Spring 2007Volume III, Issue 1

Leaders in providing decision-quality data

China Lake

Concentrated in secluded canyons of the volcanic Coso Range on the North Range of the Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS), China Lake, Calif., are thousands of visual reminders of people who, thousands of years ago, hunted and gathered their food in this high desert. In Little Petroglyph Canyon alone, more than 6,000 petroglyphs have been identified; scraped and pecked

into the desert varnish formed on the rocks. Although opinions vary as to the interpretation of the rock art, archaeologists agree that some Coso petroglyphs may be as old as 16,000 years. Designs range from animals such as big horned sheep and scorpions to anthropomorphic figures.

The Coso area has been occupied for thousands of years by Native American groups, and archaeological sites abound. In prehistoric times the region had been inhabited by the Panamint (or Koso) Shoshone, and the current Native American groups are of Paiute-Shoshone descent. Ranching and mining took place in the area beginning in the 1860s, bringing Euro-American people into the Cosos.

The Navy assumed ownership of the area in 1943, at the height of World War II, and the site currently lies within the NAVAIR Range Department Land Ranges’ North Range. The Navy has exercised careful and prudent stewardship of the area, which has ensured the excellent preservation of the petroglyphs.

Today, this harsh desert frequented by dust storms is inhabited by snakes, scorpions, spiders, meadow grasses, scrub and other flora and fauna that coexist on Navy land that is used for high-tech weapons research, development, test, evaluation and training missions. China Lake carries out the complete weapons-development process – from basic and applied research through prototype hardware fabrication; test and evaluation; documentation; fleet and production support; and joint training scenarios. China Lake is home to approximately 4,600 civilian employees and 1,000 military personnel and is supported by over 1,500 contractor employees.

North Ranges

more on p. 10

air TIME

Air Time Volume III, Issue 1�

Editor

Theresa Hopkins

Editorial Assistant

Jennifer Amber

Design/Layout

Sarah Schodroski Ehman

Business Communications

Theresa Hopkins, Patti Sauers

Director

NAVAIR Range Department

Steve Mendonca

Contributing Writers

Greg Bell, Russ Edelen, Jennifer Hazlewood,

Theresa Hopkins, Cliff Lawson, Robert

Jensen, Patti Sauers

Air Time is published by the NAVAIR Range Department, a leader in providing decision-quality data for range customers. Comments or submissions may be made to:

theresa.hopkins@navy.mil

(301) 34�-4480

patricia.sauers@navy.mil

(805) 989-3873

Distribution authorized to U.S. Government agencies and their contractors.

IT’S an exciting time in NAVAIR test and evaluation, with an

outlook of new programs and workload for our ranges and

facilities!

NAVAIR has a new leader, and AIR-00 Vice Adm. David

Venlet has communicated that this is a change of command,

not a change of mission. He has given specific direction to

leadership to share his core values, and his messages are

being passed down to all of our Range employees. After all

employees have been briefed, the Admiral’s messages will be

posted on our NAVAIR Range Department intranet site, or

Wiki, at https://homepages.navair.navy.mil, and they are so

important that I will pass on some of these messages here:

Naval Aviation serves America in the defense of freedom. This duty places Sailors and

Marines in harm’s way, where they must expect the unexpected. Sailors and Marines

depend upon us to deliver capability and reliability.

Our vision has NAVAIR supporting Sailors and Marines armed with confidence because

we develop, deliver and sustain aircraft, weapons and systems: on time, on cost, with

proven capability and reliability to succeed in every mission and return home safely.

Honor, courage and commitment are the Navy’s core values, and WE are Navy!

Our future depends upon the leadership development of all of our people. Everyone in

NAVAIR leads and influences both people and activities that deliver external results.

Respectful dialogue that is candid, values truth and transparency, and fosters healthy

debate will expose weaknesses, reveal realistic options and rally people to act in mutual

support.

Trust is a key element of organizational success. Trust is earned by demonstrated behavior

and extended to others in commitment to their greater good. Trust is what we earn from

the Sailor and Marine when we deliver reliability and capability, and fundamentally makes

us better at what we do.

The imperative for continuous improvement in all we do will lead us to a future of higher

quality, ever-better processes, reduced cost, faster cycle times and increased productivity.

We do this for the Sailors and Marines so that their missions are successful and they return

home safely.

This vision is meant to last beyond the tours of current leadership and will be NAVAIR’s

culture, a culture that values what we believe and will build upon our past to face ever-growing

challenges.

