130 feet long, 30 feet wide and 25 feet high. Although it is smaller, it has the same capabilities of the MC. Tests usually consist of jet engines, small vehicles and turbine-driven ground power units.

The Sun, Wind, Rain and Dust Chamber produces ambient or hot test conditions. Wind-blown rain at rates up to 25 inches per hour and heavy sand and dust storms can also be created in this chamber.

Because of the corrosive properties of salt fog test conditions, the Salt Fog Chamber was designed to provide an ambient test chamber that is away from other test chambers. The chamber has two steam-fed heat exchangers that create the temperature to perform the salt fog test.

The chamber is approximately 55 feet long, 16 feet wide and 16 feet high. The chamber doesn’t have refrigeration capability.

The Altitude Chamber can create pressure altitudes as high as 80,000 feet with a temperature capability of -80 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The chamber measures 13 by 9 feet and 6 feet high.