Air National Guard/Air Force Reserve Test Center

Mission
Conduct operational tests on behalf of the Air Reserve Component.

Vision
A small, total force team leading the effort to field low-cost, low risk, off-the-shelf improvements to Air Reserve Component (ARC) systems.

"It doesn't count until they're flying and sustaining it in the field"

Organization
The Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Test Center (AATC) is a tenant unit on the Morris Air National Guard Base and is hosted by the 162nd Wing Wing, Arizona Air National Guard. AATC conducts operational test on behalf of each Air Force major command and possesses seven F-16s (Block 25/32 aircraft) to support the primary mission of F-16 operational flight program (OFP) testing.

AATC also operates a temporary A-10A operational test detachment at Davis-Monthan AFB, with the support of the 917th Wing, Barksdale AFB, La., and the host 355th Wing. AATC also is tasked and accomplishes testing on a wide variety of other ARC aircraft, including F-16 Block 40/42, B-52, F-15A/B, HH-60, HC-130 and electronic combat systems for those aircraft. AATC has also conducted testing in support of Air Mobility Command on C-130, C-141 and KC-135 aircraft.

AATC is uniquely postured to take advantage of modernization efforts that are funded by National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account (NGREA) funding which is unprogrammed funding suited to near-term improvements. AATC efforts exploiting NGREA resources complement long-range Air Force programs and have enabled transformational modernization efforts such as Night Vision Devices for fighter aircraft (first fielded in the ARC); Situational Awareness Data Link (SADL), a low-cost datalink complementing Air Force network enabled operations; and Litening Targeting Pods, which greatly increased the number of precision strike aircraft in the Air Force inventory and revolutionized how the Air Force delivers joint fires and conducts non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

THE TEAM
AATC is staffed with military personnel from the Guard, Reserve, and active Air Force. The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC), Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), and the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group (TEG) also maintain operating locations at AATC. AATC is also the home of the F-16 Block 30 Avionics Combined Test Force which is solely responsible for the developmental and operational test of the OFP for all Air Force Block 25/30/32 aircraft. Approximately 20 government and contract personnel complete the team.