Overview
With multiple locations across the United States, NAVAIR’s Naval Air Warfare Centers (Aircraft and Weapons Divisions) provide the capabilities, facilities (labs and ranges) and specialized expertise necessary for conducting research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) of naval aircraft, weapons and associated systems.
Aside from naval aviation programs, NAWC customers include other organizations within the Departments of the Navy, Army, Air Force, other Defense Department and Federal Agencies, and international partners under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
Combined, NAWCAD and NAWCWD employ between 10,000 and 11,000 and military personnel and execute more than $3 billion in annual funds.
NAVAIR operates and schedules major open-air test ranges and ground test facilities on the East and West Coasts of the United States, in support of research, development, testing, training, systems evaluation and experimentation. NAVAIR’s simulation and stimulation laboratories develop and create synthetic and virtual battlespace environments. NAVAIR also provides air vehicle and weapons systems modifications; associated test article preparation and instrumentation; real-world threat environments; radar-cross-section measurements; specialized tracks; interconnectivity with simulation and stimulation facilities and major ranges across the country; and support for Live-Virtual-Constructive distributed events.
Assets include the Atlantic Test Ranges and Integrated Battlespace Simulation and Test (IBST) Department, which contains the Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facility (ACETEF), Surface/Aviation Interoperability Lab (SAIL), and Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) facilities (TEMPEST/EMC/NERF/EMP) at Patuxent River, Md.; the Sea Range and Radar Reflectivity Lab (RRL) at Point Mugu, Calif.; the Land Ranges, Electronic Combat Range (ECR), Integrated Battle-space Arena (IBAR) and Missile Engagement Simulation Arena (MESA) at China Lake, Calif.
These premiere test and evaluation complexes provide support to DoD, federal agencies, commercial customers and Foreign Military Sales.
Website: www.navair.navy.mil/tande/
Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD)
With locations at Patuxent River, Md., Lakehurst, N.J., and Orlando, Fla., NAWCAD conducts research, development, test, evaluation, engineering and fleet support of Navy and Marine Corps manned and unmanned air systems, engines, avionics, surveillance systems, launch and recovery mechanisms, and air traffic control and communications systems. Related functions include aircraft modeling, simulation and analysis; systems integration of air platform subsystems, propulsion, avionics, and support systems; manufacturing production support; and in-service engineering of aircraft, propulsion, avionics, launch/recovery systems and support equipment.
NAWCAD is the steward of the ranges, test facilities, laboratories and aircraft necessary to support the Fleet's acquisition requirements and also provides a variety of services to the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies as well as non-Federal customers.
Website: www.navair.navy.mil/nawcad
Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD)
NAWCWD’s primary locations are China Lake, Calif., and Point Mugu, Calif. NAWCWD serves as the full-spectrum research, development, test, evaluation, and in-service engineering center for weapons systems associated with air warfare (except antisubmarine warfare systems), missiles and missile subsystems, aircraft weapons integration, and assigned airborne electronic warfare systems.
NAWCWD operates the air, land and sea Naval Western Test Range complex, which includes the land test range at China Lake, Calif., and the sea test range at Point Mugu, Calif.
Website: www.navair.navy.mil/nawcwd/