Page 8 - Aerotech News and Review 3-18-16

Solar energy project completed at Plant 42

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center ship to 30 years. NRG Communications photograph
at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, has “The Air Force is pursuing innovative solu-
spearheaded an effort to generate alternative 2I¿FLDOVIURPWKH$LU)RUFH/LIH&\FOH0DQDJHPHQW&HQWHU¶V$FTXLVLWLRQ(QYLURQPHQWDODQG,QGXVWULDO
energy for the Southern California market and tions by partnering with industry to develop re- Facilities Division at Wright-Patterson AFB, along with NRG Solar Oasis LLC representatives signed
generate revenue for Air Force Plant 42 in Palm- newable energy sources on underutilized land,” an Enhanced Use Lease agreement in February 2015 allowing NRG to complete installation of
dale, Calif., through a unique Enhanced Use said Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of approximately 98,000 photovoltaic solar panels such as these on 180 acres adjoining Air Force
Lease agreement with NRG Solar Oasis LLC. the Air Force Life Cycle Management Cen- Plant 42. One hundred sixty acres of the project site are on Air Force owned property.
ter. “Budgetary constraints are motivating Air
The project was jointly funded by both NRG Force installation and community partners to agencies and Native American tribes and it was gy — helping the Air Force save money while
Energy, Inc. and its subsidiary NRG Yield, Inc., re-evaluate the way we do business and seek subject to a citizen public review process,” To- meeting congressionally established Air Force
through a previously announced partnership be- alternatives. When leveraging installation and karsky said. “Together we concluded that there renewable energy goals.
tween both companies. community resources, savings and economies ZRXOGEHQRVLJQL¿FDQWHQYLURQPHQWDOLPSDFW´
of scale can be achieved,” he said. The project is located north of Columbia Way
2I¿FLDOVIURPWKH$FTXLVLWLRQ(QYLURQPHQWDO An Enhanced Use Lease is a lease, or out- (Avenue M) and west of 30th Street East. AFL-
and Industrial Facilities Division at Wright-Pat- Plant 42 is a U.S. government aircraft manu- grant, between the Air Force and a public or CMC will oversee the EUL. Lease revenues will
terson AFB along with NRG Solar Oasis LLC facturing plant. It supports NASA operations private interest willing to pay rental value or help maintain the Air Force’s industrial plant
representatives signed the lease in February and is home to several large contractors includ- in-kind consideration for the use of the Air properties. The 412th TW will continue to pro-
2015 at no cost to the Air Force. NRG has since ing Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Force’s non-excess real property. Energy EULs YLGHEDVHRSHUDWLQJVXSSRUWDQGDLU¿HOGPDQDJH-
completed installation of approximately 98,000 Boeing. The Air Force property used for the encourage the development of renewable ener- ment functions to Plant 42.
photovoltaic solar panels on 180 acres adjoining solar project previously contained an Air Force
Air Force Plant 42. One hundred sixty acres of ¿ULQJUDQJHDQGDVHZDJHWUHDWPHQWSODQW7KH
the project site are on Air Force owned property. property was environmentally remediated by
the Air Force before development of the solar
A photovoltaic system is a method of convert- project.
ing solar energy into electricity using semicon-
ducting materials. The solar plant will provide According to Jared Scott, Industrial Facilities
20 Megawatts of electricity, making it among branch chief, the lease is the culmination of a
the largest single solar projects undertaken on herculean effort among multiple agencies to de-
Air Force property. Twenty Megawatts is the YHORSHI¿FLHQWHIIHFWLYHVROXWLRQVIRUUHQHZDEOH
amount of electricity required to power approx- energy while maximizing the utilization of Air
imately 3,280 homes. The project will avoid Force owned real property.
41,000 tons of carbon emissions, equivalent to
taking 8,600 cars off the road. ³15*¿UVWDSSURDFKHGWKH$LU)RUFHDERXW
the possibility in November 2013,” Scott said.
The Acquisition Environmental and Industrial “At that point organizations ranging from the
Facilities Division is part of AFLCMC’s Agile 2I¿FHRIWKH$VVLVWDQW6HFUHWDU\RIWKH$LU)RUFH
Combat Support Directorate, while the company for Acquisition, the 412th Test Wing at Edwards
is a subsidiary of NRG Energy, a New Jersey- Air Force Base, Sandia National Laboratories,
and Texas-based Fortune 500 power generating the Air Force Encroachment Management Work-
¿UP ing Group, to the City of Palmdale worked to-
gether to move this initiative forward.”
The agreement provides AFLCMC lease rev-
enues over the next 20 years in exchange for Frank Tokarsky, community planner for Air
NRG’s rights to install solar panels on Plant Force Industrial Facilities, explained that the
42 land and sell the generated electrical energy Air Force and NRG evaluated and assessed the
to public utilities in Southern California. The potential environmental impacts associated with
DJUHHPHQWKDVWZRDGGLWLRQDO¿YH\HDURSWLRQV the proposed solar development.
which, if exercised, would extend the partner-
“The assessment was coordinated with local

