GLOBAL
SPOTLIGHT
There are approximately 38,000 KBR employees across the globe. Though we’re separated by miles, we are all connected by our values and shared purpose. In Global Connections, we celebrate our diverse team of teams by highlighting some of the places where we live and work.
In this edition, we’re excited to highlight the KBR Aerospace Environment Protection Laboratory.
Training Angels to Fly
Inside the KBR Aerospace Environment Protection Laboratory
For more than 60 years, experts at KBR’s historic Aerospace Environment Protection Laboratory (AEPL) have been training the world’s most elite aviators to soar. The lab, located in San Antonio, Texas, is known for its high-G acceleration centrifuge and high-altitude chambers but also provides a variety of other capabilities — including research, development, and test and evaluation — to a range of customers, such as the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, NASA, U.S. Border Patrol, Axiom Space, Virgin Galactic and other commercial customers.
AEPL’s centrifuge has played important roles not only in U.S. military aviation but also in the U.S. space program, with documented “rides” by some of the earliest astronauts such as Apollo 13 Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert, Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise, and many others. This support also included centrifuge training for many later shuttle astronauts including Senator John Glenn for his return to space in 1998.
The AEPL was recently thrust into the spotlight with the release of the Amazon Prime documentary, “The Blue Angels.” The film gives viewers a glimpse of what it takes to prepare America’s premier flight demonstration squadron as they travel the country with a jam-packed show schedule. Most notably, it highlights the team’s unique ability to perform their complex flying maneuvers without the use of G-suits.
The G-suit is usually worn by fighter pilots to help protect them against the effects of high gravitational forces experienced when they employ combat maneuvers during training and operational sorties in the jet. However, wearing these suits would interfere with the Angels’ ability to execute the high-precision aerial maneuvers required for their world-renowned shows. This is where training at the AEPL’s centrifuge is critical. The centrifuge exposes pilots and trainees to the challenges of the high-G environment, but our Zero Harm approach to safety is always on display. KBR’s expert trainers coach pilots through the techniques for the Anti-G Straining Maneuver (AGSM) while ensuring all training and testing exercises are done in the safest possible manner.
AEPL’s high-altitude (hypobaric) chambers (four human rated and one equipment rated) are in the building next door to the centrifuge and have also served critical roles in military aviation and U.S. space. The historic site was visited by John F. Kennedy on November 21, 1963, when he came to dedicate the campus to support the nation’s space program and witnessed an altitude research project in action, the day before his assassination. The facility currently conducts barometric and decompression training, so trainees understand and know how to react to those changes effectively as well as research impacting aerospace medicine and air and space crew performance.
The AEPL’s training and analysis expertise are an invaluable part of KBR’s commitment to providing a world-class environment and support programs to our customers.
Watch this video to learn more about KBR’s AEPL.
High-flying Capabilities at the KBR Aerospace Environment Protection Laboratory
- Research science
- Medical imaging analysis
- Customizable scenario testing
- Aerospace data collection and management
- Test and evaluation
