The 412th Test Wing (412 TW) at Edwards Air Force Base is designated a Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB) Activity under Department of Defense Directive 3200.11. The MRTFB provides robust and flexible test and evaluation (T&E) capabilities to develop, acquire, field and sustain reliable and effective weapon systems to meet current and future warfighter needs. The MRTFB infrastructure consists of open-air ranges, test facilities, instrumentation data processing capabilities and other test resources that must be preserved as a national asset to provide T&E capabilities in support of the DOD acquisition system. The 412 TW Commander is the range operating authority for MRTFB assets at Edwards AFB.
The 412 TW partners with Naval Air Weapons Center, China Lake and the National Training Center at Fort Irwin to offer world-class restricted-use airspace – the R-2508 Complex. The complex is likely the most important multiple service special-use airspace in the National Airspace System. The R-2508 Complex contains bombing ranges, supersonic corridors, low altitude high-speed maneuver areas, radar intercept areas, and refueling areas.
Edwards offers comprehensive range capabilities critical to successful T&E execution, such as open-air signal emitters, threats, instrumentation systems, data transport systems, real-time mission control rooms, time-spaceposition information, distributed test operations, post-test data processing, and decades of subject matter expertise in T&E. Edwards AFB is centrally located among several other DOD MRTFB locations: Nevada Test and Training Range at Nellis AFB; Western Range at Vandenberg SFB; the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division at Point Mugu; and the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division at China Lake. Data acquisition and transmission systems link Edwards to these neighboring ranges, which enables real-time data analysis and multi-service interoperability. Edwards connection to the Defense Research and Engineering Network (DREN) enables widely distributed test operations.