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114-686: In late 1971, the Army Air Mobility Research and Development Laboratory, which later became a part of the Army Research Laboratory , awarded Sikorsky a contract for the development of the first prototype. The S-69 was the demonstrator for the Advancing Blade Concept (ABC). The first S-69 built (73-21941) first flew on July 26, 1973. However, it was badly damaged in a low-speed crash on August 24, 1973 due to unexpected rotor forces and insufficient control systems. The airframe

228-439: A diode detector system that activated when the amplitude of the reflected radio waves exceeded a predetermined value. In April and May 1941, Diamond’s group tested a series of crude box models based on this principle in successful bomb drops against water targets. While only a third of the models functioned properly during the tests, the experiment demonstrated that Diamond and Hinman’s idea had potential. Diamond and his team spent

342-581: A competency-based organizational structure that realigned the laboratory's intramural and extramural research efforts to underscore the Army's targeted priorities in science and technology. In 2023, DEVCOM ARL established its fifth regional site, ARL Mid-Atlantic, in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland . As of 2024, DEVCOM ARL consists of three directorates: the Army Research Directorate (ARD),

456-660: A federated laboratory that delegated research and development in digital technologies to newly established research centers in the private sector. Known as the Federated Laboratory, or FedLab, the approach entailed a closer working partnership between ARL and the private sector that couldn't be achieved through standard contractual processes. To overcome this issue, the U.S. Army granted ARL the authority to enter into research cooperative agreements in July 1994. ARL funded as many as 10 new research centers as part of FedLab and incorporated

570-551: A little less than a year, Vitali implemented foundational changes in ARL's management that would later shape the core operations of the laboratory. Inspired by a successful precedent in LABCOM, he established an advisory body of senior scientists and engineers known as the ARL Fellows to provide guidance to the director on various matters related to their field of expertise. Vitali also facilitated

684-489: A major Army center for research and development in technologies related to weapon phenomena, armor, accelerator physics, and high-speed computing. The laboratory is perhaps best known for commissioning the creation of the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), the first electronic general-purpose digital computer. The Electronics Technology and Devices Laboratory was a research facility under

798-593: A major subordinate command under AMC on March 1, 2004. Positioned at the center of Army technology development, RDECOM was given authority over ARL, the RDECs, the Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity, and a portion of the Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Command. As a result, ARL, which had previously reported directly to AMC headquarters, henceforth reported to RDECOM instead. Throughout

912-536: A plan to fully implement the recommendations made by the Packard Commission , a committee that had previously reported on the state of defense procurement in the government. As a result of this directive, the U.S. Army chartered a high-level Army study known as the LAB-21 Study to evaluate the future of Army in-house research, development, and engineering activities. Conducted from November 1989 to February 1990,

1026-414: A plan to reduce and reshape the federal government. Taking advantage of this initiative to “reinvent the government,” Lyons saw an opportunity to address what he viewed as serious difficulties in the directorates’ operating environments that hindered their performance. His reform program for ARL included the consolidation of funding authority, the creation of an industrial fund and discretionary accounts, and

1140-683: A project that enhanced the battlefield forecasting capabilities of existing information systems, and the development of the Battlefield Combat Identification System . On September 14, 1993, John W. Lyons, a former director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), was installed as the first director of ARL. Following the end of the Cold War, the administration helmed by President William J. Clinton pushed for further cutbacks in defense spending as part of

1254-466: A result of a directive issued by the Army Chief of Staff to “digitize the battlefield” and enhance the U.S. Army's capabilities in the information sciences . Upon review, however, the Army realized that the private sector had far surpassed the military in the development and fielding of wireless digital communications , as evidenced by the prevalence of cellular phones in the commercial market. ARL lacked

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1368-485: A result, the laboratories often did not share their findings or learn about the projects being performed at other facilities, which led to duplicated research and resource waste. Furthermore, the lack of central guidance produced research that distinguished the laboratories from each other but did not fulfill the most urgent or relevant needs of the Army. In the ensuing decades, the U.S. Army conducted various restructuring efforts to resolve this issue. The reorganization of

1482-636: A satellite site. Initiated in May 1970, this acquisition was a move by the Army to consolidate AMC’s nuclear weapons effects research and test activities. As a result, the U.S. Army Mobility Equipment Research and Development Command’s Electromagnetic Effects Laboratory was relocated from Fort Belvoir Engineer Proving Ground to Woodbridge in September 1971. As a satellite facility of HDL, the Woodbridge Research Facility primarily conducted investigations into

1596-652: A thousand fuzes based on this design using the small-scale production lines in its model shops. The U.S. Army later produced almost 400,000 of NBS’s fuzes in 1943 and an additional 400,000 were made before the end of the war. Due to the expansion of fuze-related activities at NBS, the Bureau established the Ordnance Development Division in December 1942. The new division initially consisted of 200 people working on proximity fuzes for rockets and bombs with Diamond acting as

1710-659: Is in storage at the NASA Ames Research Center and 73-21942 is on display at the Army Aviation Museum , Fort Rucker, Alabama. Data from U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Helicopters, US Army Research Laboratory General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Army Research Laboratory The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory ( DEVCOM ARL )

1824-567: Is led by the University of Southern California and focuses on basic and applied research in immersive technology , simulation , human performance, computer graphics , and artificial intelligence. The Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies is led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and focuses on the advancement of nanotechnology to create new materials, devices, processes, and systems to improve Army capabilities. Following

