Location: Eglin Air Force Base, Florida
Owner: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Cost: $16,050,000
Completed On: August 2012
This Task Order Project was awarded to Speegle Construction under the Eglin Area MATOC for the Mobile District Corps of Engineers. The entire facility is constructed for the research, development and testing of equipment, machines, and human accuracy. The SOF Distant (East) Ranges consist of five separate ranges covering approximately 340 acres and containing over nine (9) miles of roads. Each range contains support facilities such as storage/operations facilities, classroom buildings, ammunition breakdown buildings, training buildings, latrines and a two or four story range control tower. There are more than 30 separate single and multiple story vertical construction support facilities on the ranges. Additionally, the ranges contain numerous structures for targets. Over 350 fully mechanized concrete targets are being constructed on these ranges. Each concrete target is electronically powered and wired into the communication system in order to send feedback to the control tower. Each range being constructed is listed below.
■ Anti-Armor Tracking Range;
The Anti-Armor Tracking Range consists of two Battle Position Defilades, Site Clearing & Grubbing, Service Roads, Course Road Upgrades, Grading and Drainage, Limit Markers, Security Barriers, Four-Story Range Operations Tower, and Storage Building and Vault Latrine.
■ Grenade Launcher Range;
The Grenade Launcher Range consists of four Grenade Launcher Ranges, Target Emplacements, Four-Story Range Operations Control Areas (Tower), Range Operations Center, Range Operations & Storage, Vault Latrine, Bleacher Enclosure, Covered Mess, Ammo Breakdown Building, General Instruction (Classroom) Building, Electric Service, Paving, Walk, Curbs & Gutters, Storm Drainage and Information Systems.
■ 25 Meter Zero Range;
The 25 Meter Zero Range consists of 32 Firing Positions, Two-Story Range Control Tower, Range Operations and Storage Building, Classroom Building, Vault Latrine, Bleachers Enclosures, Covered Mess, Ammo Breakdown Building, Range Operations Control Area, Electrical Services, Paving, Walks Curbs, Storm Drainage and Information Systems.
■ Qualification Training Range;
The Qualification Training Range consists of six multipurpose machine gun firing positions, 16 Modified Record Fire Range Firing Positions, 15 Combat Pistol/MP Firearm Qualifications Firing Positions, Four-Story Range Operations Tower, Operations and Storage Building, Vault Latrine, Bleacher Enclosure, Covered Mess, Ammo Breakdown Building, Classroom Building, Range Operations & Control Areas, Electrical Service and Information Systems and over 350 electronically controlled targets.
■ Light Demolition Range;
The Light Demolition Range consists of six Lighted Demolition Firing Positions, Vault Latrine, Ammo Issue Building, Site Improvement and Information Systems.
The chosen construction site for these ranges is one of the Air Force’s old bombing/dumping sites (Range 52). This means that although the site did not require much clearing of trees and shrubs, unexploded ordnances (UXO) were cause for concern. The Corps of Engineers was responsible for removal of the UXO’s prior to construction in a “cleared” area. This has required careful coordination with Speegle’s subcontract workforce and the Army Corps of Engineers.
LEED ® The facility is designed to meet the requirements for “Silver Certifiable” through the USGBC.