Battelle develops and applies state-of-the-art technologies to aid the military in defending our Nation against missile attacks from any adversary
A non-profit charitable trust with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle is the largest independent R&D organization in the world. Battelle’s history of successful contract support experience spans more than 70 years. Staff resources include 16,000 scientists, engineers, and support specialists active at Battelle facilities and offices worldwide and at the DOE Laboratories it manages or co-manages.
Each year, Battelle’s business operations perform work on thousands of technology projects for nearly 2,000 companies and government agencies. Annual R&D at Battelle is valued at $2.7 billion, and the work typically results in 50 to 100 patented inventions each year.
Battelle’s contributions to missile defense draw heavily on developing advanced technologies and applying in-depth experience of personnel to augment current capabilities of our Nation’s armed forces. Critical analysis capabilities, test and evaluation expertise, and rapid prototyping are key factors contributing to Battelle’s leadership in the following areas:
Innovative Approaches to Lethality Testing and Analysis
Design and Production of Target Payloads, Countermeasures, and Instrumentation – see photo below
Support to all Phases of Ground and Flight Testing – see photo below
System Engineering.
Battelle Payload on Target Launch
Innovative Approaches to Lethality Testing and Analysis
Battelle has been contributing world-class science to missile defense lethality for over 15 years. Our strengths and core capabilities in this area are an extension of Battelle’s leadership in Chemical and Biological Agent Defense research. Our staff members are making key contributions in the following critical activities:
Physics-based testing on source terms, lethality, and transport of chemical warfare agents/simulants
Development and characterization of agent simulants
Lethality test (both ground and flight) planning, execution, and analysis
Lethality model development support
Special test facility development.
Dr. Carl Alexander, a world renowned expert in lethality, leads Battelle staff in a wide range of activities with the goal of characterizing the properties and effects of chemical warfare agents as well as simulants that are used to expedite testing. To support this work, Battelle has designed and built facilities specifically for testing survivability and behaviour under re-entry and intercept conditions. The facilities include a high speed, light gas gun with a high accuracy calorimeter, shown in the photos below.
Battelle’s Light Gas Gun and 31 m3 Altitude Chamber
High Accuracy Calorimeter Inside Altitude Chamber
Important lethality work conducted at Battelle includes an investigation into ways to augment energy released from a hit to kill intercept, including adding energetic material to the interceptor (see photo showing damage inflicted on target below). Battelle also was involved in the development of the physics data incorporated in the core set of models and simulations that are developed and maintained for a major lethality program.
Damage Inflicted on Target by Energy Augmented Projectile
Design and Production of Target Payloads, Countermeasures, and Instrumentation
Battelle innovations are being applied to hardware solutions to increase performance and reduce cost in the area of Targets and Countermeasures. Our current capabilities are on the cutting edge in:
Surrogate threat/payload systems, such as a Ballistic Missile Defense Flight Target Payload, shown below
Instrumentation, including hit grids with high speed data collection, and telemetry
Special threat payloads/warheads, including high explosive, chemical, and biological warfare agent simulants
Countermeasures, including instrumented submunition hardware
Automated engineering design from concept through fabrication and flight data analysis.
Ballistic Missile Defense Flight Target Payload
Mr. George Birdsong, manager of Battelle Huntsville Operations, is responsible for providing support for all phases of the development cycle for target items that are used in flight tests of missile defense systems. He leads programs related to surrogate threat re-entry systems, instrumentation systems for ultra high speed applications, hit detection and lethality assessment, laboratory and dynamic test experimental design, special hardware design and fabrication, and special payload development (high explosive, chemical and biological warfare agent simulants). State-of-the-art tools are used for analysis, design, and development tasks. The radar cross section (RCS) testing of a booster/Battelle payload stack is shown below
RCS Testing of Booster/Battelle Payload Stack
Ground and Flight Testing
Battelle provides support in every aspect of missile defense testing from setting objectives to post-test analysis. Our specialists possess many years of experience applying innovative solutions to the challenges of setting test objectives/requirements (facilities, sensors, and data); performing test planning and pre-test analysis, including use of three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for pressure and thermal loading (see example below for rocket sled test analysis) and performing structural analysis using Finite Element Modelling (FEM); developing sensors and instrumentation; test preparation and execution; data collection and analysis; and test documentation.
Rocket Sled Test Supersonic Flow Visualization
Battelle 3D CFD Flow Predictions
System Engineering
One of the innovative tools Battelle applies to target payload development is automated systems engineering, starting with a conceptual design, extending through detailed design with design analysis, and ending with manufacturing. This proven and reliable approach helps achieve maximum efficiency in the concept through manufacturing development process.
Our staff have extensive expertise in requirements analysis and allocation; advanced concept development and evaluation (see Optical Hit Detector example below); design reviews (including SRR, SDR, PDR, CDR, TRR); and fixed and mobile implementation of Decision Support and Analysis tools.
Advanced Concepts - Optical Hit Detector
Another innovative tool, the Decision Support and Analysis Facility, is being used successfully on many programs conducted by Battelle. Supported by alliances with three national universities, Battelle’s Decision Support and Analysis capability is an extension of program management support. The fixed computer facility at Battelle’s office in Arlington, VA is shown in the figure below.
Decision Support and Analysis
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Dr. John F. Dilley,
Missile Defense Senior Market Manager
http://www.armedforces-int.com/article.asp?pubID=15&catID=584&artID=880
A non-profit charitable trust with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle is the largest independent R&D organization in the world. Battelle’s history of successful contract support experience spans more than 70 years. Staff resources include 16,000 scientists, engineers, and support specialists active at Battelle facilities and offices worldwide and at the DOE Laboratories it manages or co-manages.
Each year, Battelle’s business operations perform work on thousands of technology projects for nearly 2,000 companies and government agencies. Annual R&D at Battelle is valued at $2.7 billion, and the work typically results in 50 to 100 patented inventions each year.
Battelle’s contributions to missile defense draw heavily on developing advanced technologies and applying in-depth experience of personnel to augment current capabilities of our Nation’s armed forces. Critical analysis capabilities, test and evaluation expertise, and rapid prototyping are key factors contributing to Battelle’s leadership in the following areas:
Innovative Approaches to Lethality Testing and Analysis
Design and Production of Target Payloads, Countermeasures, and Instrumentation – see photo below
Support to all Phases of Ground and Flight Testing – see photo below
System Engineering.