1938-753: Is the foundational research laboratory for the United States Army under the United States Army Futures Command (AFC). DEVCOM ARL conducts intramural and extramural research guided by 11 Army competencies: Biological and Biotechnology Sciences; Humans in Complex Systems; Photonics, Electronics, and Quantum Sciences; Electromagnetic Spectrum Sciences; Mechanical Sciences; Sciences of Extreme Materials; Energy Sciences; Military Information Sciences; Terminal Effects; Network, Cyber, and Computational Sciences; and Weapons Sciences. The laboratory

2052-785: The Armor Survivability Kit for the M998 HMMWV , the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, the Rhino Passive Infrared Defeat System , and the M1114 HMMWV Interim Fragment Kit 5. During this period of warfare, the laboratory strongly endorsed cross-directorate projects and funded high-risk, collaborative, and multi-disciplinary research in a bid to formulate more innovative science and technology capabilities that exceeded

2166-1002: The Harry Diamond Laboratories (HDL), the Human Engineering Laboratory (HEL), the Materials Technology Laboratory (MTL), and the Vulnerability Assessment Laboratory (VAL). In 1998, the Army Research Office (ARO) was also incorporated into the organization. As of 2024, DEVCOM ARL's mission statement is as follows: “Our mission is to operationalize science.” Headquartered at the Adelphi Laboratory Center in Adelphi, Maryland , DEVCOM ARL operates laboratories and experimental facilities in several locations around

2280-453: The Materials Technology Laboratory during the transition), and the Office of Missile Electronic Warfare (renamed the Vulnerability Assessment Laboratory during the transition). LABCOM's primary mission was to facilitate the transition of technologies from basic research to fielded application while also finding ways to improve their integration into mission areas across the Army. Once LABCOM

2394-626: The National Bureau of Standards (NBS) and later the U.S. Army . It conducted research and development in electronic components and devices and was at one point the largest electronics research and development laboratory in the U.S. Army. HDL also acted as the Army’s lead laboratory in nuclear survivability studies and operated the Aurora Pulsed Radiation Simulator , the world’s largest full-threat gamma radiation simulator. In 1992, HDL

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2508-456: The Sikorsky X2 and Sikorsky S-97 Raider , from 2007. The Advancing Blade Concept system consisted of two rigid, contra-rotating rotors (30 inches apart) which made use of the aerodynamic lift of the advancing blades. At high speeds, the retreating blades were offloaded, as most of the load was supported by the advancing blades of both rotors and the penalty due to stall of the retreating blade

2622-496: The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) submitted the recommendations from the LAB-21 Study for the 1991 BRAC . Upon BRAC's endorsement, the laboratory consolidation plan was subsequently approved by President Bush and Congress. Once the plan was authorized, Congress tasked the Federal Advisory Commission on Consolidation and Conversion of Defense Research and Development Laboratories with making recommendations to improve

2736-506: The University of Chicago ’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation reflected the laboratory's goals to establish its presence in the Midwest region. The fourth regional site, ARL Northeast, was established in Burlington, Massachusetts , on April 9, 2018. Its placement at Northeastern University ’s George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security marked what was believed to be

2850-576: The 1960s, the U.S. Army made plans to relocate HDL after a joint Army and Navy study group recommended that the laboratory be moved to a 137-acre site adjacent to the U.S. Naval Ordnance Laboratory in Adelphi, Maryland . Consisting mostly of undeveloped farmland, the site was acquired by the U.S. Army in 1969, and construction of HDL’s new facilities began shortly afterwards. In July 1971, HDL also acquired AMC’s Woodbridge Research Facility along with roughly 642 acres of land in Woodbridge, Virginia to use as

2964-448: The 2000s and early 2010s, ARL concentrated chiefly on addressing the operational technical challenges that arose during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom . Although long-term basic research traditionally represented the crux of ARL's work, heavy pressure from Army leadership redirected much of the laboratory's attention towards quick-fix solutions in response to urgent problems faced by troops in theater. Examples include

3078-556: The Army Howard Callaway established the Army Materiel Acquisition Review Committee (AMARC), an ad hoc group consisting primarily of civilians from outside the government, to analyze the Army's materiel acquisition process. Upon review of AMC's management of its science and technology elements, AMARC highlighted how the wide spectrum of research, development, and commodity responsibilities shouldered by

3192-589: The Army Materials and Mechanics Research Center (AMMRC) in 1967 before it became the Materials Technology Laboratory in 1985. The Vulnerability Assessment Laboratory was a research facility under the U.S. Army Materiel Command that specialized in missile electronic warfare, vulnerability, and surveillance. Headquartered at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, VAL was responsible for assessing

3306-718: The Army Research Office (ARO), and the Research Business Directorate (RBD). The laboratory executes intramural and extramural foundational research that adheres to 11 research competencies chosen by DEVCOM ARL. The 11 competencies are Biological and Biotechnology Sciences; Electromagnetic Spectrum Sciences; Energy Sciences; Humans in Complex Systems; Mechanical Sciences; Military Information Sciences; Network, Cyber, and Computational Sciences; Photonics, Electronics, and Quantum Sciences; Sciences of Extreme Materials; Terminal Effects; and Weapons Sciences. ARD executes

