Davidson Advance Warhead Development Facility

The Davidson Advanced Warhead Development Facility consists of a 40’ diameter by 40’ tall reinforced concrete dome, lined w/ armor plate, attached to a 335-ft concrete tunnel for extended warhead to target standoff distances. The blast containment chamber is constructed of 12” thick reinforced concrete, lined w/ 1.5” thick armor plate, & capable of withstanding a 50-lb. explosive charge (TNT equivalent). It will be used to test shaped charges, EFPs & other experimental warheads in support of ARDEC's R&D; mission, & will accommodate heavy metal liners, such as tantalum & tungsten. Instrumentation includes flash radiography, framing/streak camera, digital still camera, & electronic streak array. This facility will provide a safe, secure, cost-effective & environmentally acceptable means of conducting tests for terminal ballistic evaluation of armor defeating warheads.