Established in 1918 as a naval proving ground, the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Laboratory (NSWCDL) is the headquarters for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.

As the premiere naval scientific and engineering institution, Dahlgren technology makes a difference in our military’s ability to fight, win, and come home safely. Dahlgren can boast that it has ‘‘sighted” and certified every gun barrel on every surface craft ever used by the U.S. Navy. With its 18-mile range along the shores of the Potomac River and Machodoc Creek, the Dahlgren test range looks to the future - its booming guns pushing the envelope of ordnance and weaponry for tomorrow’s Navy.

The Fleet of the future is being designed today and Dahlgren scientists and engineers are in the thick of it, lending their knowledge, expertise, and innovations so that our nation can never be outflanked by its adversaries. Even with brand new design concepts, current systems must be taken into account.

National attention is focused on military participation in non-traditional missions. Operations other-than-war, Homeland Defense, Chemical-Biological warfare protection, counter-terrorism, and counter-narcoterrorism are but a few of the examples of missions that are pressing.

NSWC Dahlgren Division is uniquely positioned to help navigate the road to transformation. Its broad spectrum of resources, including workforce, infrastructure, and relationships with industry, have already made it a premier naval scientific and engineering institution that is dedicated to solving a diverse set of complex technical problems confronting the warfighter, whether on land, in the air, on the sea or in space.

The Warfare Center spent years building, testing, and stretching a technical infrastructure at Dahlgren that is simply not available elsewhere. The Division exists to understand technical dimensions of military problems and to know whether a responsible solution has been provided. This is accomplished by addressing three attributes of navy ownership: unimpeded access to intellectual facilities and resources, connectivity between the warfighter and the technical community, and a continuous source of competence to ensure integrity over the entire life cycle of a system. It cannot be done alone; it requires sustained relationships with the warfighter, sponsors, industry and academia.

Mission and Purpose
The mission of NSWC Dahlgren Division focuses on research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) in the fields of military safety testing, integrated warfare systems, weapons and ammunition, sensors and directed energy, and homeland and force (military personnel and equipment) protection.

The Division’s purpose is to understand the technical dimensions of military systems; to recognize need, problems and competent solutions; and to assist the nation in delivering affordable and capable 21st century warfighting and peacekeeping capabilities.

NSWCDD’s vision is to become the Department of the Navy’s leading warfare system architect and system engineer, recognized as the technical leader in delivering innovative, affordable, and effective solutions for the Navy, Joint Forces and the Nation.

New Railgun Electromagnetic Launch Facility Dedicated at NSWC Dahlgren
A new Electromagnetic Launch Facility (EMLF) was dedicated at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren during a ceremony hosted by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in which a high speed projectile pierced the ceremonial ribbon on Jan. 16, 2007.

The railgun allows a projectile to be fired with a muzzle energy of 7.4 mega joules to achieve a velocity of 2,146 meters per second at the Navy’s largest operational EMLF.

A naval railgun offers a transformational solution for volume fires and time-critical strike with potential to deliver lethal, hypersonic projectiles at ranges in excess of 200 nautical miles within six minutes.

The new system offers several operational advantages of the new technology such as all-weather availability, global positioning system, precision and persistent volume fires. Ship survivability will be enhanced by the removal of hazardous explosive substance. Moreover, ship construction will be simplified, and opportunities for changes in ship construction will exist because many features currently associated with explosive magazines will be removed from the ship.”

The mission of the Electromagnetic Rail Gun (EMRG) program is to develop the science and technology necessary to design, test, produce, and install a revolutionary 64 Mega Joule (MJ) EMRG aboard U.S. Navy ships in the 2020 - 2025 timeframe. The current phase of the program extends through 2011.

The ONR railgun program is currently concentrating on development of launcher technology with adequate service life and risk reduction for the projectile, which presents several challenging technical hurdles.

The stored energy, launcher and terminal area at the Dahlgren facility will be increased in size to accommodate a 32 MJ muzzle energy gun by Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. This facility provides the first steps toward an envisioned tactical Navy system with 64 MJ of muzzle energy.