3420-475: The Army Research Office and six technical directorates. The September 11 attacks against the United States and the subsequent launch of Operation Enduring Freedom induced a sense of urgency across the U.S. Army to do whatever possible to accelerate the mobilization of offensive U.S. military capabilities. General Paul J. Kern , the newly appointed commanding general of AMC, stressed the need to streamline

3534-488: The Army in 1962 discontinued the Technical Services and established the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) to manage the Army's procurement and development functions for weapons and munitions. Research facilities within both the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps and the U.S. Army Signal Corps , two major agencies of the Technical Services, were consolidated under AMC. This decision united the Army's combat materials research and

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3648-402: The Army with new technologies. In particular, ARL remained responsible for conducting most of the Army's basic research, which served to meet the needs of the RDECs. Similar to the industry model where a corporate research and development laboratory provides support to multiple product divisions in the company, ARL was expected to bolster and accelerate higher-level product development performed by

3762-417: The Army's electronic materials research under a single command. Despite this change, the realigned research facilities continued to operate in an independent manner, and the problems remained unresolved. Later in the decade, AMC organized the former Ordnance Corps facilities into one group and the former Signal Corps facilities into a different group to foster closer working relationships within each group. While

3876-480: The Army's mission needs. In 2014, ARL launched the Open Campus pilot program as part of the laboratory's new business model, which placed greater focus on advancing collaborative fundamental research alongside prominent members in industry, academia, and other government laboratories. Designed to help ARL obtain new perspectives on Army problems and keep the laboratory connected with early-stage scientific innovations,

3990-468: The Army's technological challenges. Its mission has remained largely the same since the organization's inception as a standalone Army entity in 1951. RBD manages the laboratory's business operations and procedures as well as the ARL regional sites. It oversees the business and managerial elements of the organization, which includes laboratory operations, strategic partnerships and planning, and budget synchronization. DEVCOM ARL manages five regional sites in

4104-636: The Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory was a research facility under the U.S. Army Materiel Command that specialized in artillery meteorology, electro-optical climatology, atmospheric optics data, and atmospheric characterization from 1965 to 1992. The Ballistic Research Laboratory was a research facility under the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps and later the U.S. Army Materiel Command that specialized in interior, exterior, and terminal ballistics as well as vulnerability and lethality analysis. Situated at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, BRL served as

4218-1405: The Aurora Simulator had conducted a total of 287 numbered tests. HDL also operated the Army’s largest facility for designing, fabricating, and testing integrated circuits. HDL consisted of four specialized laboratories, each headed by its own director: the Advanced Research Laboratory, the Systems Research Laboratory, the Research and Development Laboratory, and the Components Research Laboratory. The Advanced Research Laboratory specialized in exploratory systems, special components, optical systems , and physical research. The Systems Research Laboratory specialized in radio systems, nuclear vulnerability and countermeasures, microwave components, systems feasibility, fluid amplifiers , applied physics , and computation and analysis. The Research and Development Laboratory specialized in projectile fuzes, missile fuzes, and heavy artillery fuzes as well as limited warfare weapons, electronic timers, safety devices, parachute opening devices , fluid systems, large radar systems, telemetry , air defense , and missile trajectory measuring systems. Lastly,

4332-713: The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) identified the Materials Technology Laboratory (MTL) in Watertown, Massachusetts , for closure due to its outdated facilities. In opposition to the planned closure of the laboratory, LABCOM examined alternative solutions that would allow MTL and its capabilities to remain intact in some form. In 1989, LABCOM introduced a proposal to establish a single physical entity that would consolidate all of its laboratories, including MTL, in one location. Around this time, President George H. W. Bush had directed Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney to develop

4446-665: The Chemical Research, Development, and Engineering Center (CRDEC), a portion of the Army Air Mobility Research and Development Laboratory (AMRDL), a portion of the Tank-Automotive Command (TACOM) Research, Development, and Engineering Center, a portion of the Belvoir Research, Development, and Engineering Center, and a portion of the Night Vision and Electro-Optics Laboratory (NVEOL). The U.S. Army formally activated

4560-419: The Components Research Laboratory specialized in materials and techniques, microminiaturization , tubes, and power supplies. The technologies developed by these laboratories, if applicable, would be prepared for mass production by HDL’s Engineering Division, which was responsible for quality assurance, test engineering, value analysis, and industrial support. As an early authority on electronic fuze technology,

4674-753: The DoD. As part of the program, the hosting university provides dedicated facilities to its partners to conduct joint basic and applied research. DEVCOM ARL manages three UARCs for the DoD: the Institute of Collaborative Biotechnologies, the Institute for Creative Technologies, and the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies. The Institute of Collaborative Biotechnologies is led by the University of California, Santa Barbara and focuses on technological innovations in systems biology , synthetic biology , bio-enabled materials, and cognitive neuroscience . The Institute for Creative Technologies

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4788-689: The FedLab concept. The establishment of the FedLab structure led to several major changes in the organization of ARL's directorates. Beginning in April 1995, the bulk of the Sensors, Signatures, Signal and Information Processing Directorate (S I) merged with portions of the Electronics and Power Sources Directorate (EPSD) to form the Sensors Directorate (SEN). The remaining Information Processing Branch of S I joined

4902-759: The LAB-21 Study made recommendations that aligned with LABCOM's proposal for a single, centralized flagship laboratory. A second study known as the Laboratory Consolidation Study took place in June 1990 and endorsed the Army's plan to consolidate the laboratories under LABCOM. However, the proposal was modified to establish the centralized laboratory at two major sites— Adelphi, Maryland and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland —accompanied by elements at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico and at NASA facilities in Hampton, Virginia , and Cleveland, Ohio . In April 1991,

