Overberg Test Range

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Overberg Test Range
Type	Missile test range
Location	34°36′9.92″S 20°18′9.74″E / -34.6027556, 20.3027056Coordinates: 34°36′9.92″S 20°18′9.74″E / -34.6027556, 20.3027056 near Overberg in South Africa
Area	430 km²
Operator	Denel
Status	Active
In use	1980s–

The Overberg Test Range or OTB (Afrikaans abbreviation for Overberg Toetsbaan) is a rocket launch site and weapons systems testing facility in the Overberg region on the south coast of South Africa.

1 Facilities
2 Clients
3 Testing
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Facilities

Overberg Test Range.

Facilities at the site include missile launch pads, tracking radar, optical missile tracking systems, cinetheodolites as well as use of a nearby military airfield. The layout appears to mirror the testing site at Palmachim, suggesting Israeli input in the design process.^[1]

Instrumentation includes:

IRIG timecode telecommand transmission
Precision instrumentation radars with velocity measurement and ability to track up to three objects simultaneously
Fixed and mobile doppler radar receivers to track missile velocities with 3cm/sec accuracy
Mobile cine theodolites (5-300 fps) and a tracking pedestal with film (25-1000 fps) and video (50Hz) capability
Fixed and mobile telemetry stations for receiving real-time flight data
16mm, 35mm and 70mm high speed cameras for photographic documentation of launches, flights and impacts
Film and video processors for data reduction
Multiple redundant receiving PCM on FM channels
Real time data manipulation and display capabilities
Quick-look and post test processing
Atomic clock for accurate timing
Multiple interfaces including IRIG-B, IRIG-A, a variety of slow codes, pulses as well as PC parallel and serial.
Sophisticated command and control infrastructure, including a central control center, a mobile control center and a central computer.

[edit] Clients

The site was notably used for test launches of the RSA series of missiles, including the joint Israeil-South African RSA-3 Intermediate-range ballistic missile in 1989 and 1990.^[2] Development of this military programme was cancelled 1992 however. Testing for the South African civil space programme continued at the site for another year before also being cancelled in 1993.

Since then the facility has been hired out for testing purposes to other countries, including:

Germany for testing Exocet, Sea Sparrow and Taurus^[3] missiles
Czech Republic
Singapore for testing Igla missiles^[4]
UK for evaluation of the Denel AH-2 Rooivalk helicopter
Sweden for testing the RBS15 MK3^[5] and CAMPS^[6]
United States of America for testing smart bombs.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Testing

Testing at the site focuses predominantly on flight performance rather than the destructive capability of weapon systems. Consequently missile test flights are typically conducted with dummy warheads or instrument packs rather than live weapons.

The following types of tests can be performed: