View source for Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake

{{Short description|US Navy R&D installation in California}}
{{Other uses|China Lake (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake
| ensign = 
| ensign_size =
| native_name = Armitage Field
| partof = <!-- for elements within a larger site -->
| location = [[Ridgecrest, California]]
| nearest_town = <!-- used in military test site infobox -->
| country = United States
| image = File:US Navy 051215-N-9277A-003 An F-A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine (VX-9) returns to {{notatypo|i|ts'}} home at Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake.jpg
| alt = 
| caption =  An [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18F Super Hornet]] assigned to [[VX-9]] returns to its home at NAWS China Lake
| image2 = [[File:Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake logo.jpg|175px]]
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = 
| type = [[Naval air station#United States Navy|Naval Air Weapons Station]]
| coordinates = {{coord|35|41|08|N|117|41|31|W|type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| gridref = 
| image_map = 
| image_mapsize = 
| image_map_alt = 
| image_map_caption = 
| pushpin_map = USA#California
| pushpin_mapsize = 
| pushpin_map_alt = 
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
| pushpin_relief = 
| pushpin_image = 
| pushpin_label = NAWS China Lake
| pushpin_label_position = top
| pushpin_mark = 
| pushpin_marksize = 
| ownership = [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]
| operator = [[United States Navy|US Navy]]
| controlledby = [[Navy Region Southwest]]
| open_to_public = <!-- for out of use sites/sites with museums etc -->
| site_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| site_other = <!-- for other sorts of facilities – radar types etc -->  
| site_area = {{Convert|1.1|e6acre|hectare}} (including ranges)
| code = <!--facility/installation code, applies to US -->
| built = {{Start date|1935}} (civilian use)
| used = 1942 – present<!--{{End date|1946}} -->
| builder = 
| materials = 
| height = <!-- height of tallest part, not above sea level -->
| length = <!-- for border fences or other DMZs -->
| fate = <!--changed from demolished parameter-->
| condition = Operational
| battles = 
| events = [[2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes]]
| current_commander = [[Rear admiral (United States)|RDML]] Keith ‘Brownie’ Hash
| past_commanders = <!-- past notable commander(s) -->
| garrison = 
| occupants = <!-- squadrons only -->
| designations = 
| website = {{Official website|https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Regions/cnrsw/installations/naws_china_lake/}}
<!-- begin airfield information  -->
| IATA = <!--not NID-->
| ICAO = KNID
| FAA = NID
| TC = 
| LID = 
| GPS = 
| WMO = 746120
| elevation = {{Convert|696.1|m|0}}
| r1-number = 03/21
| r1-length = {{Convert|3048.3|m|0}}
| r1-surface = [[Concrete]]
| r2-number = 14/32
| r2-length = {{Convert|2747.1|m|0}}
| r2-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]
| r3-number = 08/26
| r3-length = {{Convert|2167.4|m|0}}
| r3-surface = Concrete
| h1-number = 
| h1-length = <!-- {{Convert| |m|0}} -->
| h1-surface = 
| airfield_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| airfield_other = 1x [[VTOL]] pad
<!--  end airfield information   -->
| footnotes = '''Source:''' [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref>{{FAA-airport|ID=NID}}</ref>
}}
[[File:RidgecrestCA.JPG|thumb|[[Indian Wells Valley]], showing [[Ridgecrest, California]] and the China Lake area]]
'''Naval Air Weapons Station''' ('''NAWS''') '''China Lake'''<ref name=welcome>{{cite web|title=Welcome to Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake|url=https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Regions/cnrsw/installations/naws_china_lake/|website=Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake|publisher=[[United States Navy]] [[Commander, Navy Installations Command]]|access-date=November 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006192138/https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrsw/installations/naws_china_lake.html|archive-date=October 6, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> is a large military installation in [[California]] that supports the research, testing and evaluation programs of the [[United States Navy]]. It is part of [[Navy Region Southwest]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100920123255/http://cnic.navy.mil/cnrsw/ Commander, Navy Region Southwest]</ref> under [[Commander, Navy Installations Command]], and was originally known as '''Naval Ordnance Test Station''' ('''NOTS''').<ref name=rbbls>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=P6QRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6319%2C1375091 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Record broken by land sled |date=September 27, 1955 |page=1}}</ref>

The installation is located in the Western [[Mojave Desert]] region of California, approximately {{convert|150|mi}} north of [[Los Angeles]]. Occupying land in three counties – [[Kern County, California|Kern]], [[San Bernardino County, California|San Bernardino]], and [[Inyo County, California|Inyo]] – the installation's closest neighbors are the city of [[Ridgecrest, California|Ridgecrest]] and the communities of [[Inyokern, California|Inyokern]], [[Trona, San Bernardino County, California|Trona]], and [[Darwin, California|Darwin]].