5016-818: The Low Observable Technology and Application (LOTA) Office, the Survivability Management Office (SMO), a portion of the Signatures, Sensors, and Signal Processing Technology Organization (S TO), the Advanced Systems Concepts Office (ASCO), the Army Institute for Research in Management Information Communications and Computer Sciences (AIRMICS), a portion of the Systems Research Laboratory (SRL), a portion of

5130-910: The Military Computer Science Branch of the Advanced Computational and Information Sciences Directorate (ACIS), the bulk of the Battlefield Environment Directorate (BED), and portions of EPSD to create the Information Science and Technology Directorate (IST). While the rest of EPSD became the Physical Sciences Directorate (PSD), the remainder of ACIS was reorganized into the Advanced Simulation and High-Performance Computing Directorate (ASHPC). BED's Atmospheric Analysis and Assessment team

5244-507: The Open Campus program prioritized the development of a sophisticated collaborative network that ARL could leverage to accelerate technology transfer. ARL's Open Campus initiative also facilitated the creation of the ARL regional sites, which established research outposts at strategic university campus locations across the continental United States. The ARL regional sites stationed Army research and development personnel close to local and regional universities, technical centers, and companies for

5358-447: The RDECs focused primarily on engineering development. The laboratories, which reported directly to LABCOM instead of AMC headquarters, were expected to work together to support the technological growth of the Army. As part of their duties, significant emphasis was placed on the pursuit of technology transfers and the sharing of information so that they could both exploit the advancements made by others and avoid duplication of research. ARO,

5472-442: The RDECs. As a result, ARL was commonly referred to as the Army's “corporate laboratory.” The architects behind ARL's formation envisioned that the cutting-edge scientific and engineering knowledge generated by the laboratory would provide the Army with the technological edge to surpass its competition. As acting director of ARL, Richard Vitali oversaw the integration of various Army elements into ARL. Even though his tenure lasted

5586-480: The Sensors, Signatures, Signal and Information Processing Directorate; the Advanced Computational and Information Sciences Directorate; the Battlefield Environment Directorate; the Vehicle Propulsion Directorate; the Vehicle Structures Directorate; the Weapons Technology Directorate; the Materials Directorate; the Human Research and Engineering Directorate; and the Survivability/Lethality Analysis Directorate. Other Army elements that ARL absorbed at its inception included

5700-446: The U.S. Army Laboratory Command (LABCOM) to manage seven Army laboratories and an eighth research entity known as the Army Research Office (ARO). The seven laboratories assigned to LABCOM were the Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory , the Ballistic Research Laboratory , the Electronics Technology and Devices Laboratory , the Harry Diamond Laboratories , the Human Engineering Laboratory , the Materiel and Mechanics Research Center (renamed

5814-436: The U.S. Army Materiel Command that specialized in the development and integration of critical electronic technologies, from high-frequency devices to tactical power sources, into Army systems. Located at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey , ETDL served as the U.S. Army's central laboratory for electronics research from 1971 to 1992. The Harry Diamond Laboratories was a research facility under the National Bureau of Standards and later

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5928-421: The U.S. Army Research Laboratory on October 2, 1992 with Richard Vitali, the former LABCOM Director of Corporate Laboratories, as acting director and Colonel William J. Miller as deputy director. ARL was permanently established one month later on November 2, 1992. Having inherited LABCOM's primary mission, the newly established U.S. Army Research Laboratory was entrusted with conducting in-house research to equip

6042-421: The U.S. Army Research Laboratory was a product of a decades-long endeavor to address a critical issue facing the Army's independent research laboratories. Due to a surge of technological advancements set off by World War I and World War II , the early 20th century introduced major developments in the study and practice of warfare. The rapid growth and diversification of military science and technology precipitated

6156-764: The U.S. Army in September 1953 and renamed the Diamond Ordnance Fuze Laboratory (DOFL). Despite the change in command, however, the laboratory’s operations remained at the original building complex in Washington, D.C. Hinman Jr., who had succeeded Diamond as the head of the program after Diamond’s death, became DOFL’s first technical director after it moved to the Army. As an element of the Army’s Ordnance Corps, DOFL focused its research and development efforts on proximity fuzes and other related items. Areas that received attention included printed circuits , microminiaturization , casting resins , flow and temperature measuring systems, reserve power supplies, high-resolution radar, air navigation systems, and telemetering equipment. DOFL

6270-466: The U.S. Army. Formerly known as the Diamond Ordnance Fuze Laboratories, the organization conducted research and development in electronic components and devices and was at one point the largest electronics research and development laboratory in the U.S. Army. HDL also acted as the Army's lead laboratory in nuclear survivability studies and operated the Aurora Pulsed Radiation Simulator , the world's largest full-threat gamma radiation simulator. The laboratory

6384-963: The United States that collaborate with nearby universities and businesses to advance the Army's scientific and technological goals. ARL West, located in Playa Vista, California , has technical focus areas in human-information interaction, cybersecurity , embedded processing, and intelligent systems. ARL Central, located in Chicago, Illinois , has technical focus areas in high performance computing , impact physics , machine learning and data analytics, materials and manufacturing, power and energy, propulsion science, and quantum science . ARL South, located in Austin, Texas , has technical focus areas in artificial intelligence and machine learning for autonomy, energy and power, cybersecurity, materials and manufacturing, and biology . ARL Northeast, located in Burlington, Massachusetts , has technical focus areas in materials and manufacturing, artificial intelligence and intelligent systems, and cybersecurity. ARL Mid-Atlantic,

