The current state of blast resistant design methods is largely reliant on empirical observations of field explosive testing or numerical simulations. While both methods are undoubtedly vital and necessary, they both have inherent limitations. Field trials for performing systematic experimental studies are exceedingly expensive, produce inconsistent results, and are slow in the rate of testing. Conventional blast simulators (shock tubes) enable blast testing to be performed in a safe and controlled laboratory environment but usually do not correctly replicate free-field blast conditions which could lead to deceptive outcomes in regard to target loading and response. The National Facility of Physical Blast Simulation (NFPBS), based on the ‘Advanced Blast Simulator’ (ABS) concept, was established at the University of Wollongong to overcome the shortcomings of conventional blast simulators. This simulator intrinsically replicates the wavedynamics of free-field explosive blast and is un