The US Army is pushing sensor and missile defense testing further and smarter through a new high-tech simulation system being developed with AeroVironment.
Under the effort, the company will develop GENESIS, a hardware-based simulation environment designed to assess missile defense systems and electro-optical and infrared sensors.
The system will feature multi-spectral projection, high-frame-rate imaging, precision optics, automated control systems, a flight motion table, and a cryogenic space chamber.
The platform enables integrated planning and simulation across space, air, and missile defense domains for the US Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center.
“True innovation in defense starts long before technology reaches the battlefield, it starts in how we test, refine, and prove it,” said Mary Clum, president of space, cyber, and directed energy at AeroVironment.
“By creating realistic, repeatable, and scalable testing ecosystems, we’re helping the army accelerate innovation, strengthen deterrence, and ensure our warfighters maintain a decisive advantage in every domain.”
Financing the Tech
To support the initiative, the US Army’s Aviation and Missile Technology Consortium has awarded AeroVironment a $97.4 million contract to build the simulator over the next three years.
The system will be developed at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, to support next-generation integrated air and missile defense programs.
“GENESIS shows what’s possible when industry and government align around a shared vision of innovation,” said Johnathan Jones, senior vice president for cyber and mission solutions at AeroVironment.
“Advancing realism and precision to help the US military accelerate development, reduce risk, and deliver mission-ready technologies.”