6498-649: The United States: Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland ; Research Triangle Park, North Carolina ; White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico ; Graces Quarters, Maryland; NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio ; and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia . DEVCOM ARL also has the following five regional sites to facilitate partnerships with universities and industry in the surrounding area: ARL West in Playa Vista, California ; ARL Central in Chicago, Illinois ; ARL South in Austin, Texas ; ARL Mid-Atlantic in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; and ARL Northeast in Burlington, Massachusetts . The formation of

6612-498: The Vehicle Propulsion Directorate and the Vehicle Structures Directorate. SEN and PSD were merged to form the Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate (SEDD), and ASHPC became the Corporate Information and Computing Center (CICC). By 1997, ARL managed only five technical directorates (WMRD, IST, SEDD, HRED, and SLAD) and two centers (VTC and CICC). In 1998, ARL officially incorporated the Army Research Office (ARO) into its organization. Until this point, ARO had existed separately from

6726-400: The XH-59A ended in 1981. In 1982 it was proposed that the XH-59A be converted to the XH-59B configuration with advanced rotors, new powerplants (two GE T700s ), and a ducted pusher propeller at the tail. This proposed program did not proceed as Sikorsky refused to pay a share of the costs. Sikorsky and its partners funded the development of the next helicopters using the Advancing Blade Concept,

6840-465: The activities of three existing university centers of excellence: the Army High Performance Computing Research Center at the University of Minnesota , the Information Sciences Center at Clark Atlanta University , and the Institute for Advanced Technology at the University of Texas at Austin . ARL eventually discontinued the FedLab model in 2001 and adopted Collaborative Technology Alliances (CTAs) and Collaborative Research Alliances (CRAs) as successors to

6954-523: The auxiliary turbojets, it demonstrated a maximum level speed of 238 knots (441 km/h; 274 mph) and eventually a speed of 263 knots (487 km/h; 303 mph) in a shallow dive. At 180 knots (333 km/h; 207 mph) level flight, it could enter a 1.4 g bank turn with the rotor in autorotation , increasing rotor rpm. Airframe stress prevented rotor speed reduction and thus full flight envelope expansion. The XH-59A had high levels of vibration and fuel consumption. The 106-hour test program for

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7068-399: The changes in the organization's acquisition and readiness practices. In January 1978, the U.S. Army discontinued ECOM and formally activated three major subordinate commands under DARCOM: the Communications and Electronics Materiel Readiness Command (CERCOM), the Communications Research and Development Command (CORADCOM), and the Electronics Research and Development Command (ERADCOM). As

7182-488: The creation of numerous research facilities by the U.S. Army to ensure that the country remained competitive on the international stage, especially as Cold War tensions reached new heights. The high demand for greater and more sophisticated military capabilities led to a proliferation of Army laboratories that not only advanced competing military interests but also operated in an independent fashion with minimal supervisory control or coordination from U.S. Army headquarters. By

7296-429: The development of the radio proximity fuze for non-rotating projectiles was assigned to Harry Diamond and Wilford Hinman Jr. at the NBS and overseen by Alexander Ellett of NDRC. Diamond, who was the chief of NBS’s radio and photoelectric fuze groups, determined that utilizing the Doppler effect would provide the best results for a proximity fuze in a non-rotating projectile. Diamond and Hinman subsequently developed

7410-420: The division chief. By the end of the war, the size of the division had doubled. After the war, a large laboratory complex designed to house the Bureau’s Ordnance Development Division, Ordnance Electronics Division, and Electromechanical Division was established in 1946. Meanwhile, Diamond continued to lead the Ordnance Development Division until his death in 1948. In honor of his work, the laboratory complex

7524-414: The early 1950s. The Kelly Committee, which was formed by the NBS Visiting Committee and the National Academy of Sciences at the request of Commerce Secretary Charles Sinclair Weeks , advised NBS to return to non-military research and testing and transfer its weapons programs to the Department of Defense. As part of the transition, the majority of the Harry Diamond Ordnance Laboratory was transferred to

7638-468: The early 1960s, the Army recognized a significant flaw in this approach to pursuing in-house research and development. Competition for government funding led to fierce rivalries between the research facilities that ultimately eroded communication between the Army laboratories. Research installations began to prioritize the survival and longevity of their own operations over the overarching Army goals and engaged in turf disputes to protect their own interests. As

7752-431: The eighth element placed in LABCOM, retained its original functions of managing grants and contracts with individual scientists, academia, and nonprofit entities to promote basic research relevant to the U.S. Army. Despite the significant changes made to the structure of the command, none of the dispersed research facilities were physically relocated for the formation of LABCOM. Although centralized oversight addressed some of

7866-444: The fall of 1975. In 1980, the Army acquired the Blossom Point Field Test Facility in Charles County, Maryland , and assigned it to HDL as its second satellite installation. Consisting of 20 buildings, the Blossom Point facility was used by HDL to conduct field tests on HDL-developed fuzes, explosive and pyrotechnic devices, and electronic telemetry systems. Construction of HDL’s Adelphi complex reached completion in 1983, by which point