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From the Director

Steve Mendonca

Cover: Petroglyphs at China Lake. Photo by Patti Sauers

air TIME

Spring �007 3

In this Issue Spring �007

Transportable Range Operations Center to enhance UAS operations

TM plays vital role in weapon system testing

Destroyer launches Tomahawk IV in West Coast test

Enhanced Fire Scout makes flight debut

Second Navy Global Hawk arrives at Pax River

Sea Range partners with UCSD/Scripps

Blowing hot and cold

AIRSpeed update

Range of Achievement

8 – SNORT undergoes major renovation

9 – Behind the scenes: SNORT instrumentation

10 – China Lake in aviation history

1� – China Lake's natural & cultural history

16 – Land Ranges support warfighter at Advanced Combat Skills and Tactical Mobility Facility

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5

6

7

Focus onChina Lake: North Ranges

20

21

22

7

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Air Time Volume III, Issue 14

continued on p. �4

IN FY05, $1.1 million of I&M (Investments & Modernization) Congressional Add funding was

awarded to the Atlantic Test Ranges (ATR) to improve and enhance the Patuxent River Complex and Webster Field Annex (WFA) infrastructure to better support Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). During the past two years, an ATR team headed by Larry Hill, Fleet Support and Long Range Planning Office, has gathered program requirements to meet the challenge of acquiring a transportable platform to house multiple systems for use in supporting UAS test and training operations.

Through discussions with members of the UAS community, shortfalls were identified and the funding was applied to upgrade the communications capability between ATR and WFA; extend the fiber communications network; upgrade the video infrastructure to support classified sensor video; develop and integrate ATR/UAS systems data exchange; procure and implement a range operations shelter to support operations at WFA; develop and implement the FRAAMED (Flexible Real-time Airspace-Airfield Management of Events Display) for airspace de-confliction; and integrate the Universal Shipboard Automatic Identification System into the range.

With the support of a team from the ATR Test Communications Branch, led by Jim Pilkerton, and the Special Communications Requirements Division at WFA, ATR acquired a pre-engineered, 50-foot trailer to be used for an operations shelter and range control center. The trailer, known as the Transportable Range Operations Center, or TROC, houses range systems and equipment and can operate either connected to ATR or work autonomously.

Transportable range instrumentation (tracking instrumentation: radar, GPS (Global Positioning System), electro-optical tracking systems, laser, etc.; Flight Termination System (FTS); electronic warfare emitter systems; signature measurement systems; and telemetry processing

systems) can be integrated based on the local operational requirements.

The trailer came pre-engineered with 19-inch equipment racks, 10 pre-defined workstations, an electrical power distribution system and cable raceways for systems integration, a 42-foot telescoping mast, HVAC systems, a secure storage container and a reinforced roof. Ten rack-mounted PCs; 10 flat-panel displays at workstations; two wall-mounted, large,

flat-panel displays; a video switch; and communications equipment were then installed. Mission support software applications – SureTrak, RCCS III (Range Command & Control System), and PCDS (Personal Computer Debriefing System) – have been loaded on the computers, as well as TSPI, electro-optical tracking, telemetry collection and processing, photogrammetrics, electronic warfare, flight termination, range surveillance and range safety systems. A plug-and-play connection to the transportable shelter will supply built-in command-and-control for flight test operations.

Many additional expandable features make the TROC system a useful tool for extended and improved network connectivity for UAS testing. The reinforced roof allows for cameras,

tracking equipment and other heavy gear to be mounted there. A conduit railing around the roof allows for mounting additional antennae and cameras. A microwave data link and fiber optic cable, which is currently being installed, will improve connectivity at WFA, where tactical UAS testing is typically performed in the Patuxent River Complex.

The final installation of systems and power requirements are being performed at WFA. The improved and increased power infrastructure for the site has been planned so that current and future power requirements for additional system capabilities can be easily met. The TROC will undergo initial operations capabilities and system testing later this spring.

Transportable Range Operations Center to enhance UAS operationsby Theresa Hopkins

The Transportable Range Operations Center, or TROC, is undergoing final installation of range surveillance and instrumentation systems at Patuxent River's Webster Field Annex. A plug-and-play connection to the transportable shelter will supply built-in command-and-control for flight test operations for UAS and other customers. Photo by Jennifer Amber

Spring �007 5

IN an aerial dogfight, the warhead makes the kill. When the PBXN-3 high-explosive main charge in

the Sidewinder WDU-17/B warhead detonates, it drives an expanding circle of 194 pre-formed titanium rods that will take an enemy aircraft out of action – permanently, in microseconds.

Developmental and test firings are a far different matter. For these shots, the warhead is often superfluous. The purpose is not to destroy an expensive aerial target, although a direct hit often makes that issue moot

– to the delight of the shooter.

Non-combat missile firings are generally used to evaluate the overall performance of a missile system. In each test shot, the engineers and analysts are brimming with questions. How quickly did the missile acquire the target? How well did it track? Did it maneuver properly? Was it confused by countermeasures? Did each precisely sequenced operation, from motor ignition to final fuzing and fire pulse, occur as the designers intended?

