NEAT - Overland Test Range for Aerospace Systems Testing

North European Aerospace Test (NEAT) is Europe's largest overland test area for T&E, training and operations of aerospace vehicles such as missiles, UAVs, aircraft and space vehicles. Covering some 25,000km², NEAT has been the site for T&E and operations of national and international projects since the mid-1950s.

The infrastructure at NEAT includes among other things two airfields, instrumentation for the verification of vehicle trajectories, target systems for live firings and launch systems for rockets and balloons.

Owned and operated by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration and the Swedish Space Corporation, two Swedish government bodies, NEAT consists of the Vidsel test range and the Esrange space operation facility in the north of Sweden.

OVERLAND TEST AREA

Over NEAT there is approximately 13,000km² of restricted airspace, divided in two zones 200km apart. NEAT can combine these two zones with a temporarily restricted area inbetween, thus creating a restricted airspace some 25,000km² in size. The total one-way flight length of this larger airspace is 350km (185nm), comparable to the whole of Denmark.

Within NEAT, there is also 1,650km² restricted ground space, where hazardous tests of munitions and untried vehicle tests can occur without endangering third parties. The population of NEAT is less than one person per square kilometre on average, with the majority of the areas having zero population.

UAV TEST AREA

The low population on ground coupled with the large air restriction area, means that NEAT can supply a test environment for UAV tests, where untried vehicles can make their first flight safely. For more mature vehicles, the area can be used for demonstration flights for customers, as well as for tests of sensor packages. UCAV tests, including live fire tests, can also be performed here.

LIVE MISSILE AND MUNITIONS TESTING GROUND

Almost all types of missiles can be tested at NEAT. Air-to-air, air-to-ground and ground-to-air can all be fired at various targets, both static and moving. Ground instrumentation systems (e.g. radars and telemetry systems) monitor the behaviour of the missile during flight. As the tests occur over land, even the pieces of the detonated vehicle can be retrieved if needed.

AIRCRAFT COLD CLIMATE TESTS

Climate tests in winter conditions (i.e. cold soak tests) can easily be performed at NEAT. As NEAT is located in the sub-arctic region, temperatures will normally drop to –30°C or below during January and February. Test are either performed at the civilian airport of Kiruna, with 2,600m (8,500ft) runway and hangar space for aircraft as large as a Boeing 747-300, or at the Vidsel base, which is a GCA airfield with 2,300m (7,500ft) runway.

TESTS OF UNIQUE AEROSPACE VEHICLES

Due to the vast, unpopulated area, tests of unique aerospace vehicles can be performed. Two space shuttle models have so far been tested for aerodynamic and landing behaviours. Space probe re-entry tests can also be performed here, e.g. for tests of parachutes and landing systems. Tests of vehicles can also be performed with the help of sounding rockets and stratospheric balloons.

CONSULTING IN TEST AND EVALUATION

NEAT has experience from 40 years of testing and evaluating aerospace vehicles. This knowledge of setting up and performing tests and trials can be drawn upon by others, if need be.

NEAT - providing solutions to your testing problems.