China Lake is the United States Navy's largest single landholding, representing 85% of the Navy's land for weapons and armaments research, development, acquisition, testing, and evaluation (RDAT&E) use and 38% of the Navy's land holdings worldwide. In total, its two ranges and main site cover more than {{convert|1100000|acre|km2}}, an area larger than the state of [[Rhode Island]]. As of 2010, at least 95% of that land is undeveloped. The roughly $3 billion infrastructure of the installation consists of 2,132 buildings and facilities, {{convert|329|mi|km}} of paved roads, and {{convert|1801|mi|km}} of unpaved roads.

The {{convert|19600|sqmi|km2}} of restricted and controlled airspace at China Lake makes up 12% of California's total airspace. Jointly controlled by NAWS China Lake, [[Edwards Air Force Base]] and [[Fort Irwin Military Reservation|Fort Irwin]], this airspace is known as the [[R-2508 Special Use Airspace Complex]].

[[2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes|A 7.1 magnitude earthquake on July 5, 2019]], whose epicenter was within the boundaries of NAWS China Lake, resulted in the facility being temporarily evaluated as "not mission capable" due to damage.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://ktla.com/2019/07/06/naval-air-weapons-station-china-lake-in-ridgecrest-evacuated-deemed-not-mission-capable-after-quake/|title=Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in Ridgecrest Evacuated, Deemed Not 'Mission Capable' After Quake|last=Salahieh|first=Nouran|date=2019-07-06|website=KTLA|language=en|access-date=2019-07-07|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

== Geography ==
=== Location ===
The installation is located in the Western [[Mojave Desert]] region of California, approximately {{convert|150|mi}} north of [[Los Angeles]]. Occupying land in three counties – [[Kern County, California|Kern]], [[San Bernardino County, California|San Bernardino]], and [[Inyo County, California|Inyo]] – the installation's closest neighbors are the city of [[Ridgecrest, California|Ridgecrest]] and the communities of [[Inyokern, California|Inyokern]], [[Trona, San Bernardino County, California|Trona]], and [[Darwin, California|Darwin]].

==== Armitage Field ====

All aircraft operations at NAWS China Lake are conducted at Armitage Field, which has three runways with more than {{convert|26000|ft|m}} of taxiway. More than 20,000 crewed and uncrewed military [[sorties]] are conducted out of Armitage by [[U.S. Armed Forces]] each year.

Foreign military personnel also use the airfield and range to conduct more than 1,000 test and evaluation operations each year.

=== Wildlife ===
The majority of the land at NAWS China Lake is undeveloped. It provides habitat for more than 340 species of wildlife, including feral horses, feral burros (donkeys), [[bighorn sheep]] and endangered animals, such as the [[desert tortoise]], [[Mohave ground squirrel|Mojave ground squirrel]] and Mojave [[tui chub]]. The Mojave tui chub was introduced to China Lake's Lark Seep in 1971. Lark Seep is fed by the water outflow from a wastewater treatment plant located at China Lake. The tui chub population has since grown and expanded to a population of around 6,000 in 2003.<ref>{{cite news|title=Currents |year=2003 |url=http://www.enviro-navair.navy.mil/currents/summer2003/Sum03_Tui_Chub.pdf |work=China Lake and the Tui Chub |access-date=2012-01-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041016201429/http://www.enviro-navair.navy.mil/currents/summer2003/Sum03_Tui_Chub.pdf |archive-date=October 16, 2004 }}</ref> The desert on which the installation is built is home to 650 plant types.{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}

=== Petroglyphs ===
[[File:Coso sheep.jpg|alt=Coso sheep|150px|thumb|Coso rock art of bighorn sheep]]

The area was once home to the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] [[Coso People]], whose presence is marked by thousands of archaeological sites; the Coso traded with other tribes as far away as [[San Luis Obispo County, California]]. This locale was also used by European miners and settlers whose cabins and mining structures are extant throughout the Station.

The [[Coso Range|Coso Range Canyons]] are home to the [[Coso Rock Art District]], an area of some {{convert|99|sqmi|km2}} which contains more than 50,000 documented [[petroglyphs]],<ref>[https://archive.today/20120722171124/http://www.cr.nps.gov/archeology/ROCKART/ NPS Archeology Program: Coso Rock Art] www.cr.nps.gov</ref> the highest concentration of [[rock art]] in the Northern Hemisphere.

