First acoustic test successfully completed with CIRA’s new DFAN system

CIRA is pleased to announce the successful completion of the first acoustic test performed at the Space Qualification Centre using the new DFAN (Direct Field Acoustic Noise) system, developed thanks to funding from the Italian Space Agency within the framework of the PNRR Space Factory 4.0 project.

This achievement represents an important milestone for CIRA and a further strengthening of national capabilities in the field of qualification testing for aerospace systems. With the commissioning of the DFAN system, the Space Qualification Centre further expands its range of testing services, offering Italian and European companies a new capability for the acoustic load qualification of components, subsystems and systems intended for extreme operational environments.

The tests, carried out for INDRA - a leading Spanish technology group in the defense, space, and advanced technologies sectors - were successfully completed. The test articles were subjected to significant acoustic loads of up to approximately 140 dB, accurately reproduced and controlled by the DFAN system over a total duration of 30 minutes, in compliance with the MIL-STD-810D Method 515.3.

The collaboration between the CIRA, MSI-DFAT and INDRA teams marked a significant first for the organizations involved: for INDRA, the first DFAT test, for CIRA, the first acoustic testing service using the new DFAN system, for MSI-DFAT, the first service outside the United States.

Three centres of excellence, three teams, one shared achievement: a milestone that confirms the full operational capability of the system and CIRA’s ability to support the aerospace industry with advanced infrastructures, specialized expertise and an increasingly comprehensive range of qualification services.