7980-452: The former Ordnance Corps facilities became known as AMC laboratories and reported directly to AMC headquarters, the former Signal Corps facilities reported to a major subordinate command in AMC called the Electronics Command (ECOM). Although AMC had hoped that this arrangement would encourage research sharing and foster cooperation, the lack of progress on this issue prompted the U.S. Army to change its approach. In December 1973, Secretary of

8094-421: The fundamental concept and design of proximity fuzes . The origins of the Harry Diamond Laboratories trace back to the development of the radio proximity fuze at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). During the 1930s, British military researchers investigated the feasibility of a proximity fuze, a device that would detonate an explosive charge only when it approached the immediate vicinity of its target. At

8208-551: The identity of the centralized laboratory began to take shape. Although the proposed centralized laboratory was originally referred to as the Combat Materiel Research Laboratory in the LAB-21 Study, the name was ultimately changed to the Army Research Laboratory. In addition, the Army decided to have a civilian director occupy the top management position with a general officer as deputy, as opposed to

8322-457: The laboratory's final extended campus location. On July 1, 2018, the Army formally established the U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC) as the Army's fourth major command alongside the U.S. Army Materiel Command , the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command , and the U.S. Army Forces Command . The reorganization came in response to criticisms from Secretary of the Army Mark Esper regarding

8436-585: The laboratory's intramural research and manages DEVCOM ARL's flagship research efforts. ARO executes the laboratory's extramural research programs in scientific disciplines tied to the laboratory's research competencies. ARO administers funding for Army-relevant research conducted at universities and businesses across the United States. Located at Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, ARO engages in partnerships with members of academia and industry to promote high-risk yet high-payoff research in an effort to address

8550-521: The lack of unity among the laboratories. General Richard H. Thompson , the new Commanding General of AMC, proposed an initiative to consolidate and centralize the management of all the AMC laboratories under a single major subordinate command. This concept of a Laboratory Command was quickly adopted by the Army despite receiving unfavorable reviews that cited the likelihood of increased bureaucratic layering and overhead expenses. In July 1985, AMC officially activated

8664-418: The management problems that the Army sought to resolve, the geographic separation between the laboratories considerably hindered LABCOM's research synergy. To the Army's dismay, competition among the laboratories and duplicated research persisted. The idea behind a centralized Army laboratory for basic research emerged in response to U.S. military downsizing following the end of the Cold War. In December 1988,

8778-399: The money, time, and manpower to help the U.S. Army catch up to the rapid pace at which commercial wireless devices were evolving, much less incorporate the newest advancements into military applications. The Army determined that the solution was to join ARL's in-house capabilities with those of commercial businesses and university laboratories. This decision led to the transformation of ARL into

8892-553: The newest regional site in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, has technical focus areas in high-performance computing, autonomous systems, human-agent teaming, cybersecurity, materials and manufacturing, power and energy, extreme materials, and quantum systems. A University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) is a university-led collaboration among universities, industry, and Army laboratories that serve to strengthen and maintain technological capabilities that are important to

9006-513: The newly constructed research complex in Adelphi, Maryland. HDL employees were moved to Adelphi as part of a three-phase relocation program as different sections of the facility underwent construction. In November 1973, about 500 of the total employees were moved to the H-shaped Adelphi complex. The second phase took place in 1974 with about 400 employees, and the remaining 500 workers were moved in

9120-466: The next several months working on the fuze’s electronic circuits and safety mechanisms. In May 1942, the U.S. Army made its first urgent request for a proximity fuze for the new 4.5-inch airborne rocket against the German Luftwaffe . Once the dimensions for the fuze were decided, Diamond’s team completed the fuze design in 2 days. After testing was conducted in June 1942, NBS constructed more than

9234-410: The operation of the laboratories. Based on their guidance, implementation of the laboratory consolidation plan was delayed to January 1992. The Federal Advisory Commission also communicated that, in order to address the laboratories’ deep-rooted competition problem, the centralized laboratory should be free from financial pressure and should not have to compete for research funds. As planning continued,

9348-438: The original plan of having a major general serve as a military commander alongside a civilian technical director. In accordance with the requirements established by BRAC 91, the Army discontinued LABCOM and provisionally established the U.S. Army Research Laboratory on July 23, 1992. The seven LABCOM laboratories were subsequently consolidated to form ARL's 10 technical directorates: the Electronics and Power Sources Directorate;

9462-467: The other former LABCOM elements. As a part of this change, ARO's director became the ARL deputy director for basic research. Following Lyons’ retirement in September 1998, Robert Whalin, the former director of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station , was assigned as ARL's second director in December 1998. Shortly thereafter, the Corporate Information and Computing Center

9576-489: The physical sciences. By the 1980s, the Harry Diamond Laboratories was the largest electronics R&D laboratory in the U.S. Army and represented the Army’s lead laboratory for the study of nuclear effects. Since 1971, the facility housed and operated the Aurora Pulsed Radiation Simulator , which was the world’s largest gamma radiation simulator at the time. Before it was decommissioned and disassembled in 1996,

9690-486: The process behind how the Army developed technology for its troops. Believing that AMC did not deliver its products to the desired recipients quickly enough, Kern directed the unification of all of AMC's laboratories and RDECs under one command in order to foster synergy. In October 2002, he created the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) to consolidate these research facilities under one command structure. The Army officially established RDECOM as

