On June 24 and June 25, I was treated
to a tour of China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station by Captain Jim
Seaman, the Military Deputy Commander for Pacific Ranges. China
Lake hosts some of the facilities of the Naval Air
Warfare Center Weapons Division.
Panorama of the main base area of China Lake NAWS from B Mountain. The town of Ridgecrest is at far left. The southern Sierra Nevada is on the horizon at center. The Coso Mountains are to the right. The object at far right is a radar reflector mounted on a pole a few feet away (note its shadow on the ground).
Link to the web site of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division.
Click on the pictures below to link to the displays of pictures from the tour:
China Lake NAWS is home to a variety of vintage
aircraft. The U.S. Naval Museum of Armament & Technology has assembled
a very interesting collection with some types not found elsewhere.
The Weapons Survivability Laboratory (WSL)
evaluates the damage done to airframes by different types of weapons.
The Explosive
Ordnance Disposal team set up a demonstration of several
types of explosives, including an anti-car-bomb blast.
China Lake NAWS is home to the U.S.
Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. It houses an extensive collection of missiles and
weapons delivery systems.
(Please note: the Goleta Air & Space Museum is not directly affiliated with the U.S. Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. I cannot arrange access to the museum or get you onto China Lake NAWS. Visit the U.S. Naval Museum of Armament & Technology web site for information about visiting the museum.)
Many historic photos of China Lake are displayed on the unofficial web site for NAF China Lake and VX-5.
Send a message to Brian.
Go to home page of the Goleta Air and Space Museum.