The precise age of the petroglyphs is unknown. A broad range of dates can be inferred from archaeological sites in the area and some artifact forms depicted on the rocks. Archaeologists disagree on their age, but it is generally believed that most petroglyphs are between one and three thousand years old.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://story.californiasunday.com/petroglyphs-china-lake|title=The Secret City|last=Shipstead|first=Maggie|date=2015-10-29|website=The California Sunday Magazine|language=en|access-date=2019-07-07|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Designs range from animals to abstract to anthropomorphic figures. Opinions vary widely on whether the petroglyphs were made for ceremonial purposes, whether they tell stories to pass along the mythology of their makers, or whether they are records of hunting hopes or successes, clan symbols, or maps.

Declared a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1964, the rock art in Little Petroglyph Canyon provides insights into the cultural heritage and knowledge of the desert's past. Everything in the canyon area is protected, including the obsidian chips and any artifacts or tools, as well as the petroglyphs and native vegetation and wildlife.

Little Petroglyph Canyon contains 20,000 documented images. It is open to the public for tours.<ref name=welcome/>

=== Monorail ===
Remains of the [[Epsom Salts Monorail]] are signposted and visible within the site. The central rail, on which mining tractors pulled minerals from a mine to the nearest railway siding, was supported on wooden A-frames of a low trestle.

=== Coso Geothermal Field ===
The [[Coso Volcanic Field|Coso Geothermal Field]] is within China Lake boundaries. The geothermal power plants located there began generating electricity in 1987<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://74.208.69.127/PDFs/Articles/coso.pdf|title=Model for Success: An Overview of Industry-Military Cooperation in the Development of Power Operations at the Coso Geothermal Field in Southern California|last=Monastero|first=Francis C.|date=September–October 2002|website=Geothermal Resources Council (GRC) Bulletin|access-date=July 7, 2019|archive-date=July 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707164228/http://74.208.69.127/PDFs/Articles/coso.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> and were the Navy's first foray into producing clean power from the earth's thermal energy (heat). The plant's nameplate capacity is 270 megawatts, with a total annual electricity production from the field of 1,175 gigawatt-hours.<ref name=EIA>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/topic/1?agg=1,0,2&fuel=001&geo=000000000004&sec=g&freq=A&rtype=s&maptype=0&pin=&rse=0&ltype=pin&ctype=map&end=201911&start=200101|title=Electricity Data Browser - List of plants for geothermal, California, all sectors, Coso|website=www.eia.gov|access-date=2020-02-04}}</ref>

== Tenant Squadrons ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Insignia
!Squadron
!Code
!Callsign/Nickname
!Assigned Aircraft
|-
|[[File:VX-9 Emblem.svg|frameless|88x88px]]
|[[VX-9|Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 9]]
|VX-9
|Vampires
|[[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18E Super Hornet]], [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18F Super Hornet]], [[Boeing EA-18G Growler|E/A-18G Growler]], [[Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II|F-35C Lightning II]]
|-
|[[File:VX-31 Emblem.svg|frameless|88x88px]]
|[[VX-31|Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31]]
|VX-31
|Dust Devils
|[[McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet|F/A-18C Hornet]], [[McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet|F/A-18D Hornet]], [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18E Super Hornet]], [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18F Super Hornet]], [[Boeing EA-18G Growler|E/A-18G Growler]], [[Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk|MH-60S Seahawk]], 
|}

== Tenant commands ==

The 620 active duty military, 4,166 civilian employees and 1,734 contractors that make up China Lake's workforce are employed across multiple tenant commands, including:<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923222318/http://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrsw/installations/naws_china_lake/about/tenant_commands.html|archive-date=2015-09-23|url-status=live|url=https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Regions/cnrsw/installations/naws_china_lake/about/tenant_commands/ |title=Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake: Tenant Commands |work=United States Navy |year=2015 |access-date=April 8, 2015}}</ref>

* [[Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division|Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division]]
* [[VX-9|Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 9 (VX-9)]]
* [[VX-31|Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 (VX-31)]]
* [[United States Marine Corps Aviation|Marine Aviation]] Detachment
* [[Explosive Ordnance Disposal]] Mobile Unit 3 Detachment
* Explosive Ordnance Disposal Testing and Evaluation Unit 1
* [[Naval Facilities Engineering Command]] Southwest Detachment
* Naval Construction Training Center Port Hueneme ([[Seabees]])