9804-488: The proximity of the target. While Butement and his team were able to construct and crudely test a prototype fuze in 1940, the high production demands of World War II ultimately stalled its development. As a result, the British decided to share their research on the project with the United States in hopes that the U.S. could complete the technology. In September 1940, Sir John Cockcroft delivered all available information about

9918-599: The purposes of developing partnerships and fostering interest in Army-relevant research. The first regional site, ARL West, was established in Playa Vista, California , on April 13, 2016. Its placement at the University of Southern California ’s Institute for Creative Technologies reflected the laboratory's goals to collaborate with organizations located in and around the Los Angeles region. The second regional site, ARL South,

10032-672: The radio proximity fuze to the newly formed National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) as part of the Tizard Mission . The chairman of NDRC, Vannevar Bush , appointed Merle Tuve , the director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Science , to lead the U.S. research on proximity fuzes. By November 1940, Tuve recognized that two types of radio proximity fuzes were needed: one for rotating projectiles and one for non-rotating projectiles. The former

10146-485: The reconfiguration of ARL as an open laboratory in order to increase the number of staff exchanges. These changes, which made ARL resemble NIST, were endorsed by AMC Commander General Jimmy D. Ross in December 1993. Around the same time, the Under Secretary of Defense chartered a task force on defense laboratory management, which recommended a change in approach to ARL's operations in 1994. This recommendation came as

10260-551: The research facilities contributed to a lack of responsiveness in addressing the Army's modern, mission-oriented needs. The advisory committee recommended separating the development of communications and automatic data processing from the development of electronic warfare capabilities. Following the guidance given by AMARC, AMC redesignated itself as the Material Development and Readiness Command (DARCOM) in January 1976 to reflect

10374-474: The simulated effects of electromagnetic pulses generated by nuclear detonation on electronic systems. Following the cessation of nuclear detonation testing, the simulations produced by the facility enabled the Army to test the vulnerability of tactical systems to the effects of nuclear attack and gather data for the development of hardening techniques. In 1973, operations at HDL were officially moved from Washington, D.C. at Connecticut Ave. and Van Ness St. to

10488-464: The site housed a total of 22 structures. In 1992, HDL was among the seven Army laboratories that were consolidated to form the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) following the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission in 1991. In addition, the Adelphi research complex was renamed the Adelphi Laboratory Center and became the headquarters for ARL. While HDL’s Blossom Point satellite facility

10602-446: The slow speed of Army technology development, testing, and fielding. The formation of AFC served to consolidate the Army's modernization efforts under a single command. As a result, the Army transitioned RDECOM from AMC to AFC on February 3, 2019, and renamed it to the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC). Although ARL retained its position as an element of CCDC during this transition, one of ARL's directorates, SLAD,

10716-714: The sole major subordinate command responsible for the Army's combat electronics materiel, ERADCOM handled the development of all noncommunications and nonautomatic data-processing electronics materiel for the Army. Elements that constituted ERADCOM included the Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory , the Electronics Technology and Devices Laboratory , the Electronic Warfare Laboratory, and the Harry Diamond Laboratories . In 1981, duplication of effort between CERCOM and CORADCOM led DARCOM to combine

10830-933: The termination of the FedLabs model in 2001, DEVCOM ARL continued to collaborate with private industry and academia through Collaborative Technology Alliances (CTAs) and Collaborative Research Alliances (CRAs). CTAs represent partnerships that focus on the rapid transition of new innovations and technologies found in academia to the U.S. manufacturing base through cooperation with private industry. CRAs represent partnerships that seek to further develop innovative science and technology in academia that pertains to Army interests. The laboratory also engaged in International Technology Alliances (ITAs) that facilitate collaborations for research and development with foreign government entities alongside academia and private industry. Located at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico,

10944-521: The time, conventional artillery and antiaircraft shells very rarely hit their target, especially a moving one, because their detonation either required direct contact or relied on accurate predictions with an altimeter or a timer set at launch. In 1939, British researchers William Butement, Edward Shire, and Amherst Thomson at the Air Defense Experimental Establishment conceived of a proximity fuze that used radio waves to sense

11058-460: The transition of existing LABCOM research and development activities into a new environment. Despite the relocation of Army personnel from different research facilities across the country, ARL's first year of operation witnessed the continuation of ongoing LABCOM research without significant setbacks. Lines of effort conducted by ARL that year included the Warrior's Edge virtual reality simulation program,

11172-543: The two major subordinate commands to create the Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM). Not long after DARCOM carried out its reorganization, however, the Army launched another review that scrutinized its structure, indicating that the changes failed to resolve the existing issues. DARCOM later changed its name back to AMC in August 1984. In 1984, the U.S. Army initiated a different strategy to address

11286-408: The vulnerability of Army weapons and electronic communication systems to hostile electronic warfare as well as coordinating missile electronic countermeasure efforts for the U.S. Army. 39°01′47″N 76°57′53″W  /  39.0296°N 76.9647°W  / 39.0296; -76.9647 Harry Diamond Laboratories The Harry Diamond Laboratories (HDL) was a research facility under

11400-573: Was a research facility under the U.S. Army Materiel Command that specialized in metallurgy and materials science and engineering for ordnance and other military purposes. Located in Watertown, Massachusetts , MTL was originally known as the Watertown Arsenal Laboratories and represented one of many laboratory buildings erected at Watertown Arsenal. WAL was renamed the Army Materials Research Agency (AMRA) in 1962 and then

