AeroVironment, Inc., a Virginia-based company, will soon be testing advanced missile defense and electro-optical/infrared sensor systems at Redstone Arsenal. The development follows the corporation securing a $97.4 million contract under the U.S. Army's Aviation and Missile Technology Consortium.
According to the agreement, AV will design and integrate prototype test environments—including flight motion table and cryogenic space chamber facilities—at the Huntsville base. The project is being referred to as the Generative Environment for the Next Era of Spectral Imaging Stimulators, or GENESIS.
"True innovation in defense starts long before technology reaches the battlefield—it starts in how we test, refine, and prove it," said Mary Clum, President of Space, Cyber and Directed Energy at AV. "By creating realistic, repeatable, and scalable testing ecosystems, we're helping the Army accelerate innovation, strengthen deterrence, and ensure our warfighters maintain a decisive advantage in every domain."
Johnathan Jones, Senior Vice President for Cyber and Mission Solutions at AV, said Genesis shows what's possible when industry and government cooperate.
"We're pushing the boundaries of sensor testing—advancing realism and precision to help the U.S. military accelerate development, reduce risk, and deliver mission-ready technologies that preserve our nation's decisive advantage and give warfighters the most capable, reliable systems possible," said Jones.
Per AV, GENESIS represents a generational leap in Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) capability, integrating advanced multi-spectral projection, ultra–high frame-rate imaging, precision optics, and intelligent facility control systems to recreate complex, real-world environments with unmatched fidelity.
By combining real hardware with simulated environments, HWIL and Scene Generation enable realistic, dynamic testing of sensors, guidance, and control systems, allowing DEVCOM AvMC to validate and field technologies faster and with greater confidence, while refining performance, reducing risk, and strengthening the industrial base for future military applications.
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