== History ==
China Lake is a [[dry lake]]. Its name comes from Chinese [[prospecting|prospectors]] harvesting [[borax]] from the lake bed, approximately {{Convert|1.5|mile|}} south of [[Paxton Ranch]].  The operation was known locally as "The Little Chinese Borax Works".<ref>{{cite report|last=Panlaqui|first=Carol|title=What's in a Name?|publisher=[[Maturango Museum]]|location=Ridgecrest, California}}</ref>

===Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS)===
Amid [[World War II]], adequate facilities were needed by the [[California Institute of Technology]] (Caltech) for test and evaluation of rockets. At the same time, the Navy needed a new proving ground for [[aviation ordnance]]. Caltech's [[Charles C. Lauritsen]] and then U.S. Navy Commander [[Sherman E. Burroughs (U.S. Navy)|Sherman E. Burroughs]] worked together to find a site that would meet both their needs.

In the early 1930s, an emergency landing field had been built by the [[Works Progress Administration]] in the [[Mojave Desert]] near the small town of Inyokern, California. Opened in 1935, the field was acquired by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) in 1942. In November 1943, it was transferred to the Navy, which established China Lake as the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS).

The NOTS mission was defined in a letter by the [[Secretary of the Navy]] as ".... a station having for its primary function the research, development, and testing of weapons, and having an additional function of furnishing primary training in the use of such weapons." Testing began within a month of the Station's formal establishment. The vast and sparsely populated desert, with near-perfect flying weather and practically unlimited visibility, proved an ideal location for test and evaluation activities and a complete research and development establishment.

During 1944, NOTS worked on the development and testing of the [[3.5-Inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rocket|3.5-inch]], [[5-Inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rocket|5-inch]], [[High Velocity Aircraft Rocket|HVAR]] and [[Tiny Tim (rocket)|11.75-inch (Tiny Tim)]] rockets.<ref name="China Lake"/>

[[Manhattan Project]] funding was used to construct a new airfield at NOTS, with three runways, {{convert|10000|ft}}, {{convert|7700|ft}} and {{convert|9000|ft}} long, each {{convert|200|ft}} wide to accommodate the [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] bomber. Fuel storage was provided with a capacity of {{convert|200000|usgal|L}} of gasoline and {{convert|20000|usgal|L}} of oil. The airfield was opened on June 1, 1945, and named Armitage Field after Navy [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] John Armitage, who was killed while testing a Tiny Tim rocket at NOTS in August 1944.<ref name="China Lake">{{cite web|url=http://www.militarymuseum.org/NAFInyokern.html|title=Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake|publisher=The California State Military Museum|access-date=17 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Gerrard-Gough |first1=J. D. |first2=Albert B. |last2=Christman |year=1978 |title=The Grand Experiment at Inyokern |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |oclc=251693280 |pages=175–176}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navair.navy.mil/nawcwd/weather/chinalake/fcstrhndbk/sect1.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130903083758/http://www.navair.navy.mil/nawcwd/weather/chinalake/fcstrhndbk/sect1.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 3, 2013|title=China lake Forecasters' Handbook – Section 1 Basic Description|access-date=3 September 2013}}</ref> Work done by Caltech at NOTS for the Manhattan Project - particularly the testing of bomb shapes dropped from B-29s - was included as part of codename [[Project Camel]].

In 1950, NOTS scientists and engineers developed the air-intercept missile (AIM) 9 [[Sidewinder missile|Sidewinder]], which became the world's most used and most copied air-to-air missile. Other rockets and missiles developed or tested at China Lake include the [[Folding-Fin_Aerial_Rocket|Mighty Mouse]], [[Zuni (rocket)|Zuni]], [[Shrike missile|Shrike]], [[AGM-88 HARM|HARM]], [[Joint Stand-Off Weapon]] (JSOW) and [[Joint Direct Attack Munition]] (JDAM).

