Cutting-Edge U.S. Navy Simulation Facility Celebrated

Brevard County becomes home to the next generation of
on-shore submarine missile testing

Brevard County, FL (June 16, 2016) – Today, the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast (EDC) joined Space Florida, federal and military dignitaries, and elected officials for a first look at the state-of-the-art Strategic Weapons System Ashore (SWS Ashore) facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). The new SWS Ashore facility will provide the U.S. Navy with a single, land-based simulation operation for testing submarine missile systems.

SWS Ashore is a U.S. government–owned facility providing shore-based testing capabilities to proof modernized submarine missile systems. The SWS Ashore facility is located at CCAFS Launch Complex 25, a site originally constructed for the first Fleet Ballistic Missile test launches carried out in the 1950’s. Complex 25 had been decommissioned since the 1970’s and in 2012 with the assistance of the EDC and Space Florida, the U.S. Navy chose to repurpose this historical site.

Local companies were contracted in support of the renovations and to supply the site with innovative technology. To date, over 100 new jobs have been created.

Simulation of missile systems at SWS Ashore will support mission capability and readiness for the Naval Ordinance Test Unit (NOTU). NOTU serves the country by supporting and testing sea-based weapons systems in a safe environment.

“What we are seeing today is the result of this community’s dedication toward its’ military installations,” stated Lynda Weatherman, president and CEO of the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast. “In 2005, that devotion was evident when the efforts of the EDC to reverse the Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s (BRAC) recommendation to relocate NOTU was successful. The SWS Ashore investment by the U.S. Navy further expands the impact from NOTU and CCAFS.”

“Today was another exciting milestone for the Cape Canaveral Spaceport,” said Space Florida President Frank DiBello. “In 2012, we celebrated a groundbreaking for this project, and today, we commemorate the partnerships that have transformed this launch site into a base for the Strategic Weapons Systems Ashore support facility. Space Florida is pleased to have this critical Navy capability here on Florida’s Space Coast, enabling integrated systems testing for an important national program for decades into the future.”

SWS Ashore will also provide the future capability and capacity for delivering a high-quality product while minimizing testing onboard operational ballistic missile submarines; this will be imperative with fewer submarines. Enhanced shore-based testing with all of the SWS equipment co-located anchors the nation’s sea-based strategic deterrent program to Florida into the twenty eighties.

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About the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast
The Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast (EDC) is dedicated to attracting new business and investment and expanding existing industry throughout the Space Coast, influencing change on government laws and regulations affecting economic development, promoting the Space Coast to encourage new investment, supporting efforts of Space Coast military installations, and relaying new programs and procedures to assist manufacturing and high tech companies. The EDC is a private, not-for-profit coalition whose stakeholders are business leaders committed to the economic growth and stability of Florida’s Space Coast. Visit www.SpaceCoastEDC.org.