Rocket Motor Test Cell completes milestone 150th run in facility Published Jan. 2, 2025 By Bradley Hicks AEDC Public Affairs ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- The J-6 Rocket Motor Test Cell team at Arnold Air Force Base recently celebrated a significant milestone in the history of the facility. The 150th test run in J-6 occurred on Nov. 6. J-6 is a large altitude test capability for medium to large rocket propulsion systems. The recent milestone run occurred just a little over three decades after the completion of the first test in J-6. A Peacekeeper Stage 2 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile was successfully tested in the facility in August 1994. Initial planning for the J-6 facility began with over 2,000 drawings and 4,000 pages of specifications. Since its construction at Arnold AFB, headquarters of Arnold Engineering Development Complex, J-6 has fulfilled a national need by providing ground test simulations for large solid-propellant rocket motors, such as those in the Minuteman III ICBM, over a wide range of simulated pressure altitudes and temperature conditions to replicate real-world scenarios. Ground testing under simulated altitude conditions in J-6 include carefully controlled test environments with extensive instrumentation and photographic coverage to determine the operability and performance of a test article. “A simulated-altitude ground test in conjunction with a flight test can significantly mitigate program risk and provide greater understanding of true system performance while substantially reducing overall test program cost,” said Adam Baker, an instrumentation, data and controls engineering technical specialist at Arnold AFB. After more than 30 years in operations, J-6 continues to test the nation’s larger ICBMs for aging surveillance, to perform qualification testing and to test new developmental systems. And the facility continues to evolve. “The facility has been instrumental in providing a strong national defense and is indispensable for a peaceful, successful and free America,” Baker said.