Munitions research complex to open at Eglin AFB in 2021

Eglin Air Force Base, FL, will have a new $75 million, 53,000-square-foot munitions research center by 2021.

Capabilities developed at the Air Force Research Lab facility -- called the Advanced Munitions Technology Complex -- are intended to reduce the size of weapons, allowing aircraft like the F-22 and F-35 to carry more at a time, according to a news release published yesterday.

AFRL now creates ordnance systems as individual parts, but with the new complex, they will be developed simultaneously.

The release states this integration will help scientists and engineers understand how each technology improves the other, leading to better precision delivery while lessening risk to civilians.

"The Advanced Munitions Technology Complex is not just a series of buildings. It’s a center that brings minds together to conceive of next generation sophisticated ordnance technologies in an efficient way," Michael Lindsay, AFRL core technical competency lead for ordnance sciences, said.