Telemetry answers the questions The Telemetry (TM) system provides the data to answer

these questions, and in many of the missile firings each year on the NAVAIR Land and Sea ranges, the missile is instrumented with a warhead-compatible or warhead-replacement TM unit. TM monitors the weapon system’s performance and transmits that information to ground receiving stations.

Externally, a TM unit is simple in appearance. For example, the AN/DKT-80 telemetry system that replaces the Sidewinder warhead is a plain, machined-aluminum cylinder about 13

inches long by 5 inches in diameter, identical in external configuration to the warhead it replaces.

Internally, it is another story. The unit is packed with a thermal battery, power distribution assembly, five printed circuit cards, motherboard, and FM transmitter connected to a skin-mounted wrap-around antenna.

As soon as the missile is powered up, the AN/DKT-80 begins to monitor a score of activities within the missile and between the missile and the launch platform. The unit also monitors its own internal parameters, including battery performance and voltage levels. The data is encrypted and transmitted to strategically placed ground receiving stations throughout the range. A successor to the AN/DKT-80 is the AN/DKT-89 that is currently being developed for the Sidewinder AIM-9X

missile. This variant contains the same functionality of the AN/DKT-80, but incorporates a specially designed GPS receiver for positional tracking and end-game scoring as well as a dual-redundant flight termination system to allow the missile to be destroyed by range safety personnel in the unlikely event that the missile heads off track.

One-stop aircraft and weapons instrumentation

Air Vehicle Modification & Instrumentation (AVMI)

comprises the Navy’s experts in flight test instrumentation and

integration. Their motto – “Decision-quality data starts here” – reflects their commitment to provide the customer with the high-caliber test data required to make sound programmatic decisions regarding aircraft and weapons systems.

Within AVMI resides the Weapons Instrumentation Division (WID), where both aircraft and weapons systems are instrumented with technologically advanced telemetry and flight data recorder systems that ensure that decision-quality data is captured for their customers. To meet these evolving needs, the division continues to stay actively involved in the development and implementation of new technology. This affords them the comprehensive capacity to design, develop, build, document and test instrumentation systems from end to end. Each design incorporates customized power supplies, sensor/avionics interfaces, signal conditioning, digital encoding/storage, encryption and transmission of data to a ground-based receiving site. The types of instrumentation systems developed have broadened to include GPS/IMU

(Global Positioning System/Inertial Measurement Unit) TSPI, flight

TM plays vital role in weapon system testingby Greg Bell and Cliff Lawson

The AN/DKT-89 telemetry system that replaces the Sidewinder warhead is a plain, machined-aluminum cylinder about 13 inches long by 5-inches in diameter, identical in external configuration to the warhead it replaces. U.S. Navy photo

continued on p. �4

Air Time Volume III, Issue 16

IN December, a U.S. Navy Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) Block IV cruise missile was launched

from USS Milius (DDG-69), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer underway in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern Calif. The missile flew a land-attack mission, launching from operating areas on the Sea Range, managed by the NAVAIR Range Department.

Seconds after launch from the ship’s vertical launch system, the Tomahawk missile transitioned to cruise flight. It flew a fully-guided, 755-nautical-mile test flight using global positioning satellite and digital-scene-matching area correlator navigation, to a target site on the NAVAIR Land Range, at China Lake, Calif.

This marked the first Tomahawk IV launch from USS Milius. When asked to comment, Cmdr. E. Hernandez, the commander of the ship said, “Milius is honored to have the opportunity to conduct the TLAM firing. I have full confidence in my strike team. This is the type of challenge they love to take on. We look forward to helping advance the next generation of land attack weaponry.”

The test also successfully demonstrated the Tomahawk Strike Network (TSN), which is a unique aspect of the Block IV system. Utilized in this test, TSN is a communications network that provides secure connectivity among all of the participants in a strike plan. Those participants include the Block IV missile(s), the strike controller and the missile controller. Messages are generated, sent and received inside the network, and are monitored by a channel controller. TSN allows the strike controller to retarget the missile in flight, monitor the health and status of the missile in flight and collect images along the route.

The Tomahawk is ship- and submarine-launched, and was first employed operationally during Desert Storm. Since then, the missile has been heralded for its accuracy and lethality. The enhanced capabilities of Tomahawk Block IV increase fleet effectiveness, while significantly reducing acquisition and

life cycle costs.

U.S. Navy Tomahawk program manager, Capt. Rick McQueen said, the “successful test event shows that the Baseline IV Tomahawk Weapon System will maintain the legacy of weapon effectiveness that Tomahawk has demonstrated in every major conflict from Desert Storm through Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

Tomahawk missiles are deployed throughout the world’s oceans on numerous surface ships and submarines, including AEGIS-Class Cruisers, Guided Missile Destroyers and SEAWOLF and LOS ANGELES-Class submarines.

