Video footage during operational testing of the M109A7 Paladin Howitzer, Medium Mine Protected Vehicle (MMPV) Type II, and Spider Increment 1A networked munition system, and Soldier Protection System.
Testing with the West Fort Hood, Texas-based U.S. Army Operational Test Command will determine whether or not new and modernized equipment systems are effective, suitable, and survivable, and is another step in the Army’s continual modernization of its equipment, using information Soldiers learn during combat, and translating it into improved battlefield capabilities through operational testing.
About the U.S. Army Operational Test Command:
Operational testing began Oct. 1, 1969, and as the Army’s only independent operational tester, OTC is celebrating “50 Years of Operational Testing.” The unit enlists the “Total Army” (Active, National Guard, and Reserve) when testing Army, joint, and multi-service warfighting systems in realistic operational environments, using typical Soldiers to determine whether the systems are effective, suitable, and survivable. OTC is required by public law to test major systems before they are fielded to its ultimate customer – the American Soldier.
(Video produced by Mr. Tad Browning, Mr. Larry Furnace, and Mr. William C. Beach, U.S. Army Operational Test Command Test and Documentation Team)