testing talk
// PAIGE SMITH
A leap of faith
Bridget Salo is running
Range in south africa as a
multipurpose test facility
ince its establishment
in 1985 the Denel
Overberg missile and
aircraft test range in
the Western Cape of South Africa has
provided in-flight systems performance
measurements for the local and
international aerospace industries. The
range, which is part of the South African
aerospace and defence group Denel,
covers a 430 km (170 square mile) area.
The range’s acting CEO Bridget Salo
has worked at Overberg for almost seven
years and in this interview discusses how
she took a leap of faith into the industry.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE AN
AEROSPACE CAREER AND WHAT
WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
I started my career in local government in
human resources. I live near the range
and the fact that I had such a magnificent
facility right at my door step always
fascinated me. It appeared to be a
mysterious industry and I wanted to
know more.
I soon realized that this is an area that
requires a number of critical skills and
my passion for human development
inspired me to find out more about this
industry. When I was appointed deputy
CEO at the test range it provided me with
the Denel Overberg
the opportunity to be exposed to areas outside my field
of expertise which prepared me for the CEO role that I
am currently acting in.
WHAT EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES DOES THE
RANGE HAVE?
It is a well-established, fully integrated, multipurpose
test facility with an array of measuring systems,
sophisticated support facilities, experienced personnel
and a unique location. Our core business is the in-flight
testing of advanced guidance and aviation systems for
the local and international aerospace industries. The test
range uses electro-optical and radio frequency (RF)
instruments for tracking purposes.
We have three coherent instrumentation radar
systems which provide the primary real-time tracking
capability. Located at strategic positions, they ensure
effective coverage of the entire test. The
mono-pulse systems operating in C-band were
designed for a variety of applications including
missile and ammunition evaluation and aircraft
performance tests.
In addition the test range has a
meteorological radar system and two primary
telemetry facilities installed at fixed locations
which can provide real-time reception,
recording and relay of telemetry data. There are
also five electro-optical measurement systems
designed to provide positional and event data.
One of the systems, the Trackmount, carries
telescopes of up to 10m focal length with
automatic tracking.
62 SEPTEMBER \\ AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM
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