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UHDGLHV)IRU¿UVW6LGHZLQGHUODXQFK

Over the years, store separation testing using the Air Intercept Missile- Lockheed Martin photograph by Chad Bellay
9X (AIM-9X) Sidewinder has been conducted in the 4-foot transonic
wind tunnel at Arnold Engineering Development Complex, Arnold Air $)RIWKHVW)OLJKW7HVW6TXDGURQDW(GZDUGV$LU)RUFH%DVH&DOLIEHFDPHWKH¿UVW)WR¿UHWKH$LU,QWHUFHSW0LVVLOH
Force Base, Tenn. ;PLVVLOH-DQ6WRUHVHSDUDWLRQWHVWLQJXVLQJ$,0;6LGHZLQGHUKDVEHHQFRQGXFWHGLQWKHIRRWWUDQVRQLFZLQG
tunnel at AEDC, with one the most recent tests being in 2012. Data from these tests helped prepare the F-35 for its recent
'DWDIURPWKHVHWHVWVKHOSHGSUHSDUHWKH)/LJKWQLQJIRULWV¿UVW launch of the AIM-9X.
successful launch of the AIM-9X.

On Jan. 12, an F-35 from the 461st Flight Test Squadron released an
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The AIM-9X is an advanced infrared missile and the newest of the Side-
winder family of short-range air-to-air missiles carried on a wide range
RI¿JKWHUMHWV

During testing in Tunnel 4T at AEDC in 2008, the AIM-9X was one of
several stores released from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft Short
Takeoff and Vertical Landing and Carrier variants. Testing observed sepa-
ration characteristics of these stores from the weapons bay and weapons
pylons of the aircraft model. Separation data were acquired for numerous
DLUFUDIWFRQ¿JXUDWLRQVDQGPRGHODQJOHVRIDWWDFNDWÀLJKWVSHHGVXSWR
Mach number 1.6.

In 2012, additional tests investigating separation characteristics of the
Conventional Takeoff and Landing and Carrier variants of the F-35 were
completed in Tunnel 4T. Captive loads data were acquired for the AIM-
9X at several down-rail positions from aircraft wing stations.

,QDGGLWLRQWRWKH/LJKWQLQJRWKHU¿JKWHUDLUFUDIWKDYHXQGHUJRQH
store separation testing at AEDC using the AIM-9X. In the early 2000s,
a 1/15-scale model of the F-16 and the AIM-9X was tested. AEDC per-
sonnel have also accomplished AIM-9X separation testing from the F-
15C/D/E, F/A-18E/F, and the F-22 aircraft in Tunnels 4T and 16T.

According to an Air Force press release, the inaugural shot of the
AIM-9X Jan. 12 paves the way for the F-35 to utilize the weapon’s
high off-boresight and targeting capabilities, increasing lethality in the
visual arena.

8 Aerotech News and Review March 18, 2016

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