China Lake Museum Named

Naval Aviation News, Sept, 2000 by Wendy Leland

When the Secretary of the Navy signed SECNAVNOTE 5755 on 12 May 2000, the U.S. Naval Museum of Armament and Technology was officially established at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif., culminating a 10-year effort. The existing Weapons Exhibit Center assumed its new name following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 28 July.

The museum is testimony to the highly successful research, development, test and evaluation conducted at China Lake for the Navy since 1943. Its collection of tactical air weaponry and technology ranges from WW II rockets to cutting-edge guided missiles. Familiar items like the Sidewinder, Shrike and Tomahawk missiles appear alongside weapon systems that can be seen nowhere else, such as Agile, an advanced, short-range air-to-air missile; Bulldog, the first successful laser-guided missile; and the Advanced Bomb Family of developmental free-fall weapons.

The collection also boasts a variety of aircraft, including the NTA-4F Skyhawk, A-7E Corsair II, QF-86 drone, DF-8L Crusader, RA-5C Vigilante, AV-8A Harrier, A-6E Intruder and F/A-18A Hornet; several significant range instrumentation and target items; and a tribute to the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division's search-and-rescue (SAR) team, including a UH-l "Huey" SAR helo.