Miami-based Golden Sands General Contractors has completed construction on the Vertical Electromagnetic Pulse Simulator (VEMPS) at the Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, Md., having batched, poured and placed over 1,600 cubic yards of specialized conductive concrete.
The 16-month long project included expansion of an existing site; construction of an antenna array featuring 150-ft. non-conductive towers; paving of an 81,000-sq.-ft. conductive concrete test pad with embedded wire array; and, construction of a 1,200-sq.-ft. pulser equipment building. The VEMPS facility provides the capability to conduct survivability demonstration tests on the largest aircraft produced in the United States.
The newly completed facility will help achieve the Department of Defense’s goal of determining the EMP hardness status of strategic and tactical weapons systems as recommended by the Congressional EMP Commission. The project was funded through the Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program. CTEIP was established by the DoD to provide joint service initiatives, avoid unwarranted duplication of capability, and increase interoperability through capability improvement projects for the defense department major ranges and test facility bases.
Golden Sands’ related company, Omni-Threat Structures, specializes in shielding shotcrete structures that provide protection from electromagnetic pulse (HEMP and IEMI), ballistic/blast, and event-driven missiles as well as natural threats, including Category 5 hurricanes, EF-5 tornados, and seismic events.