Series looks at Eglin's cradle-to-grave armament process

  • Published
  • By Noel Getlin
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  This is part of a series exploring the cradle-to-grave process of air armament. These stories will focus on just some of the units involved in the acquisition, development and testing of weapons systems at Eglin Air Force Base. 

If there's one thing people should know about Eglin, it's that we develop and test bombs. Once a need for a weapons capability is established, there is a process of acquisitions, development and testing. 

The Air Armament Center is comprised of three functional areas: acquisition, test, and support - which are handled by the 308th Armament Systems Wing, the 46th Test Wing and the 96th Air Base Wing for support. The center integrates technology transfer, weapons development, test and sustainment processes, and expeditionary combat support to our warfighters. 

Then the weapons program goes to the 308th ARSW, which acquires all air-to-air and air-to-ground delivered weapons for the Air Force and the Navy. The wing works out the logistics to provide new technology, maintain and sustain our employed weapons. They work with developers to acquire and develop the armament, and then send it through several agencies of the 46th TW for testing. Once the program has passed the developmental stage, the 53rd Wing's 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron provides operational testing in a realistic environment. All this is done before any capability is fielded to the warfighter. 

Here at Eglin, developers work with testers and operators to deliver joint warfighting capabilities, whether it is air-to-ground or air-to-air munitions, data links, technology integration or command and control technology. It's the only base with a product center, test wing and research laboratory. 

According to an AAC briefing, "Eglin AFB is the only place where innovators, in concert with testers and operators, deliver joint warfighting capabilities proven by trial in support of joint test and training of integrated air, ground and sea forces." 

In conjunction with the Team Eglin associate units, Eglin is able to support the warfighter from concept to employment of leading edge munitions.