Proving ground
Encyclopedia
A proving ground is the US name for a military installation or reservation where weapons or other military technology are experimented or tested, or where military tactics
are tested. The usual British term is training area.
While these types of facilities are generally referred to as military or government establishments, there are examples of civilian industry that have their own proving grounds to test their prototypes and new technologies.
, there are several military facilities that are designated as Proving Grounds.
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
are tested. The usual British term is training area.
While these types of facilities are generally referred to as military or government establishments, there are examples of civilian industry that have their own proving grounds to test their prototypes and new technologies.
Canada
- CFB SuffieldCFB SuffieldCanadian Forces Base Suffield , is the largest Canadian Forces Base and the largest Commonwealth military training base in the world...
, AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
(2690 km²) - training base for Canadian ForcesCanadian ForcesThe Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
and British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England... - Land Force Central Area Training Centre Meaford, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
(68km²) - tank training area - Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
- home to Land Force Western Area Training Centre (LFWATC) and the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre (CMTC) - Land Force Atlantic Area Training Centre Aldershot, Nova ScotiaNova ScotiaNova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
(1,136 ha)
United States
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, there are several military facilities that are designated as Proving Grounds.
- Aberdeen Proving GroundAberdeen Proving GroundAberdeen Proving Ground is a United States Army facility located near Aberdeen, Maryland, . Part of the facility is a census-designated place , which had a population of 3,116 at the 2000 census.- History :...
is a United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
facility located at Aberdeen, MarylandAberdeen, MarylandAs of the census of 2000, there were 13,842 people, 5,475 households, and 3,712 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,166.2 people per square mile . There were 5,894 housing units at an average density of 922.4 per square mile...
, and is the Army's oldest active proving ground, established on October 20, 1917, six months after the United States entered World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It was created so that design and testing of ordnanceWeaponA weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
materielMaterielMateriel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
could be carried out in proximity to the nation's industrial and shipping centers at the time. - Dugway Proving GroundDugway Proving GroundDugway Proving Ground is a US Army facility located approximately 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah in southern Tooele County and just north of Juab County...
in an active facility operated by the United States Army Test and Evaluation Command in the Great Salt Lake DesertGreat Salt Lake DesertThe Great Salt Lake Desert is a large dry lake in northern Utah between the Great Salt Lake and the Nevada border which is noted for white sand from evaporite Lake Bonneville salt deposits...
of UtahDugway, UtahDugway is a census-designated place in Tooele County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,016, at the 2000 census, a modest increase over the 1990 figure of 1,761. "Dugway" is synonymous with the United States Army's giant testing facility, Dugway Proving Ground...
. Dugway's mission is to test U.S. and Allied biological and chemical weapon defense systems. - Fort BelvoirFort BelvoirFort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Originally, it was the site of the Belvoir plantation. Today, Fort Belvoir is home to a number of important United States military organizations...
Proving ground. - Pacific Proving Ground is an inactive U.S. Department of Energy area in the Marshall IslandsMarshall IslandsThe Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
that were established by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in 1946 for detonation of nuclear devices for testing weapon design and effectsNuclear testingNuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield and explosive capability of nuclear weapons. Throughout the twentieth century, most nations that have developed nuclear weapons have tested them...
. It mainly consists of Bikini AtollBikini AtollBikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
, Enewetak Atoll & the surrounding area. Deactivated in 1963 - Jefferson Proving GroundJefferson Proving GroundThe Jefferson Proving Ground , located in Madison, Indiana, was principally a munitions testing facility of Test and Evaluation Command of the United States Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command...
located in Madison, IndianaMadison, IndianaAs of the census of 2000, there were 12,004 people, 5,092 households, and 3,085 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,402.9 people per square mile . There were 5,597 housing units at an average density of 654.1 per square mile...
, was principally a munitions testing facility of Test and Evaluation Command of the United States Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command. The facility was ordered closed in 1989 as part of the Base Realignment and ClosureBase Realignment and ClosureBase Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
(BRAC) process. - Sandy Hook Proving GroundSandy Hook Proving GroundThe Sandy Hook Proving Ground was a military facility, established by the Secretary of War on August 7, 1874, to serve as the United States Army's first proving ground for the testing of ordnance and materiel...
, at Sandy Hook, New JerseySandy Hook, New JerseySandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay...
was the nation's first such facility. It was created in 1874 and was used as a proving ground until 1919. - Yuma Proving Ground is a United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
facility situated in southwestern La Paz CountyLa Paz County, ArizonaLa Paz County is a county in the western part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census its population was 20,489. The county seat is Parker...
and western Yuma CountyYuma County, Arizona-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*70.4% White*2.0% Black*1.6% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.8% Two or more races*20.8% Other races*59.7% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
in southwestern ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, approximately 30 miles (48 km) north-east of the city of YumaYuma, ArizonaYuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
. The proving ground is used for testing military equipment and encompasses 1,307.8 square miles (3,387.2 km²) in the Sonoran DesertSonoran DesertThe Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
.
Finland
- FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
- The Artillery BrigadeArtillery Brigade (Finnish Army)Artillery Brigade is a Finnish Army unit situated in Niinisalo, in Western Finland. The Artillery Brigade trains conscripts and regular personnel for war-time artillery duties. In addition, it provides a weather service in the Niinisalo region, and trains most of the Finnish Defence Forces' dogs...
in Niinisalo, currently houses the Finnish ordnance R&D center (established 1921).
