Naval Air Warfare Centers are research organizations within
Naval Air Systems Command
The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) provides materiel support for aircraft and airborne weapon systems for the United States Navy. It is one of the Echelon II Navy systems commands (SYSCOM), and was established in 1966 as the successor to the ...
. The centers are grouped within the following divisions:
Aircraft division
The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) conducts research, development, test, evaluation and sustainment for all
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
and
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
aircraft and aircraft systems. It operates a test wing and ranges, facilities, laboratories and aircraft in support of military operations worldwide.
NAWCAD employs military and civilian engineers, testers, scientists, and other professionals across four locations: Orlando, Florida;
Lakehurst, New Jersey
Lakehurst is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 2,654,St. Inigoes, Maryland and at its headquarters in
Patuxent River
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast ...
Naval Test Wing Atlantic is made up of four test and evaluation squadrons. Based in Patuxent River, Maryland, the wing supports test and evaluation of aviation systems ranging from unmanned to rotary and fixed-wing aircraft and subsystems. It also provides aircrew, aircraft assets, maintenance support, operational and safety oversight, process and facility support for developmental flight and ground testing.
Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two One (HX-21) supports rotary-wing and tilt-rotor aircraft, unmanned aerial systems and airborne systems, including the
V-22
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a convention ...
,
UH-1Y
The Bell UH-1Y VenomDoD 4120-15L, ''Model Desi ...
,
AH-1Z
The Bell AH-1Z Viper is a twin-engine attack helicopter, based on the AH-1W SuperCobra, designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Bell Helicopter. Being one of the latest members of the prolific Bell Huey family, it is also ca ...
F-35
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide elect ...
.
Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Four (UX-24) is the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps’ first dedicated test and evaluation squadron for unmanned aircraft systems, including fielded platforms like the Wasp, RQ-11 Raven, RQ-20B Puma,
RQ-21 Blackjack
The Boeing Insitu RQ-21 Blackjack, company name Integrator, is an American unmanned air vehicle designed and built by Boeing Insitu to meet a United States Navy requirement for a small tactical unmanned air system (STUAS). It is a twin-boom, si ...
The U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) trains military and civilian test pilots, flight officers and engineers in the test and evaluation of aircraft and aircraft systems. Located in Patuxent River, Maryland, it is the only U.S. source of rotary wing test pilots, and serves as the test pilot school for the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
.
USNTPS graduates two classes annually. The 11-month program includes 530 academic hours, 100 sorties and 120 flight hours. Its syllabus is divided into three parts: fixed-wing, rotary-wing and airborne systems. The school has also added test techniques for unmanned aviation systems.
Its program has graduated over 90 NASA astronauts and members of the Original Seven including
Scott Carpenter
Malcolm Scott Carpenter (May 1, 1925 – October 10, 2013) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, astronaut, and aquanaut. He was one of the Mercury Seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury ...
Wally Schirra
Walter Marty Schirra Jr. (, March 12, 1923 – May 3, 2007) was an American naval aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. In 1959, he became one of the original seven astronauts chosen for Project Mercury, which was the United States' f ...
, and
Alan Shepard
Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and businessman. In 1961, he became the second person and the first American to travel into space and, in 1971, he beca ...
. It also graduated
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
The Atlantic Test Ranges are instrumented test ranges providing support test and training for aircraft, aircrew and subsystems. The range features a telemetry center for real-time data transmission from up to nine separate in-flight aircraft to ground engineering personnel. The center manages over 2,700 square miles of restricted airspace including targets and airspace over the mid-Atlantic seaboard.