Tomahawk operational test launches are conducted throughout the year at NAVAIR ranges from Navy surface ships and submarines. These tests are designed to maintain the operational prowess and readiness of the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, test and prove upgrades and enhancements to the missile, platforms or control software. As in all Tomahawk flight tests, the

Range Department ensured air route safety; carefully planning in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration. q

Compiled using information from a press release by NAVAIR PEO(W)

Destroyer launches Tomahawk IV in West Coast test

In �003, the guided missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) launches a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) toward Iraq during the initial stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In �006, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer launched its first Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile from operating areas on the NAVAIR Sea Range. The Tomahawk missile then transitioned to cruise flight and flew a fully-guided, 755-nautical-mile test flight to a target site on the Land Range. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Thomas Lynaugh

Spring �007 7

IN December, the U.S. Navy’s MQ-8B Fire Scout Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) made its first flight

in airspace controlled by the Atlantic Test Ranges at the Webster Field Annex of Patuxent River Naval Air Station.

The Navy’s vertical takeoff and landing tactical UAS

(VTUAV) system was originally dubbed the RQ-8A, but during the summer of 2005, was re-designated to the MQ-8B to reflect the Fire Scout’s evolution toward an increased, multi-functional role. These test events marked the first flight of the enhanced variant.

Three events were conducted and executed as planned. Flight test one was a test of the command for launch abort functionality, calling for the operator to command a launch and immediately command an abort.

Flight test two was a test of the same system after takeoff had commenced. It called for the operator to issue the launch command then issue an abort command immediately after takeoff.

The third flight test focused primarily on safety. Fire Scout developers have determined that when the aircraft is below 10 feet, it is safest to return immediately to the deck. If the aircraft is higher than 10 feet, it should continue up to a

“perch” altitude of 30 feet and await further commands. Flight test three confirmed this functionality, as the air vehicle

properly ignored an abort command above 10 feet and continued to the perch position.

Some of the most notable improvements seen with the MQ variant of the Fire Scout include increased power, fuel and payload capacity. Additionally, the MQ-8B offers more than double the mission radius and time-on-station than the previous version of VTUAV.

The program is on schedule for fleet introduction in FY08, with full rate production in FY09 following successful operational evaluation. q

Compiled from Unmanned Air Systems Program Office (PMA-263) press release

Enhanced Fire Scout makes flight debut

Fire Scout MQ-8B UAS makes its first flight on December 18 in ATR airspace at Webster Field Annex. U.S. Navy photo

ON December 6, the second of two U.S. Navy RQ-4A

Global Hawk Maritime Demonstration (GHMD)

unmanned aircraft arrived at Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Md. The aircraft arrived after an 11-hour flight from Edwards Air Force Base, where it had been undergoing acceptance tests and supporting recent Navy demonstrations over Hawaii.

Navy objectives for the GHMD unmanned air system program include: the development of maritime endurance unmanned aerial vehicle sensors; concepts of operations; tactics, techniques and procedures; and fleet integration with manned aircraft. Delivery of the second vehicle marks the completion of GHMD’s hardware delivery under the low-rate production and development contracts.

A derivative of the Northrop-Grumman RQ-4A produced for the Air Force, each GHMD aircraft has a wingspan of 116 feet, a length of 44 feet and a maximum weight of 25,600 pounds.

Each aircraft can stay aloft for over 30 hours, flying at altitudes up to 60,000 feet. The Integrated Sensor Suite includes the legacy Air Force modes of radar and a digital camera operating in both the visible light and infrared wavelengths. GHMD also includes maritime modes of Maritime Surveillance, Maritime Moving Target Indicator, Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar as well as 360 degree passive electronic sensors.

The first GHMD aircraft made its maiden flight in October 2004, and arrived at its main operating base, NAS Patuxent River, in March 2006. q

Compiled from Unmanned Air Systems Program Office (PMA-263) press release

Second Navy Global Hawk arrives at Patuxent River

The Global Hawk RQ-4A touches down at Patuxent River. U.S. Navy photo

Air Time Volume III, Issue 18

China LakeNorth Ranges

By Jennifer Hazlewood and Theresa Hopkins

THE Supersonic Naval Ordnance Research Track, also known as SNORT, is receiving the first-ever

upgrade and preventive maintenance work in its 53-year history. This lofty undertaking comes after years of solid service, during which the only significant maintenance or repair work came when parts of the track were damaged by the live explosive items that SNORT is often asked to test.

A 53-year track recordThe original four mile test track

consists of 50-foot sections of crane rail, connected with a series of large nuts, bolts and anchors. The two parallel rails, which test sleds ride on, are elevated on H-shaped, six-foot-thick concrete, sunk three feet into the earth. In the original design, gaps were built between the joints so that the steel could grow as it heated. This allowed for up to ten feet of horizontal expansion of the steel track in the summer heat.

