The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) opened the newest weapon in its testing arsenal at Eglin Air Force Base, the Advanced Munitions Technology Complex (AMTC). 

The $165 Million investment in Eglin Air Force Base allows the Air Force to test munitions that kill or disable America’s enemies on the battlefield in “a modern, collaborative research space that allows scientists and engineers to experiment with new explosive materials and integrate them into complex munitions designs more efficiently,” according to a release on the AFRL’s website.

The building will upgrade some of the facilities that the AFRL has used since the 1960s. 

“[With this facility], researchers will now be able to conduct additional experiments,” said Segrid Harris, Deputy Director of the Munitions Directorate, “We’ll be able to enhance our science and our technology even further. Things that we did not have the capacity to do before we will have the capacity to do now.”

Roughly 5,500 people in the Department of Defense collaborated to make this newest building happen at Eglin Air Force Base.  

The Air Force Research Laboratory employs more than 10,500 people across the United States