YUMA PROVING GROUND, AZ– Whenever the U.S. military fires an artillery round, the reliability of that round was meticulously proven at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) long before making it into the hands of Soldiers.
Lot acceptance testing, the testing of a sample of fielded but newly-produced munitions in real-world conditions to ensure reliability and effectiveness, is another important part of YPG’s munitions and weapons mission.
Every component of a shell, from the round and casing to the primer and propellant, is tested at YPG. The velocity of the fired round is measured, as is the dispersion of the shell when it hits its target. Testers also look for residue in the gun tube by using a camera aimed at the breech during the test and physically inspecting it after the round has been fired.