Germany
- Bergen-Hohne Training AreaBergen-Hohne Training AreaBergen-Hohne Training Area is a NATO military training area in the southern part of the Lüneburg Heath, in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It covers an area of , which makes it the largest military training area in Germany.It was established by the German armed forces, the...
, Lower Saxony (284 km²), NATO facility, largest training area in Germany. - HammelburgHammelburgHammelburg is a town in the district of Bad Kissingen, in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Franconian Saale, 25 km west of Schweinfurt...
, Bavaria (40 km²). Hammelburg features a complete artificial village for training purposes of the German ArmyGerman ArmyThe German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force... - HohenfelsHohenfels, BavariaHohenfels is a municipality in the district of Neumarkt in the region of Upper Palatinate in Bavaria, Germany. The town is host to the United States Army Garrison Hohenfels, which operates the Joint Multinational Readiness Center for training NATO armed forces....
, Bavaria (160 km²) Hohenfels Training Area - GrafenwöhrGrafenwöhrGrafenwöhr is a town in the district Neustadt , in the region of the Upper Palatinate in eastern Bavaria, Germany. It is widely known for the United States Army military installation and training area, called Grafenwöhr Training Area, located directly south and west of the town.- Early History:The...
, Bavaria (229 km²) a US facility - Munster Training AreaMunster Training AreaMunster Training Area is a military training area in Germany on the Lüneburg Heath. It comprises two separate areas with different purposes: Munster North and Munster South . The two areas are separated geographically by the town of Munster and several barracks...
, Lower Saxony.
Poland
- Drawsko PomorskieDrawsko PomorskieDrawsko Pomorskie is a town in Drawsko County in West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland, with 17,440 inhabitants. Originally inhabited by Slavs, the settlement was colonized by Germans during the Middle Ages...
(340 km²) belongs to Polish Army and Air Force (since 1946), since 1996 also used by NATO. This facility is internationally known as DPTA - Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area. It is also an important site of archeological excavations.
Portugal
- Alcochete (75 km²) - artillery and air bombing range. Stablished in 1904, it belonged to the Portuguese ArmyPortuguese ArmyThe Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
until 1993 and since them, belongs to the Portuguese Air ForcePortuguese Air ForceThe Portuguese Air Force is the air force of Portugal. Formed on July 1, 1952, with the Aeronáutica Militar and Aviação Naval united in a single independent Air Force, it is one of the three branches of the Portuguese Armed Forces and its origins dates back to 1912, when the military aviation...
. It is the biggest closed military installation in Europe. It was chosen, in 2008, to be the site of the future New Lisbon International AirportAlcochete AirportNew Lisbon Airport is the currently planned site for construction of a new Lisbon Airport, scheduled to replace or complement the current Portela Airport in the year 2017.-History:...
.
United Kingdom
- Salisbury Plain Training Area, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(380 km²) - United Kingdom - Stanford Battle AreaStanford Battle AreaStanford Battle Area, better known as the Stanford Training Area , is a British Army training area situated in the English county of Norfolk. The area is approximately in size; it is some north of the town of Thetford and south-west of the city of Norwich...
, NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
(120 km²)
Russia/former Soviet Union
- Kapustin YarKapustin YarKapustin Yar is a Russian rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast, between Volgograd and Astrakhan. Known today as Znamensk , it was established 13 May 1946 and in the beginning used technology, material, and scientific support from defeated Germany...
- aerial weapons/rocket test range, North Caucasus Military DistrictNorth Caucasus Military DistrictThe North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also includes the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla.... - Totskoye range nuclear tests - test range in the Urals where nuclear tests were carried out 1954
- YakutiaChallenge - winter test proving ground in Yakutia, Eastern Siberia
Australia
- (Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area) Shoalwater BayShoalwater BayShoalwater Bay is a large bay on the central coast of Queensland, Australia, located 100 km north of the coastal town of Yeppoon and 628 km north-north-west of the state capital, Brisbane. Since 1966, the land surrounding Shoalwater Bay has been under the ownership of the Australian Defence Force,...
, QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
(4545km²)
Automakers
- Chrysler Corporation - See Chrysler Proving GroundsChrysler Proving GroundsChrysler LLC operates proving grounds around North America, for development and validation testing of new vehicles.-Arizona Proving Ground :Location:The Arizona Proving Ground is a vehicle test facility established in 1955 in Yucca, Arizona...
- Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor CompanyFord Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
- See Ford Proving GroundsFord Proving GroundsFord Motor Company operates several proving grounds worldwide, for development and validation testing of new vehicles.For Ford/Mazda Proving Grounds in Japan see Mazda Proving Grounds- - Wittmann, Arizona:Latitude and Longitude: The opened in 1985... - General Motors Corporation - See General Motors Proving GroundsGeneral Motors Proving Grounds-Desert Proving Ground Yuma:Desert Proving Ground Yuma is a facility co-built and leased by General Motors located within the US Army's Yuma Proving Grounds. The site contains a inner facility sitting on 2,400 acres with a 24 acre campus containing 98,000 ft2 of building area and also has 40 miles...
- MazdaMazdais a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
Motors Corporation - See Mazda Proving Grounds - Nissan MotorsNissan Motors, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
- See Nissan Proving GroundsNissan Proving GroundsNissan Motors operates a proving ground in Motegi, Haga District, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The track includes an off-road facility for testing trucks and SUVs.The is located at 555 Aida-Ōaza, Haga-gun, Motegi ....
External links
- Finnish ordnance center at mil.fi (in FinnishFinnish languageFinnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
) - YakutiaChallenge
- Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area