Overberg test range
The Overberg Test Range ( OTR ) or Afrikaans Overberg Toetsbaan ( OTB ) is a military test site and missile launch site in the Overberg district , near the town of Arniston on the south coast of South Africa .
The OTB is owned by the state-owned South African defense company Denel . The Overberg Test Range was set up under Armscor in the 1980s and has been in an expansion project since 2002, which is originally scheduled to be completed in March 2010. However, due to financial burdens at Denel, the completion plan was extended by one year. The design and construction of the test site is based on the Israeli missile test site near Palmachim and was probably also carried out with the support of Israel .
Location and terrain
Coordinates: 34 ° 33 ′ 7 ″ S , 20 ° 19 ′ 2 ″ E
The OTB is located about 200 kilometers (km) east of Cape Town between Arniston and Cape Infanta. De Hoop National Park divides the test site into a larger western and a smaller eastern part.
The area itself is around 43,000 hectares and has a maximum extension of 70 × 14 km. The test site extends along the coast with the rocket launch sites and test sites. The flight zone belonging to the OTB without height restrictions measures 240 × 55 km and the area above the sea 70 × 30 km. The test site thus includes 70 km of coastline.
The western part of the OTB is relatively flat, allowing low-level maneuvers and attacks. This is also where the main control facilities, offices and maintenance facilities are located. There is also an area for air-to-ground attacks with a size of 2000 × 400 meters. The eastern part is more mountainous and is mainly used for cross-country flight and also as an impact point for long-range weapons. The area around the test site is mainly sparsely populated farmland, which means that it is largely free of industrial air pollution and the risk of disruptive interference from transmitters in the vicinity.
The neighboring Air Force Base Overberg with the associated Test Flight and Development Center (TFDC) is operated by the South African Air Force and, with its 3000 meter long runway, also enables very large aircraft to land. The base is also responsible for coordinating flight operations on the OTB.
Facilities and equipment
At the peak of the 1990s, 500 people were employed in Overberg. The military program was discontinued in 1992 and the space program only a year later. In 1997 only 28 people were still working in Overberg. OTB is certified according to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 .
Various tests can be carried out on the OTB:
- Air-to-air test
- Air-to-ground or air-to-sea testing
- Ground-to-ground tests (also sea target)
- Anti-tank tests (also from the helicopter)
- Airplane and avionics tests , cargo and drop tests
The facilities and systems are able to track three flying objects in parallel and reproduce the data in real time. Numerous targets can be provided for testing. High-speed drones , drawn targets and parachute targets, as well as standing and moving armored hulls and warmed targets are used to simulate the engine heat for infrared seekers.
A large number of instruments and monitoring devices are available for monitoring the test:
- three precision radars for real-time tracking
- six mobile film theodolites (5–300 images per second) and a tracking system (with a telescope up to 10 m focal length and optical tracking device) with film and video
- numerous high-speed cameras (16 mm, 35 mm and 70 mm, 25–1000 images per second) for documentation in the start and finish area (also in the infrared range)
- two stationary and two mobile telemetry stations that work in the S and P bands .
- for data matching is a Cesium - atomic clock available, with the Global Positioning System is referenced (GPS)
- Remote control via IRIG-B transmission
- a security system compatible with the RCC-319-XX standard
- a weather station for measurements of the lower and upper air layers, also using weather balloons or meteorological rockets (up to a height of 50 km)
- Air and naval search radars
Test programs
Overberg launched the RSA-3 rocket towards the end of the 1980s , the structure of which is identical in many parts to the Israeli Shavit rocket .
Since the military and space program was discontinued, the Overberg Test Range has mainly offered the implementation and monitoring of test programs and flights for missiles of all kinds. Since the establishment of the test range, almost 700 test programs were carried out until 2003.
Test programs for the Bundeswehr
Almost the entire test program for the Taurus KEPD 350 was carried out in Overberg. The verification by the Federal Office for Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB) and various test flights, including with the participation of Fighter Bomber Wing 33 , took place here.
The German Navy also used OTB for the sharp shot from Exocet , Sea Sparrow and other missiles.
Known launches of launch vehicles
All launches were carried out under the leadership of Armscor (Armaments Corporation of South Africa Ltd.), a state institution comparable to the BWB.
- June 1, 1989 - launcher: RSA-3-d, 1st test mission, summit height: 100 km
- July 6, 1989 - launcher: RSA-3, 2nd test mission, peak altitude: 300 km
- November 19, 1990 - Launch vehicle: RSA-3, 3rd test mission, summit height: 300 km
Individual evidence
- ^ Denel: Layout of Denel Overberg Test Range . on www.denel.co.za (English)
- ↑ a b Data on the structure and expansion of OTR on Janes.com (engl.)
- ↑ Report on the schedule of the expansion on the website of OTB (Engl.) ( Memento of the original dated 2 February 2009 at the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link is automatically inserted and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ GlobalSecurity with information on the OTB (English, accessed on January 1, 2009)
- ↑ a b c Official website of the OTB with data on the place and the location (English) ( Memento of the original from February 2, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ NTI.org (Engl.) With information about OTB ( Memento of the original on 20 August 2008 at the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link is automatically inserted and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c overview of the capabilities and facilities of the test site on the website of OTB (Engl.) ( Memento of the original dated 2 February 2009 at the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link is automatically inserted and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c GlobalDefence with data on the Taurus tests and Overberg (English) ( Memento of the original from January 17, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Report on the Air Force website on the Taurus tests
- ^ DefenseWeb: Germans conduct successful missile testing at Overberg . News from May 5, 2014 on www.defenceweb.co.za (English)
- ↑ Armscor website
- ↑ Start dates of the RSA-3 on GlobalSecurity (accessed on January 1, 2009)
Web links
- Denel : Denel Overberg Test Range . on www.denelotr.co.za (English)
- Mark Wade: Overberg in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
- GlobalSecurity : Overberg Test Range (OTB) (Arniston) . at www.globalsecurity.org (English)