Rome Laboratory
Encyclopedia
The Rome Laboratory, formerly known as the Rome Air Development Center, is one of eight research and development
labs run by the US Air Force located at Griffiss AFB in Rome, NY. One of four superlabs run by the Air Force, the Rome Lab is tasked with generic research, as opposed to having a specific area of study. Over the years since it was founded, the Rome Lab has made major contributions to computing
, command and control
automation
, and pure engineering
. It is also responsible for planning and executing the Air Force' science and technology program. It is part of the Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force Research Laboratory, based at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
. In October 1997, Rome Laboratory was merged into the Air Force Research Laboratory
as the part Information and Sensors Directorates.
was built at the Rome site, and large airplane engines were rebuilt and tested. These buildings were converted after the war into offices and laboratories. Development of the Rome Lab started in 1948, when several small teams were sent to Griffiss from Watson Laboratories
and the Middletown testing units at Middletown, Pennsylvania
. The Senate Armed Services Committee recommended that the base become official, and President Harry Truman signed their bill on September 26, 1950 to establish an "Air Force Electronics Center". The remaining staff at Watson moved in during 1951, and RADC was officially opened on June 12, 1951.
One of their earliest experiments involved the construction of the Forestport Tower
, a 1205 foot high transmission antenna used for low-frequency communications experiments. Testing units were also involved in final acceptance of various radar
units, and did considerable basic research on antenna design and radio navigation system. These areas remained their primary research focus through the 1950s.
In the early 1960s the Air Force planned a major overhaul of its various research divisions, planning on reducing the total number to seven. RADC was to become the Air Force Electromagnetics Laboratory, while Edwards AFB would host the Rocket Propulsion and Weapons labs, and Wright-Patterson AFB would host Materiels
, Avionics, and the Air Force Flight Dynamic Laboratories. However these plans did not come to fruition, although it did change the RADC's reporting chain and caused some confusion in the meantime.
In the 1960s, the focus changed to that of intelligence gathering, and automation of the flow of the gathered information. RADC offered a number of contracts in automated film
processing, supercomputer
s, various computer memory
systems, high-resolution display systems, and were even involved in early attempts at machine translation
to make quick "first pass" translations of Russian
documents.
In the late 1960s, RADC won a contract for the AN/TRN-26 man transportable TACAN to be used in Vietnam War
. This unit was developed, tested, and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought
- Salt Lake City, Utah
. Not being available in time to be used in Vietnam, the first units went to Israel
and Camp David
. Mort Setrin, a developer of the radar IFF
, was also a researcher at this time and helped analyze ways to jam Russian radars.
In December 1991 the name was changed to Rome Laboratory. Their basic areas of research, communications, radar, intelligence and command and control, have remained the focus of the lab until today. As the power of civilian computers have increased, the Lab has focused more on software than hardware.
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
labs run by the US Air Force located at Griffiss AFB in Rome, NY. One of four superlabs run by the Air Force, the Rome Lab is tasked with generic research, as opposed to having a specific area of study. Over the years since it was founded, the Rome Lab has made major contributions to computing
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
, command and control
Command and Control (military)
Command and control, or C2, in a military organization can be defined as the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commanding officer over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission...
automation
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
, and pure engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. It is also responsible for planning and executing the Air Force' science and technology program. It is part of the Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force Materiel Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. AFMC was created July 1, 1992 through the reorganization of Air Force Logistics Command and Air Force Systems Command....
Air Force Research Laboratory, based at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. In October 1997, Rome Laboratory was merged into the Air Force Research Laboratory
Air Force Research Laboratory
The Air Force Research Laboratory is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable aerospace warfighting technologies; planning and executing the Air Force science and...
as the part Information and Sensors Directorates.
