The 746th Test Squadron: An All-Inclusive GPS Test and Evaluation Facility

Dan Crouch, Chip Mosle, and Michael Novy

Abstract:	With the Congressional mandate to integrate Global Positioning System (GPS) user equipment into all Department of Defense (DOD) platforms by the year 2000, a significant number of military platforms integrating GPS have entered the laboratory and field test phase for the GPS/avionics upgrade. The number of platforms requiring precise and cost efficient testing and analytical support have yielded an increasing number of integrated GPS test support requirements for the 746th Test Squadron (746 TS). In response to the amount of platforms requiring test support, the 746 TS, also known as the Central Inertial Guidance Test Facility (CIGTF), has developed the Navigation Test and Evaluation Laboratory (NavTEL), the Test Support Network (TSN), and the Portable Field Jamming System (PFJS) to provide an all-inclusive test and evaluation facility for both military and civilian users integrating GPS. The NavTEL is designed to test integrated GPS architectures in a controlled static or dynamic simulated environment by generating highly accurate time synchronized GPS RF signals, Inertial Navigation System (INS) models, and various navigation aiding sensors to provide a configuration for full integrated navigation performance testing. The TSN, which is used to support field testing and performance evaluation of integrated GPS architectures, consists of a series of six unique Differential GPS (DGPS) ground reference stations that provide continuous Time-Space-Position-Information (TSPI) truth reference data throughout the greater continental United States (CONUS). Finally, to assess interference associated with GPS signals, the 746 TS has developed the PFJS to provide a mobile resource for GPS interference testing. With these unique test capabilities, the 746 TS can provide a “standard” test and evaluation resource for integrated GPS user equipment through the year 2000 and beyond.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 8th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1995) September 12 - 15, 1995 Palm Springs, CA
Pages:	1655 - 1664
Cite this article:	Crouch, Dan, Mosle, Chip, Novy, Michael, "The 746th Test Squadron: An All-Inclusive GPS Test and Evaluation Facility," Proceedings of the 8th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1995), Palm Springs, CA, September 1995, pp. 1655-1664.
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