Aligned to within sixty thousandths of an inch, the track can test items at speeds up to Mach 6, but normal usage is at Mach 4 (about 3,000 mph) and under. Test sleds can be launched from any point on the track – depending on the g-force the test item must be exposed to, coasting times and ultimate velocity reached before reaching the end of the track. Surplus military rocket motors are used for propelling test items down the track and the SNORT team fabricates unique sleds that the test item rides on for every program. They also pour concrete targets for use in

warhead penetration tests. The biggest of these concrete blocks, reinforced with rebar, are 15 feet square by 10 feet thick. These blocks are placed at the end of the test track,

where the sled will normally disengage from the projectile, which will continue its flight path to impact the cement target blocks.

The upper “H” of the track is visible from above ground. It is within this enclosed cement canal that the SNORT team can add water for a water brake, if necessary. That way a sled can be slowed prior to the end of the rails for reuse. The water is recirculated, stored in a holding pond at the end of the track and reused when needed.

According to Craig McKenzie, SNORT Branch Head, “One-third of our tests are seat ejection testing for new platforms. The customer is looking for data on how fast a pilot can punch out. We’re also working on hypersonics programs, looking at how missile doors will open if launched from an aircraft traveling at Mach 1 or 2, and

how the test item components roll away from the launch platform at those speeds.”

McKenzie says new test requirements can stretch the imagination. “I work closely with our engineers so the first words out of our mouths aren’t, ‘No, we’ve never done that before.’ We’ve done some innovative testing in the past that required us to think outside the box. If

SNORT undergoes major renovation

continued on p. 18

With the rails removed and placed on the side, the SNORT, SA-TECH and Jacobs Engineering crew begin the rigorous work of disassembling all the nuts, bolts and anchors that hold the rails in place, which hadn’t been replaced in over 50 years. Photo by Brian Bartels

The welding work done on the SNORT tracks by Delta Rail from Ohio required electric butt-fusion welding of 43� 50-foot lengths of crane rail. Photo by Brian Bartels

Spring �007 9

By Russ Edelen

FOR 53 years, the Supersonic Naval Ordnance Research Track, or SNORT, has been used at the

Land Range for high-speed rocket sled ground tests. Well over 10,000 sled runs have been seen there, including seat ejection tests, warhead impact tests and a mixed bag of other classified and unclassified evaluations. Over time, a unique set of instrumentation has been developed to collect the data needed by engineers for tests that can reach Mach 6.

Brian Bartels of SA-TECH is

the photographer at SNORT. He is responsible for ensuring that customer photographic data requirements are met with the appropriate equipment. SNORT instrumentation is primarily, but not exclusively, photo-optic in nature; the purpose is to record test events along the track and at target impact. One such device is the high-speed, synchro-ballistic, or Streak, camera; a fixed camera capable of capturing a high-resolution still image in 35 or 70 mm format. The film passes through the camera in the opposite direction from the rocket sled, resulting in a clear picture of the sled against a blurred background.

According to Bartels, also available at SNORT are fixed, high-speed, motion-picture cameras. Events are imaged at up to 8,000 frames-per-second, using 16 mm film. The high-speed motion picture cameras can be positioned along the track to collect the desired data. They can also be located near the end of the track for weapon impact tests, where mirrors are strategically located below the weapon flight path in order for the cameras to collect weapon yaw and pitch at impact and after perforation of the target. The cameras can also capture fragmentation patterns as the weapon strikes the target, providing

high-resolution imagery of the debris field. The cameras themselves are shielded behind barricades or located in camera row, a 150-foot long, reinforced metal structure with camera ports every five feet.

An alternative to the high-speed motion picture camera is the flight follower camera, used solely by

SNORT. A rotating mirror combined with digital high-speed video allows the flight follower to pan through 90 degrees and capture almost 1,500 feet of rocket sled movement along the track. The flight follower is valuable in obtaining data over a period of time that would otherwise take the sled out of the field of view of fixed cameras.

Until recently, Bowen

camera systems were used to collect TSPI (Time-Space-Position Information) for rocket sled tests. Fixed cameras with high-magnification capabilities were attached to precision tri-axial mounts, with the system controlled by skilled operators. The Bowen cameras were retired in 2006, and current plans are to substitute a limited documentary-only capability with the Kineto Tracking Mounts that are used throughout the rest of Land Range.

Dennis McLaughlin, the Electronics Engineer at SNORT responsible for implementing electronic instrumentation, notes that instrumentation systems other than photo-optics equipment also provide critical data for SNORT test events. One of these is the Velocity Measurement System (VMS), a series of 218 electric coils set 100 feet apart along the length of the track. The coils detect horseshoe magnets mounted on the rocket sled to provide velocity and acceleration data that is vital

Behind the scenes: SNORT instrumentation

This image of a test sled moving down the SNORT track was taken during ejection seat performance testing with the synchro-ballistic camera. U.S. Navy photo

continued on p. 17

Air Time Volume III, Issue 110

IN 1943, adequate facilities were needed for Test and Evaluation (T&E) of rockets being developed

for the Navy by the California Institute of Technology (CalTech). At the same time, the Navy needed a new proving ground for aviation ordnance. The Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) was established in response to those needs in November 1943. The NOTS mission was defined in a letter by the Secretary of the Navy dated November, 1943 as, “… A station having for its primary function the research, development and testing of weapons, and having additional function of furnishing primary training in the use of such weapons.”

