Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division unveiled a High-Power Electromagnetic Environmental Effects Anechoic Chamber. (Janes/Michael Fabey)
The new and more powerful US Navy (USN) AN/SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense (AMDR) radar variants are creating a more complex electromagnetic environment (EME). Officials at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) say its newly unveiled High-Power Electromagnetic Environmental Effects Anechoic Chamber will help the USN determine safety and operational concerns within that environment.
“We can bring a system in here, and we can test it, focusing on the electromagnetic energy,” Aaron Miller, electromagnetic and sensor systems department head at NSWCDD, told Janes on 24 July at Dahlgren, Virginia, during an event to officially acknowledge the opening of the chamber.
“Will it survive?” Miller asked. “Will it operate in the environment? We can test that here.”
The chamber also helps determine the environment's impact on ordnance, people, and combustibles like fuel, he noted.
The 85×70×23 ft (26×21.2×7 m) chamber provides the ability to conduct indoor testing to new EMEs produced by emerging naval radio frequency (RF) systems. Reducing the outdoor RF footprint helps minimise the potential impacts to base operations, NSWCDD officials noted.
The chamber features include multiple access panels; increased power to support new-generation transmitters, a dedicated 110 ton (99.9 tonne) direct expansion-style heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system that supports daily operations; and a 20,000 ft 3 (566.3 m 3 )-per-minute capable forced-air high-power wall. Twelve 1,000 lb (453.6 kg) cylinders containing clean agent gas serve as the primary and secondary fire suppression system. An early smoke detection alarm is used for monitoring.
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