The two [[Randsburg Wash Target Test Towers]] (Buildings 70021 and 70022) situated at {{coord|35|32|13|N|117|14|59|W|type:landmark}} are significant for their role in the naval testing of proximity or variable time (VT) fuzes, a vital element of the U.S. Navy's weapons program. The towers played a key role in the Cold War proximity fuze test program at the U.S. Navy's Randsburg Wash facility, a program that eventually led to the Navy adapting the use of these fuzes to guided missiles. The towers are important on a national level during the period of significance between 1952 and 1960; the years in which the most important achievements in the U.S. Navy's developments of the properties and attributes of proximity fuzes. The towers are also significant for their unique engineering achievement, as 360 foot-tall, pyramidal wood towers. Targets are suspended between the two towers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Naval Ordnance Test Station Inyokern, Randsburg Wash Facility Target Test Towers, Tower Road, China Lake, Kern County, CA |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/ca3473/ |website=Library of Congress}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>

In June 1963, President [[John F. Kennedy]] visited NAWS China Lake for an air show and to see the Michelson Lab.

===Naval Weapons Center===
[[File:Vought DF-8F 144429 China Lake DM 22.04.71 edited-2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Vought F8U Crusader|Vought DF-8F Crusader]] drone director originally based at USN China Lake]]
In July 1967, NOTS China Lake and the [[Naval Ordnance Laboratory]] in [[Corona, California]], became the Naval Weapons Center. The Corona facilities were closed, and their functions transferred to the desert in 1971. In July 1979, the mission and functions of the National Parachute Test Range at [[Naval Air Facility El Centro]] were transferred to China Lake.

===Naval Air Weapons Station===
In January 1992, the [[Naval Weapons Center]] and the [[Pacific Missile Test Center]] [[Point Mugu]] were disestablished and joined with naval units at [[Kirtland AFB]] in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]] and at the [[White Sands Missile Range]] at [[White Sands National Park|White Sands, NM]] as a single command - the [[Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division|Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division]] (NAWCWD) of the [[Naval Air Systems Command]] (NAVAIR). At the same time, the physical plant at China Lake was designated as a Naval Air Weapons Station and became the host of the NAVAIR Weapons Division, performing the base-keeping functions.

In 1982, the community area of China Lake, including most of the base housing, was annexed by the [[Ridgecrest, California|City of Ridgecrest]]. In 2013, Congress reserved China Lake's acreage for an additional 25 years for military use.

In 2014, U.S. Representative [[Kevin McCarthy]] of California introduced a bill to permanently designate Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake property for military use, arguing it would save taxpayer money and enhance the base's mission.<ref name="KEVIN FREKING">{{cite news|url=http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/04/29/3042424/obama-administration-opposes-china.html|title=Obama administration opposes China Lake expansion|author=Freking|first=Kevin|date=April 29, 2014|newspaper=The Tribune|access-date=May 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505112126/http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/04/29/3042424/obama-administration-opposes-china.html|archive-date=May 5, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The bill would add {{Convert|25000|acre|}}, including about {{Convert|7500|acre|}} that were part of a bombing range in [[San Bernardino County, California|San Bernardino County]], as well as {{Convert|19000|acre|}} along the station's southwest boundary. The [[Bureau of Land Management]] said that DoD needs could change in future decades and that it is a popular recreation area with trail riding, campsites, and hunting, and an important [[wildlife corridor]], especially for the threatened desert tortoise.<ref name="KEVIN FREKING" />

Between November 7 and 9, 2018, NAWS was used as the filming location for the fictional Mach 10-capable aircraft known as Darkstar featured in the opening scene of Paramount's [[Top Gun: Maverick]], later released in 2022.

In July 2019, [[2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes|two large earthquakes]] struck Southern California; both had epicenters within the NAWS boundaries. The first, on July 4, a 6.4 magnitude quake, caused no injuries at NAWS, and the initial reports showed that all buildings were intact.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wcyb.com/news/nation-world/64-magnitude-earthquake-in-southern-california|title=Aftershocks following Southern California earthquake|last1=Antczak|first1=John|last2=Rodriguez|first2=Olga|date=2019-07-04|website=WCYB|access-date=2019-07-07|df=mdy-all}}</ref>  The second, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake on July 5, resulted in the facility being evaluated as "not mission capable".<ref name=":0" /> The report shows that officials assessed all buildings, utilities, and facilities — 3,598 structures in all — for 13 days after the earthquakes and found damage totaled $5.2 billion. Replacing buildings alone would cost $2.2 billion, but officials also must replace or repair specialized equipment, furniture, machine tools, telecommunication assets and other facilities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stripes.com/news/us/earthquakes-caused-up-to-5-billion-in-damage-to-china-lake-naval-base-1.594343|title=Earthquakes caused up to $5 billion in damage to China Lake naval base|website=/www.stripes.com|author=Alejandra Reyes-Velarde |date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