11514-431: Was also responsible for determining the susceptibility of ordnance electronics materiel to nuclear radiation and investigating methods of radiation hardening . When the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) was established during the 1962 Army reorganization, DOFL was assigned directly to AMC as a corporate laboratory. The following year, DOFL had its name officially changed to the Harry Diamond Laboratories (HDL). During

11628-768: Was also transitioned into the Survivability/Lethality Analysis Directorate (SLAD). In 1996, ARL underwent further restructuring in response to calls by the U.S. Army to decrease the number of directorates. The laboratory formed the Weapons and Materials Research Directorate (WMRD) by combining the Weapons Technology Directorate and the Materials Directorate. It also created the Vehicle Technology Center (VTC) by combining

11742-484: Was disestablished, and its mission, personnel, and facilities were incorporated into the newly created U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL). As part of this transition, the Army designated the HDL building as the site of ARL’s new headquarters. The installation was named in honor of pioneer radio engineer and inventor Harry Diamond , who led the Ordnance Development Division during World War II . Diamond contributed greatly to

11856-603: Was established in Austin, Texas , on November 16, 2016. Its placement at the University of Texas at Austin ’s J.J. Pickle Research Center reflected the laboratory's goals to partner with organizations in Texas as well as surrounding areas in New Mexico , Louisiana , and Oklahoma . The third regional site, ARL Central, was established in Chicago, Illinois , on November 10, 2017. Its placement at

11970-484: Was established in 1992 to unify the activities of the seven corporate laboratories of the U.S. Army Laboratory Command (LABCOM) as well as consolidate other Army research elements to form a centralized laboratory. The seven corporate laboratories that merged were the Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory (ASL), the Ballistic Research Laboratory (BRL), the Electronics Technology and Devices Laboratory (ETDL),

12084-410: Was established, the term “laboratories” became reserved exclusively for the research facilities under LABCOM. The research facilities that did not transfer to LABCOM became known as Research, Development, and Engineering Centers (RDECs). This naming distinction highlighted a major shift in the roles that both groups adopted. As part of the change, the laboratories took charge of AMC's basic research, while

12198-608: Was most notably known for its work on the proximity fuze . The Human Engineering Laboratory was a research facility under the U.S. Army Materiel Command that specialized in human performance research, human factors engineering , robotics, and human-in-the-loop technology. Located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, HEL acted as the Army's lead laboratory for human factors and ergonomics research from 1951 to 1992. Researchers at HEL investigated methods to maximize combat effectiveness, improve weapons and equipment designs, and reduce operation costs and errors. The Materials Technology Laboratory

12312-719: Was moved out of the laboratory and integrated into the newly established Data & Analysis Center under CCDC. The “CCDC” designation was also appended in front of the names of the eight research facilities assigned to the new major subordinate command: CCDC Armaments Center , CCDC Aviation & Missile Center , CCDC Army Research Laboratory, CCDC Chemical Biological Center , CCDC C5ISR , CCDC Data & Analysis Center, CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center , and CCDC Soldier Center . In 2020, CCDC changed its abbreviation to DEVCOM, resulting in CCDC ARL becoming DEVCOM ARL. In 2022, DEVCOM ARL discontinued its technical directorates and adopted

12426-536: Was renamed to the Corporate Information and Computing Directorate, and the Vehicle Technology Center was renamed to the Vehicle Technology Directorate. In May 2000, ARL combined the Information Science and Technology Directorate and the Corporate Information and Computing Directorate to form the Computational and Information Sciences Directorate (CISD). With this change, ARL administered, in total,

12540-599: Was renamed to the Harry Diamond Ordnance Laboratory in 1949. NBS underwent significant restructuring and downsizing in the years following World War II. During this time period, several wartime programs managed by the Bureau were relocated elsewhere. One of the major causes of this organizational change was a congressional report by the Kelly Committee following the AD-X2 battery additive controversy during

12654-536: Was sought by the U.S. Navy for anti-aircraft guns, while the latter was best suited for U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force weapons such as bombs, rockets, and mortars. The team headed by Tuve at the Carnegie Institution, which later moved to the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in 1942, took on the development of the radio proximity fuze for rotating projectiles. Meanwhile,

12768-524: Was then converted into a wind tunnel testbed, which was tested in the NASA Ames Research Center 40x80 feet full-scale wind tunnel in 1979. A second airframe was completed (73-21942) which first flew on July 21, 1975. After initial testing as a pure helicopter, two auxiliary turbojets were added in March 1977. As a helicopter, the XH-59A demonstrated a maximum level speed of 156 knots (289 km/h; 180 mph), but with

12882-514: Was thus eliminated. This system did not require a wing to be fitted for high speeds and to improve maneuverability, and also eliminated the need for an anti-torque rotor at the tail. Forward thrust was provided by two turbojets, which allowed the main rotor to only be required to provide lift. It was found to have good hover stability against crosswind and tailwind. With jets installed, it lacked power to hover out of ground effect and used short take-off and landing for safety reasons. Airframe 73-21941

12996-546: Was transferred under ARL, the Woodbridge satellite facility was ultimately closed. At its inception, the Harry Diamond Ordnance Laboratory was originally established to further advance U.S. research and development in electronic fuzing for rockets, mortars, artillery, and missiles. Over time, the laboratory’s principal activities expanded significantly to include other ordnance specialties such as radar technology, integrated circuits , nuclear survivability, and basic research in

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