Harvey Field was commissioned at the auxiliary landing field at Inyokern, and the first facilities of the fledgling NOTS were established there while the building of the actual NOTS base at China Lake commenced. Testing began at China Lake within less than a month of the Station’s formal establishment and by mid-1945 NOTS’ aviation assets were transferred to the new Armitage Field at China Lake.

The vast, sparsely populated desert around China Lake and Inyokern, with near-perfect flying weather year-round and practically unlimited visibility, proved an ideal location not only for T&E activities, but also for complete Research and Development (R&D). The early Navy-CalTech partnership established a pattern of cooperative interaction between civilian scientists and experienced military personnel.

Air-launched rockets, solid propellants, fire-control systems and rocket and guided missile T&E were primary areas of effort at China Lake in the 1940s. In the late 1940s, NOTS began research on fire-control systems that evolved into the concept of the Sidewinder guided missile.

During World War II, the Station played a role in the Manhattan Project as the site of “Project Camel,” which developed non-nuclear explosive bomb components – a role that continued into the 1950s. Holy Moses, Tiny Tim and a family of spin-stabilized barrage rockets were fielded while the Station was built. After the war, the Pasadena Annex was added, bringing with it the torpedo-

development program and other underwater-ordnance RDT&E efforts.

With the advent of the Korean conflict, NOTS rapidly gained cognizance over an even more extensive catalogue of rockets, missiles and torpedoes and an array of guns, bombs and fuzes. The Station sent the 6.5-inch tank-killing RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) rocket to the combat forces in Korea after only 28 days in development and testing. The ensuing years saw the development and deployment of some of

China Lake’s most noted products, including the Weapon A, Mighty Mouse, and BOAR (Bombardment Aircraft Rocket); a series of torpedoes; new aircraft fire-control systems (“avionics” now); and, of course, the Sidewinder. By the late 1950s, research at China Lake had expanded into such diverse fields as weather modification and satellite-delivery systems. The Station also played a significant part in the development and testing of the Polaris missile system, including studies and analyses that shaped the Polaris concept.

U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia in the 1960s quickened the tempo of activities at NOTS, and a new generation of “smart” bombs, cluster weapons and night-attack systems was developed to meet fleet needs. The Station had been preparing to meet conventional-warfare requirements, and the “Eye” series of free-fall weapons first saw action in Vietnam. Snakeye and Rockeye bombs, the Zuni rocket, the ASROC (Anti-Submarine Rocket),

China Lake in aviation history

The North Range of the China Lake Land Range Complex encompasses many different land- and air-space areas, used for a diverse variety of weapons test and evaluation and fleet training missions.

Spring �007 11

the Shrike antiradar missile, the TV-guided Walleye and advanced Sidewinders were among the Station’s products being used by the fleet. NOTS developed and applied forward-looking infrared (FLIR) technology and systems, fuel-air explosive (FAE) devices, weather-modification systems, and space and undersea research vehicles during the decade. Electronic warfare also received major attention, and the Station made significant contributions to countermeasures, special-warfare and strategic-missile systems.

In 1967, NOTS China Lake and the NOTS Pasadena Annex were separated; NOTS China Lake and the Naval Ordnance Laboratory, Corona, joined to form the Naval Weapons Center (NWC). In 1971, the Corona facilities were closed and their personnel and functions relocated to China Lake. With the Corona activity came guided missile and fuzing expertise.

During the 1970s, the Center’s direction changed along with the Navy’s shift to more advanced, computer-intensive systems. Aircraft systems – avionics – became a major area of effort, as did advanced electronic warfare systems and simulation efforts. Weapon System Support Activities (WSSAs) were developed for combat aircraft and NWC began fielding avionics software and hardware for everything from weapons integration to advanced self-protection techniques. The Center continued to develop advanced versions of the Sidewinder, Walleye, Shrike and FAE weapons. Major support and improvement programs were

conducted for Sparrow, Phoenix, Harpoon and Maverick missiles. China Lake research extended the technology base in optical and laser systems, advanced propulsion technologies and anti-radiation guidance. The Center acquired the National Parachute Test Range function in

1979, adding a new area of major concentration to the NWC mission; China Lake now serves as the Navy’s parachute RDT&E facility.

