ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TN –The Arnold Engineering Development Complex T-3 turbine engine test cell at Arnold Air Force Base is undergoing several modifications to prepare it for future testing. Built as part of the Engine Test Facility, or ETF, at Arnold in the early 1950s, the T-3 test cell was designed for testing small engines. It has the capability to reach Mach 4 at simulated altitudes below 70,000 feet and Mach 2.5 at sea-level conditions. T-3 is one of four operational test cells within ETF, but the cell hasn’t been updated since the late 1980s.
Dakota Aaron, right, an eSTARR hardware engineer, and Calvin Davis, an instrumentation, data, and controls engineer, check the new network switch and data source computers in the Arnold Engineering Development Complex Engine Test Facility T-3 test cell data conditioning room at Arnold Air Force Base on December 3. The network switch and data source computers are part of upgrades to the test cell, including the new digital voltage scanners at the right (U.S. Air Force photo by Jill Pickett).
May 20, 2020 | Originally published by Air Force Materiel on January 6, 2020