Overview
The Rome Information Directorate develops information technologies for aerospace command and control, and its transition to air, space and ground systems. Its focus areas include a broad spectrum of technologies including information fusion and exploitation, communications and networking, collaborative environments, modeling and simulation, defensive information warfare and intelligent information systems technologies. Directorate scientists and engineers develop systems, concepts and technologies to enhance the Air Force's capability to successfully meet the challenges of the information age. In addition to its primary mission, the directorate has partnered with other elements of the federal government, national intelligence agencies, numerous allied nations, state and local governments, and more than 50 major universities to work problems of common interest.History
During WWII, the Norden bombsightNorden bombsight
The Norden bombsight was a tachometric bombsight used by the United States Army Air Forces and the United States Navy during World War II, and the United States Air Force in the Korean and the Vietnam Wars to aid the crew of bomber aircraft in dropping bombs accurately...
was built at the Rome site, and large airplane engines were rebuilt and tested. These buildings were converted after the war into offices and laboratories. Development of the Rome Lab started in 1948, when several small teams were sent to Griffiss from Watson Laboratories
Paul E. Watson
Paul E. Watson was a pioneer researcher in the development of radar. Born in Bangor, Maine, Watson was a civilian engineer employed by the U.S. Army Signal Corps from the late 1920s. In 1936, he was named Chief Engineer of a Signal Corps research group at Camp Evans in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey...
and the Middletown testing units at Middletown, Pennsylvania
Middletown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Middletown is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River, nine miles southeast of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. The Senate Armed Services Committee recommended that the base become official, and President Harry Truman signed their bill on September 26, 1950 to establish an "Air Force Electronics Center". The remaining staff at Watson moved in during 1951, and RADC was officially opened on June 12, 1951.
One of their earliest experiments involved the construction of the Forestport Tower
Forestport Tower
Forestport Tower was a guyed, steel tower, insulated from the earth, so that the entire structure was used to radiate electromagnetic waves in the VLF and LF bands. The tower was located near Forestport in Oneida County, New York, United States. Forestport Tower was built in 1950...
, a 1205 foot high transmission antenna used for low-frequency communications experiments. Testing units were also involved in final acceptance of various radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
units, and did considerable basic research on antenna design and radio navigation system. These areas remained their primary research focus through the 1950s.
In the early 1960s the Air Force planned a major overhaul of its various research divisions, planning on reducing the total number to seven. RADC was to become the Air Force Electromagnetics Laboratory, while Edwards AFB would host the Rocket Propulsion and Weapons labs, and Wright-Patterson AFB would host Materiels
Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force Materiel Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. AFMC was created July 1, 1992 through the reorganization of Air Force Logistics Command and Air Force Systems Command....
, Avionics, and the Air Force Flight Dynamic Laboratories. However these plans did not come to fruition, although it did change the RADC's reporting chain and caused some confusion in the meantime.
In the 1960s, the focus changed to that of intelligence gathering, and automation of the flow of the gathered information. RADC offered a number of contracts in automated film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
processing, supercomputer
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
s, various computer memory
Computer memory
In computing, memory refers to the physical devices used to store programs or data on a temporary or permanent basis for use in a computer or other digital electronic device. The term primary memory is used for the information in physical systems which are fast In computing, memory refers to the...
systems, high-resolution display systems, and were even involved in early attempts at machine translation
Machine translation
Machine translation, sometimes referred to by the abbreviation MT is a sub-field of computational linguistics that investigates the use of computer software to translate text or speech from one natural language to another.On a basic...
to make quick "first pass" translations of Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
documents.
In the late 1960s, RADC won a contract for the AN/TRN-26 man transportable TACAN to be used in Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. This unit was developed, tested, and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought
Ling-Temco-Vought
Ling-Temco-Vought was a large U.S. conglomerate which existed from 1969 to 2000. At its peak, its component parts were involved in the aerospace industry, electronics, steel manufacturing, sporting goods, the airline industry, meat packing, car rentals and pharmaceuticals, among other...
- Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. Not being available in time to be used in Vietnam, the first units went to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Camp David
Camp David
Camp David is the country retreat of the President of the United States and his guests. It is located in low wooded hills about 60 mi north-northwest of Washington, D.C., on the property of Catoctin Mountain Park in unincorporated Frederick County, Maryland, near Thurmont, at an elevation of...
. Mort Setrin, a developer of the radar IFF
Identification friend or foe
In telecommunications, identification, friend or foe is an identification system designed for command and control. It is a system that enables military and national interrogation systems to identify aircraft, vehicles, or forces as friendly and to determine their bearing and range from the...
, was also a researcher at this time and helped analyze ways to jam Russian radars.
In December 1991 the name was changed to Rome Laboratory. Their basic areas of research, communications, radar, intelligence and command and control, have remained the focus of the lab until today. As the power of civilian computers have increased, the Lab has focused more on software than hardware.