A peek ‘Behind the Big Guns’
Yuma Proving Ground is the Department of Defense’s premier test and evaluation site, and in a typical year over 500,000 artillery, mortar and missile rounds are fired, 36,000 parachute drops take place, 200,000 miles are driven on military vehicles, and over 4,000 air sorties are flown from the installation’s Laguna Army Airfield.
As such almost every vehicle and piece of equipment currently in use by the U.S. military has undergone some type of testing at the proving ground, including the M1 Abrams main battle tank, Bradley Fighting Vehicle and Stryker combat vehicle, each of which was on display Tuesday.
A variety of small arms, including a .50 caliber machine gun, were also available for viewing — all of which were being shown as part of YPG’s annual “Behind the Big Guns Tour,” which is held each winter in association with the Yuma Visitors Bureau.
Electronics Integrated Systems Mechanic Marco Navarro explained that when the U.S. military goes to war, it needs to have vehicles, weapons, ammunition and other equipment that work the way they are supposed to, which is why the testing done at YPG is so vitally important.
“When our soldiers and Marines are in theater, wherever that may be, when they pull the trigger, we need to know whether that weapon, or ammo, is going to work,” Navarro said. “Same goes for the vehicles. It has to be reliable. You don’t want to get stranded in battle.”
While the M1 Abrams main battle tank, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and Stryker combat vehicle have been part of the U.S. military arsenal for years, Navarro said they all have upgrades yet to be implemented that are currently being tested.
“Although it looks good on paper, it still needs to be tested for reliability,” Navarro said. “You have to approach it as when it is going to break, not if, and then figure out why.”
With electronics always improving, Navarro said the biggest challenge often associated with it is network-ability, which he described as making sure that the new component works with the equipment that hasn’t been changed.
“The new part is great, but it needs to be able to communicate with to the other existing systems already on the vehicle,” Navarro said. “We are still testing new models because there are always new improvements that can be made.”
While testing a newly-developed piece of equipment or vehicle is a lengthy process, tests for new components are often much shorter.
Both types of tests can also be complex, according to Navarro, but engineers working on the tests have schematics provided by the manufacturer, as well as a field supervision representative from the company on-site to work with them.
Spokesperson Chuck Wullenjohn said the “Behind the Big Guns Tour” is a rare chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at Yuma Proving Ground, one of the largest military facilities (by land area) in the world, and what goes on there on a daily basis.
This windshield tour of the post includes stops at two test locations and at the Heritage Center museum. Lunch at the Cactus Cafe, YPG’s on-post restaurant, is included. The tour, which costs $55, also requires participants to get on and off the bus multiple times.
“I’m also giving a briefing about what takes place here at YPG,” Wullenjohn said.
Two public tours have already been held so far this year, with the next one scheduled on Jan. 30 at the site of what used to be Camp Laguna, a World War II training site for troops.
For more information about the tours, or to sign up, contact the Yuma Visitors Bureau at 800293-0071 or 928-783-0071. Tickets are still available and you must register in advance