During the 1980s, NWC continued to expand its aircraft weapons integration and avionics activities and to further develop its simulation capabilities. New projects included the Advanced Common Intercept Missile Demonstration (ACIMD) program, which developed and demonstrated technologies for the next-generation air-to-air missile; the Sidearm and HARM (High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile) Low-Cost Seeker antiradar-missile programs; the Skipper 2 laser-guided weapon; vertical-launch weapon programs, including Vertical-Launch ASROC; and advanced Sidewinder developments. China Lake’s Sidewinder missiles were again combat-proven in the Middle East and in the Falklands. Parachute systems (including the Space Shuttle escape system) received

major attention, as did the further development of full-scale aircraft targets, such as the QF-86 and QF-4. NWC also became a major contributor to the Tomahawk Cruise Missile program.

The Center began the ‘90s with significant support to Operation Desert Storm, conducting efforts that modified,

continued on p. 19

A SNORT test of the Rocket-Assisted Personnel Ejection Catapult (RAPEC) ejection seat. NOTS designed and developed RAPEC in the mid- and late-1950s, beginning a lasting relationship between China Lake and aircrew safety. Photo courtesy of China Lake Weapons Digest

An F-4U Corsair loaded wth 6.5-inch Anti-tank Aircraft Rockets. Responding to the urgent need to defeat new Soviet armor in 1950, China Lake designed, developed, tested, documented, pilot-produced and delivered these weapons to the operators in Korea within the span of one month. Photo courtesy of China Lake Weapons Digest

Air Time Volume III, Issue 11�

By Theresa Hopkins & Patti Sauers

DURING a recent visit to China Lake, we had the opportunity to visit one of the more stirring sites

aboard the Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS). Though it is on Navy land, this site has nothing to do with the testing of aircraft or weapons, and was by far the most mysterious stop along our tour.

Visions of China Lake’s past

We were on our way to Little Petroglyph Canyon and a small, dry streambed high in the Coso Mountains. Located here is the largest concentration of rock art, or petroglyphs, in the Western Hemisphere. The 20,000 images already documented in the Coso Mountains surpass in number most other collections, and, because of the restricted Navy test area where they are located, these archeological artifacts remain remarkably undisturbed.

Armed with cameras and a case of bottled water, we set off in a dusty government vehicle, ready for adventure. Bouncing our way over rough dirt roads, with a trail of dust rising behind us, we were leaving civilization as we knew it.

Sandy Rogers and his wife, Fran, led the expedition. Sandy, the former head of the Pacific Ranges & Facilities Department and now an archaeologist, was a perfect guide to show us not only the historic sites, but also point out and explain some of the mission-related sites we passed along the hour-long drive through the desert and up into the mountains. Now retired, Sandy pursues his archaeology passion full-time, volunteering for the Maturango Museum in Ridgecrest, Calif.

He pointed out many deserted 19th and early 20th century mines along the way. You could almost envision hopeful miners digging and scraping in shafts along the mountains, searching for a sign of ore and just imagine the hardships they endured. A couple of derelict shacks that had once been miner’s camps are still visible. Even the road we were driving on, Sandy explained, was an old provisioning route, built by Remi Nadeau to get supplies

to the miners and haul any ore they found out of the mountains.

At about 5,000 feet, the road ends. After being assured by Sandy that it was too cold for the snakes to be out, we began the hike. We were hunting for signs of a much older civilization – the Coso Indians, who inhabited this region thousands of years ago. Little is known about their civilization and not much remains.

The walls of Little Petroglyph Canyon are 20 to 30 feet high along most of the length of the canyon. The bottom is sandy in spots, but there are plenty of rocky places where you have to work your way up, down and over rocks covered with colorful lichens.

We weren’t looking for structures or artifacts unearthed in archaeological digs. The artifacts we were looking for are images that have been chipped, chiseled and abraded through a thin, dark layer formed through the ages on the basalt rocks. The desert varnish, or patina, on the rocks is left by bacteria, which digest the dust and leave the dark deposit behind. Chipped through this dark deposit, the art work shows the lighter rock below.

Sandy explained that there are thousands of designs, many indecipherable, others as familiar today as they were thousands of years ago.

China Lake’s natural & cultural history

Sandy Rogers (left), retired Head of the Pacific Ranges & Facilities Department, points out petroglyphs to Patti Sauers, as he leads the expedition through Little Petroglyph Canyon in the Coso Mountains. Photo by Theresa Hopkins

Spring �007 13

“I’ve been coming up here to the canyon for years, and each time I see something new,” Sandy stated.

The age of the designs within Little Petroglyph Canyon, estimated by measuring trace elements in the rock, is 600 to 6,000 years. As to why they were carved in stone remains a mystery, but the images give clues to what life may have been like back then.

Once inside the canyon, the petroglyphs are hard to miss. Hundreds of bighorn sheep with curved horns and boat-shaped bodies run with deer, mountain lions and small dogs. On one particularly stunning cliff face, human-like figures with elaborate headdresses stand with outstretched arms, hands clenching ancient weapons.

