Naval air warfare center weapons division

Wings of Gold, Fall 2001

Wings of Gold Feature

CAPT Mark J. Swaney is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and earned NFO wings through the AOC program. As a RIO, he flew F-14s in VF-24 in 1977 then was an instructor in VT-86 in the RIO curriculum. Next he attended the Naval Test Pilot School, graduating with distinction in 1981, and was assigned to the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate at Patuxent River, Maryland. He played a significant role in the development of the F-14 Super Tomcat. He then served as Flag Lieutenant and Aide to CARGRUSEVEN.

He became an AEDO in 1985 and reported to the Weapons Evaluation Directorate, Pacific Missile Test Center at Point Mugu. He was project leader for developmental T&E of the F-14D weapons system and Program Manager for weapons system testing of all F-14, FlA-18, A-6 and Phoenix missile programs at PMTC.

He was COMNAVAIRPAC's F-14/F-16/ F-5 Class Desk Officer then was XO and CO of the Naval Air Pacific Repair Activity in Atsugi, Japan. He served as Deputy for Operations, Program Executive Office, Tactical Aircraft Program from 1995-97. He was Deputy Program Manager for the Tactical Automated Mission Planning System (TAMPS), at Patuxent River and then reported to NAWCWD as Commander, Naval Test Wing Pacific. In July he assumed duties as Vice Commander, NAWCWD. CAPT Swaney is a lifetime member of ANA.

NAWCWD is the biggest tenant on the air station. There are 3,500 people assigned to the command: 800 military, 2,500 civil service and the remainder contractor support personnel. Our goal as one of the Navy's primary facilities for the testing of weaponry, is to make sure fleet aviation units have effective integrated warfare systems and life cycle support for warfighting in the battle space of today and tomorrow. I report to the NAWCWD Commander, CAPT (RADMSelect) Michael Bachmann who relieved RADM Bert Johnson in September and who is headquartered at NAWS China Lake.

The major issue these days is warfighting in the littorals. Our sea and land ranges provide the realistic weapon testing environments likely to be encountered in conflicts around the globe. In fact, NAWCWD is the Navy's largest sea test and evaluation facility, providing many technical services in support of weapon systems acquisition and in-service engineering. We also have cognizance over surface-to-air missile testing at the Weapons Division Detachment at White Sands, New Mexico. NAWCD integrates the various activities of these organizations to provide expanded capabilities for research, development, test, evaluation and support through the life cycle of aircraft weapons systems.

Before reorganization a few years ago, NAS Point Mugu was the central point for air to air missile work while air to ground weapon testing was conducted at China Lake. Those distinctions no longer exist. In late August, for example, we launched a Tomahawk missile without a warhead from a ship in the Sea Range from the sea - to a land target at China Lake, scoring a direct hit.

As a member of the Naval Aviation Systems Team in NAVAIRSYSCOM, we are part of a Competency Aligned Organization. Each employee is aligned into one of six competencies, or groups. These are: contracts, logistics, research and engineering, test and evaluation, corporate operations and shore station management.

In addition to the Sea Range, NAWCWD operates the F-14 Weapon System Integration Laboratory complex where the focus is on software development and integration of new avionics systems for the Tomcat. The Grayson Merrill Missile Systems Evaluation Laboratory provides 123,000 square feet of special-purpose laboratories and engineering office space. Among other activities, its simulation labs provide realistic space and electromagnetic environments for testing of current and future air to air and surface to air missile guidance systems. It also features a large radar chamber for measuring radar reflectivity characteristics of advanced airborne threat vehicles. The Radar Reflectivity Laboratory (RRL) has been active for 35 years and carries out the task of determining what a target looks like on radar. Other facilities include the Avionics Department which focuses on electronic warfare; the Weapons Instrumentation Division which is the top weapons instrumentation and telemetry organization in the Navy Department; and the Surface Craft Division, located at Port Hueneme, which maintains and operates a wide range of seaborne targets in support of range operations. Sixty miles off the coast form Point Mugu is San Nicolas Island, part of the Sea Range. It is the heart of communication and missile tracking instrumentation operated by NAWCWD, as well as providing a 10,000 foot runway in the Sea Range. In addition, the Naval Test Wing Pacific, which includes Naval Weapons Test Squadrons at Point Mugu and China Lake, is a major player in the NAWCWD mission for developmental test aircraft and range support.

We will be involved with the new Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) whichever contractor wins the competition. According to prior agreement the competing contractors were allowed to outline the developmental aspects of their programs as they saw fit, including flight testing. With respect to this, NAWCWD would take guidance from the program winner when it is time to test the integration of weapons systems in the JSF.