Loud Booms Heard Were APG Testing, Official Says

After multiple Patch readers reported hearing unusual noises Wednesday morning, officials at Aberdeen Proving Ground confirmed it came from weapons firing at the military installation. The testing may continue Thursday.

"Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) has several firing programs scheduled," Lindsey Monger, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, told Patch Thursday.

These "may be heard off the installation," Monger said.

Testing may be heard from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday.

According to Patch readers, they heard it loud and clear.

"Anyone else hearing some loud booms this morning? Last one I heard was around 11:15," one reader posted on Perry Hall Patch Wednesday.

"I've heard it at least five times! I'm wondering if they're blasting at The Proving Grounds today," another person said around 12:30 p.m.

"I live in Abingdon, OMG so loud I thought my house exploded," one Patch reader wrote around 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Testing is essential to the mission of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command at the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center. The exercises are not hazardous to residents, military officials say.

"What the Army affectionately likes to call 'the sounds of freedom' have become a regular part of life surrounding Aberdeen Proving Ground, or APG, over the past century," according to APG News, which says Congress ordered all equipment that soldiers use must be tested in realistic conditions, including live fire they may face in combat. APG was founded in 1917, shortly after World War I began, for the purpose of designing and testing weapons.

To minimize the impact of its operations in the community, APG leaders monitor weather and take noise readings throughout the day.

Anyone concerned about the testing at APG can call the APG public affairs office at 443-861-6586.