The newly completed Flight Instrument Test Laboratory at LANL is not just another building, it is a launchpad for innovation, precision, and the next generation of weapons and aviation technology.
National Nuclear Security Administration
September 9, 2025
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With the snip of a ceremonial ribbon, the future took off when the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of Infrastructure (NA-90) hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony commemorating the completion of the Flight Instrument Test Laboratory (FITL) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The newly completed FITL is not just another building, it is a launchpad for innovation, precision, and the next generation of weapons and aviation technology.
LANL completed FITL’s construction phase about five months ahead of schedule, and on July 9, DOE Deputy Secretary James Danly and NNSA Acting Administrator Teresa Robbins participated in a ribbon cutting to celebrate. During the ceremony, they recognized teams involved for their collaboration, efficiency, and for its on-budget and timely completion.
The groundbreaking took place just a year and half ago, in January 2024, making the speed of this project’s completion all the more impressive. From the first shovel in the ground to the final inspection, the team worked with quickly and efficiently to deliver a facility ready to meet the demanding pace of modern testing needs.
Hands-on, proactive engagement across Engineering, Project Management, Construction, Infrastructure, Security, Fire Protection, Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), and more was essential to delivering FITL early and safely. It’s a model of cross-Lab collaboration that shows what’s possible when teams align early, stay engaged, and prioritize mission over silos.
The Weapons Project Delivery (ES-WPD) team out of Engineering Services (ES) worked side-by-side with Hensel Phelps and Lab oversight groups to solve challenges in real time, prevent work stoppages, and keep progress on track.
The FITL facility is integral to the development and testing of instruments designed for flight scenarios, supporting the greater weapons mission, including all systems currently in the stockpile and the upcoming W93/MK7 program. Additionally, this project will provide a dedicated facility to evaluate flight-relevant properties of weapons components, up to and including full weapon systems.
The assessments performed at FITL will provide confidence in characteristic evaluation of high-fidelity flight body hardware across all current and future ballistic missile systems, delivering validation of design intent and confidence in preflight predictions. Evaluations include center of gravity, weight and mass moments and products of inertia, and are required prior to qualification flight testing by the DOD and to release component designs for production at NNSA plants.
The work at FITL highlights NNSA’s and LANL’s commitment to the advancement of instrument testing and national security research and development. This facility signals a new era in precision testing for weapons and flight equipment.