== Weapons developed at China Lake ==
[[File:F9F-8 with Sidewinder missiles 1956.jpg|alt=F9F-8 with Sidewinder missiles 1956|thumb|175px|right|A U.S. Navy F9F-8 Cougar armed with AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles. Photo taken in November 1956.]]
{{div col}}
*[[AAM-N-5 Meteor]]
*[[AIM-9 Sidewinder]]
*[[AGM-45 Shrike]]
*[[AGM-62 Walleye]]
*[[BOAR (rocket)]]
*[[China Lake Grenade Launcher]]
*[[CL-20]]
*[[Gimlet (rocket)]]
*[[Holy Moses (rocket)]]
*[[Hopi (missile)]]
*[[LTV-N-4]]
*[[Ram (rocket)]]
*[[RUR-4 Weapon Alpha]]
*[[SLAM-ER]]
*[[Terasca]]
*[[Tiny Tim (rocket)]]
*[[Tomahawk (missile family)]]
{{div col end}}

===Other notable projects===
* [[Glowstick]]
* [[NOTS-EV-1 Pilot]]

== See also ==
* [[Nevada Test and Training Range]]
* [[Space Test and Training Range]]
* [[Utah Test and Training Range]]
* [[Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons]]
* [[List of airports in Kern County, California]]
* [[List of United States Navy airfields]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commonscat}}
;Official sites
*[https://cnrsw.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NAWS-China-Lake/ Official Naval Air Weapons Station website]
*[https://www.navair.navy.mil/ NAVAIR Home]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041130073150/http://www.nawcwpns.navy.mil/ NAVAIR Weapons Division]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050207190221/http://www.vx9.navy.mil/ Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071008014328/http://www.nawcwd.navy.mil/vx31/ Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Thirty One]

;Museum
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090415081446/http://www.history.navy.mil/museums/china_lake/china_lake.htm Naval History & Heritage Command (History.navy.mil):  U.S. Naval Museum of Armament and Technology at China Lake] — official website
*[http://www.chinalakemuseum.org/ Chinalakemuseum.org: U.S. Naval China Lake Museum of Armament and Technology]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160303190348/http://www.chinalakemuseum.org/clmf/ Chinalakemuseum.org: U.S. Naval China Lake Museum of Armament and Technology Foundation website]

;Other
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150518064550/http://ww2.dcmilitary.com/dcmilitary_archives/stories/041201/6465-1.shtml 2002 NAWS China Lake Welcome brochure]
*[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/china-lake.htm GlobalSecurity.org: China Lake] 
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020302114330/http://www.astronautix.com/sites/chialake.htm Astronautix.com: China Lake]
*[http://www.militarymuseum.org/NAFInyokern.html The California State Military Museum]
*[http://www.chinalakealumni.org/NOTS.htm China Lake Alumni.org]
*[http://www.chinalakealumni.org/NOTS.htm AirTime, Spring 2007, Volume 3, Issue 1]
*{{FAA-diagram|00914|NAWS China Lake}}
{{US-airport-mil|NID|-}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120507155926/http://www.chinalakemuseum.org/history/logos.htm China Lake logos including the "rocket-ridin' rabbit"]
*{{HABS |survey=CA-2703-A |id=ca2622 |title=Naval Ordnance Test Station Inyokern, Dispensary |photos=29 |data=6 |cap=3}}
*{{HABS |survey=CA-2774 |id=ca3270 |title=Naval Ordnance Test Station Inyokern, China Lake Pilot Plant |photos=1 |data=14 |cap=1 |link=no}}
*{{HAER |survey=CA-353 |id=ca3473 |title=Naval Ordnance Test Station Inyokern, Randsburg Wash Facility Target Test Towers |photos=16 |data=27 |cap=3}}

{{CAMilitary|state=autocollapse}}
{{US Proving Grounds}}
{{US research agencies}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:China Lake, Air Weapons Station}}
[[Category:Military facilities in the Mojave Desert|Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake]]
[[Category:Installations of the United States Navy in California]]
[[Category:United States Naval Air Stations]]
[[Category:Ridgecrest, California|Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake]]
[[Category:Military airbases established in 1943|Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Inyo County, California]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Kern County, California]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in San Bernardino County, California]]
[[Category:Geography of Inyo County, California]]
[[Category:Geography of Kern County, California]]
[[Category:Geography of San Bernardino County, California]]
[[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in California]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in California]]
[[Category:Airports in Inyo County, California|Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake]]
[[Category:Airports in Kern County, California|Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake]]
[[Category:Airports in San Bernardino County, California|Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake]]
[[Category:1943 establishments in California]]