Electromagnetic Gun Facility Operational with Successful First Test
The successful test and standup of an electromagnetic (EM) railgun facility at NSWC Dahlgren Laboratory marks a significant milestone in the advancement of naval gun technology.

Working for the Office of Naval Research (ONR), engineers at the laboratory fired a low energy shot, the first in a series of tests required to bring the facility online. Using a 90 mm bore launcher with a copper rail and a power plant capable of delivering 8 mega joules (MJ) of muzzle energy, a 2.4 kg projectile was fired at 830 meters per second, yielding an energy of 0.8 MJ.

As part of ONR’s Electromagnetic Railgun program, the stored energy, launcher and terminal area at the Dahlgren facility will be increased in size to accommodate a 32 MJ muzzle energy gun by Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. This facility provides the first steps toward the envisioned tactical Navy system of 64 MJ of muzzle energy.

Railguns provide a capability for sustained, offensive power projection, complementary to missiles and tactical aircraft. They may be a cost-effective solution to the Marine Corps Naval Surface Fire Support requirements because of their unique capability to simultaneously satisfy three key warfighting objectives: extremely long ranges; short time-of-flight; and high lethality (energy-on-target).

Railgun research in the United States has been ongoing for more than two decades. In the 1980s, railgun research was conducted under the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) in an effort to develop space-based intercept of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Army began research in 1985 to develop a mobile, ground-based electromagnetic system capable of defeating future armored combat vehicles. The refurbished SDI launcher is currently installed at NSWC Dahlgren.

Research Interns Team Up With Mentors in Technological Programs at NSWC
The Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP) program enables NSWC Dahlgren to expose future scientists and engineers to exciting, high impact and current technological projects.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) sponsored internship program is designed to provide opportunities for rising junior and senior undergraduate and graduate students to participate in research, under the guidance of a research mentor. Twenty scientist and engineer mentors worked with interns last year at NSWC Dahlgren.

The interns gain real-world experiences in their field of study and enhance their science, engineering and research skills.

The program gives NSWC Dahlgren technical managers an opportunity to look at students who are potential new hires or cooperative education program intern candidates.

The goals of the NREIP are to encourage participating students to pursue science and engineering careers, to further education via mentoring by laboratory personnel and their participation in research, and to make them aware of Navy research and technology efforts, which can lead to employment within the Navy laboratory structure.

To participate in NREIP, a student must be enrolled at an eligible college⁄university (comprising approximately 160 institutions; eligibility is determined by ONR) and have completed at least their sophomore year before beginning the internship. A list of participating universities is available at www.asee.org⁄nreip. The stipend amounts for the program are $5,500 for undergraduate students and $6,500 for graduate students. U.S. citizenship is required. Permanent residents are accepted at certain labs.

Stryker Trophy System Destroys RPGs at First U.S. Live-Fire Tests
The Trophy Active Protection System (APS) designed to protect vehicles from rocket or missile attacks was successfully demonstrated for the first time on U.S. soil at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren Division.

Integrated on heavy, medium and light platforms, Trophy APS is ready for deployment against all types of high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) threats, including all known types of anti-tank guided missiles, anti-tank rockets and tank HEAT rounds. The Trophy APS Hard Kill system operates in three major stages: threat detection, threat tracking followed by Hard Kill mechanism activation, and threat neutralization by a countermeasure. The neutralization process takes place only if the threat is about to hit the platform.

The testing at NSWC Dahlgren, held in support of the Office of Force Transformation (OFT) Full-Spectrum Effects Platform (FSEP) program - also known as Project Sheriff - was conducted on the heels of similar Israeli experiments.

Held at the request of the Secretary of Defense's OFT, the tests certified comprehensive experiments conducted by the Israeli Defense Forces, validating Trophy's ability to detect, track and destroy incoming rocket propelled grenades at safe distances from the host vehicle.

A rapid response to several urgent needs of combatant commanders, Project Sheriff is an operational prototype that integrates, for the first time, a broad range of lethal and non-lethal capabilities into an armored Stryker vehicle.