Battelle Payload on Target Launch
Innovative Approaches to Lethality Testing and Analysis
Battelle has been contributing world-class science to missile defense lethality for over 15 years. Our strengths and core capabilities in this area are an extension of Battelle’s leadership in Chemical and Biological Agent Defense research. Our staff members are making key contributions in the following critical activities:
Physics-based testing on source terms, lethality, and transport of chemical warfare agents/simulants
Development and characterization of agent simulants
Lethality test (both ground and flight) planning, execution, and analysis
Lethality model development support
Special test facility development.
Dr. Carl Alexander, a world renowned expert in lethality, leads Battelle staff in a wide range of activities with the goal of characterizing the properties and effects of chemical warfare agents as well as simulants that are used to expedite testing. To support this work, Battelle has designed and built facilities specifically for testing survivability and behaviour under re-entry and intercept conditions. The facilities include a high speed, light gas gun with a high accuracy calorimeter, shown in the photos below.
Battelle’s Light Gas Gun and 31 m3 Altitude Chamber

High Accuracy Calorimeter Inside Altitude Chamber

Important lethality work conducted at Battelle includes an investigation into ways to augment energy released from a hit to kill intercept, including adding energetic material to the interceptor (see photo showing damage inflicted on target below). Battelle also was involved in the development of the physics data incorporated in the core set of models and simulations that are developed and maintained for a major lethality program.
Damage Inflicted on Target by Energy Augmented Projectile
Design and Production of Target Payloads, Countermeasures, and Instrumentation

Battelle innovations are being applied to hardware solutions to increase performance and reduce cost in the area of Targets and Countermeasures. Our current capabilities are on the cutting edge in:
Surrogate threat/payload systems, such as a Ballistic Missile Defense Flight Target Payload, shown below
Instrumentation, including hit grids with high speed data collection, and telemetry
Special threat payloads/warheads, including high explosive, chemical, and biological warfare agent simulants
Countermeasures, including instrumented submunition hardware
Automated engineering design from concept through fabrication and flight data analysis.
Ballistic Missile Defense Flight Target Payload

Mr. George Birdsong, manager of Battelle Huntsville Operations, is responsible for providing support for all phases of the development cycle for target items that are used in flight tests of missile defense systems. He leads programs related to surrogate threat re-entry systems, instrumentation systems for ultra high speed applications, hit detection and lethality assessment, laboratory and dynamic test experimental design, special hardware design and fabrication, and special payload development (high explosive, chemical and biological warfare agent simulants). State-of-the-art tools are used for analysis, design, and development tasks. The radar cross section (RCS) testing of a booster/Battelle payload stack is shown below
RCS Testing of Booster/Battelle Payload Stack

Ground and Flight Testing
Battelle provides support in every aspect of missile defense testing from setting objectives to post-test analysis. Our specialists possess many years of experience applying innovative solutions to the challenges of setting test objectives/requirements (facilities, sensors, and data); performing test planning and pre-test analysis, including use of three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for pressure and thermal loading (see example below for rocket sled test analysis) and performing structural analysis using Finite Element Modelling (FEM); developing sensors and instrumentation; test preparation and execution; data collection and analysis; and test documentation.
Rocket Sled Test Supersonic Flow Visualization
Battelle 3D CFD Flow Predictions


System Engineering
One of the innovative tools Battelle applies to target payload development is automated systems engineering, starting with a conceptual design, extending through detailed design with design analysis, and ending with manufacturing. This proven and reliable approach helps achieve maximum efficiency in the concept through manufacturing development process.
Our staff have extensive expertise in requirements analysis and allocation; advanced concept development and evaluation (see Optical Hit Detector example below); design reviews (including SRR, SDR, PDR, CDR, TRR); and fixed and mobile implementation of Decision Support and Analysis tools.
Advanced Concepts - Optical Hit Detector

Another innovative tool, the Decision Support and Analysis Facility, is being used successfully on many programs conducted by Battelle. Supported by alliances with three national universities, Battelle’s Decision Support and Analysis capability is an extension of program management support. The fixed computer facility at Battelle’s office in Arlington, VA is shown in the figure below.
Decision Support and Analysis

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Dr. John F. Dilley,
Missile Defense Senior Market Manager
http://www.armedforces-int.com/article.asp?pubID=15&catID=584&artID=880