Sheriff engagement options include an Office of Naval Research and NSWC Dahlgren-developed counter fire system called Gunslinger that uses acoustic and infrared sensors to identify the location of hostile small arms fire and cues a gun mount to quickly locate the shooter and to return fire.

Veterans employed at Dahlgren benefit the warfighter
Injured veterans Tony Mervyn and Sean Locker’s combat experience in Iraq is positively impacting the development of technologies being tested at NSWC Dahlgren.

Since they arrived in Spring 2006, the injured veterans provided logistical support and operational insight to scientists and engineers working on a variety of technological products designed for warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For example, Locker - a former Marine Corps infantryman - advised civilian engineers who are testing the Netted Iridium (NI) Expeditionary Tactical Communications System (ETCS) for the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL).

The Netted Iridium satellite phones are designed to give warfighters the ability to communicate with a multitude of listeners over long distances without ground infrastructure and to give commanders the capability to locate troops throughout the whole area of expeditionary operations.

Locker and Mervyn were recuperating at Walter Reed Medical Center for wounds received while serving in Iraq when they attended a meeting sponsored by the DoD Operation Warfighter program to learn more about employment opportunities at federal agencies and military commands.

NSWC Dahlgren managers view Operation Warfighter meetings as an opportunity to meet recuperating service members with considerable talent and dedication who are potential candidates for work assignments at Dahlgren.

Hired as integrated logistics management specialists, they will continue to work alongside scientists and engineers to impact technological solutions that are developed to help warfighters fight, win and come home safely.

Moreover, the talent, dedication, and skills of recuperating service members help the Warfare Center prepare for the future by closing the gap between abstract technological development and the real needs of warfighters.

NAVSEA Scientists, Engineers Generate Students' Enthusiasm in Math, Science
NSWC Dahlgren scientists and engineers generated the interest of high school students to pursue math and science careers with technological demonstrations at the Black History Month “Spirit of Liberty“ event held in Washington D.C.

Students and federal employees - welcomed to the event at the Hubert Humphrey Building - visited NSWC exhibits showcasing new technologies that impact the warfighter, homeland defense and force protection.

The event also showcased cooperation between the Navy and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Event participants ranged from three NSWC Divisions and the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

The presentation, in two sessions, was introduced by a Colonial Williamsburg re-enactor who portrayed Gowan Pamphlet, a former slave and 18th century preacher determined to impact lives with a message of true freedom, education and equal opportunity.

The event included a Naval Research-Science and Technology for America's Readiness (N-STAR) exhibit that gave students an opportunity to launch a projectile with an electric solenoid gun.

Computer scientists Sara Freytes and Jay Weathersby demonstrated the Mobile Assessment Extension (MAX) to high school students at an NSWC Dahlgren Joint Warfare Applications Department exhibit.

Abilities of the disabled highlighted at Disability Awareness Observance
Air Force pilot Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake and Leslie Smith, Joint Warfare Analysis Center (JWAC) public affairs specialist, spoke about their 'abilities' at the Disability Awareness Observance held at the Aegis Training and Readiness Center (ATRC) auditorium.

Lourake – a former C-5 airlift pilot – the guest speaker at the event sponsored by NSWCDD, was recently reinstated to active duty after amputation of his leg above the knee. After successfully completing Gulfstream 3 qualification, he became the first above-the-knee amputee to pilot Air Force aircraft. The pilot said he is thankful to the DoD, the Air Force and to those who have supported him. Lourake appreciates the support he’s received from the military as well as his doctors. Before his accident, Lourake served as a special-air missions pilot for the 99th Airlift Squadron. During this time, he logged more than 1,000 hours flying foreign dignitaries and various heads of state. The pilot’s journey back to the cockpit began on Sept. 20, 2004 when he arrived at Gulfstream School in Savannah, Ga., for a three-week course complete with simulator training. Lourake’s historic flight on Oct. 25, 2005, made him the first above the knee amputee pilot in the U.S. Air Force.

While deployed to Bosnia as an active duty public affairs officer, Smith lost a leg and became permanently blind in her left eye. She is glad that as a civilian at JWAC, she can still support the warfighter and the mission. Smith runs marathons, and participates in scuba diving and skiing since her injuries.