Some are grouped in low alcoves, some high on the walls above us. Those visible are an eerie reminder of life that endured here long ago.

Other traces of historic peoples remain in the canyon. Small bowl or cup shapes have been ground into rock surfaces mortar-and-pestle style, and grids, lines or bedrock slicks are visible, scratched lightly into the rock with a handheld stone. Sandy explained that these areas were thought to have been used for grinding acorns or seeds by the hunter gatherers that lived here so long ago.

Coso rock art is extraordinary for many reasons, but what first strikes the eye is the number and concentration of images. In an otherwise barren area only ten miles long by five to seven miles wide, thousands of individual carvings lie atop and beside one another, covering entire canyon walls and the surfaces of large outcroppings. The overall effect underscores the incredible longevity of the local cultures.

A closer look reveals another remarkable fact: about half the carvings depict bighorn sheep.

Once fairly common throughout the surrounding mountains, bighorn populations crashed shortly after the adoption of the bow and arrow, a probable casualty of climate-related stress and the efficiency of new hunting techniques. Obviously, these increasingly rare beasts left a durable impression in the minds of local peoples now

inscribed on rock.

Bighorns are not the only frequent feature of Coso rock art. Also prevalent are anthropomorphic figures, some wildly dressed in elaborate patterns and strange headgear, while others seem to be hunting or dancing. Sometimes entire panels are inscribed with elaborate geometric patterns. Often, variations on the patterns occur within

circular “shields” or fringed “medicine bags.” More rarely, bighorns are decorated with geometric shapes.

Other animals represented on the rock include rattlesnakes, lizards, centipedes, dogs, mountain lions and coyotes. Comb- or rake-shaped rain symbols also figure prominently.

Since these petroglyphs were first studied almost one hundred years ago, archeologists and anthropologists have puzzled over their significance. As a window upon a vanished society, Little Petroglyph Canyon represents a tantalizing opportunity to look into the minds of prehistoric people, but like abstract paintings, these chiseled images are open to any number of interpretations. The people who carved them abandoned the region centuries ago and left few clues to their meaning. Speculation and controversy fill in the blanks.

This rock art is so important to the area’s cultural heritage that in 1964, Little Petroglyph and an adjacent

Little Petroglyph Canyon is home to a remarkably high concentration of petroglyphs. Photo by Patti Sauers

Air Time Volume III, Issue 114

canyon were listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Now, everything in the canyon area is fully protected, including the petroglyphs, obsidian chips, and any artifacts or tools, as well as native vegetation and wildlife. Federal and California laws and NAWS regulations protect this area.

One thing that makes the Coso archeological complex special is that it is exceptionally well-preserved. This is partly due to the remoteness of the place and the dry, stable climate, but it is also the result of the U.S. Navy’s efforts to meet its obligations as a federal land management agency to protect the cultural resources under its care. As the protector of a National Historic Landmark, the Navy faces the additional requirement that they not allow their normal functions to affect the Coso petroglyphs in an adverse way. Archeological discovery and analysis allows the Navy to know just where the petroglyphs are and, consequently, how to plan their exercises around them.

The region’s prehistoric climateToday, only the occasional roar of an F-18 jet breaks

the quiet of the canyon. Go back in time, though, and the quiet is displaced by the roar of water pouring out of the glaciers that gripped the Sierra about 12,000 years ago. Back then, Owens Lake to the north was brimming, and an even larger lake – twice as big as Lake Tahoe

– covered the China Lake region. The first inhabitants found their way here perhaps following huge animal herds – bison and antelope, and maybe horses, camels and mammoths – across a verdant savanna.

Linguistically, the people who inhabited the Cosos were early ancestors of the Numic-speaking Shoshone and could be classified as Proto-Numic or Proto-Shoshonean. They took part in a widespread migration out of the Cosos

about 1,000 years ago, populating a large portion of the western United States.

Today, local Shoshone tribes in California – the Monache and Paiute, the Panamint and Timbisha Shoshone, the Kawaiisu and Chemehuevi and Tubatulabal – see the Cosos as the center of their world, their place of origin.

This is California’s high desert where the northernmost stretches of the Mojave meet the Great Basin. It is surrounded by the Coso Mountains to the north, the Panamint Mountains to the east and the Sierra Nevada to the west. The view stretches from the southern edge of the Coso range, among the foothills and tableland that step down a series of basalt terraces southwest towards the dry bed of China Lake.

Coso means “land of fire,” a reference to the area’s ancient volcanism. It was the products of volcanism – hot springs and obsidian deposits

– that originally drew people to these mountains. The springs, believed to be the origin of life, played a role in cures, and the obsidian was used for stone tools.

The surrounding landscape was formed by titanic forces of colliding continental plates and upwelling molten rock, and carved by rushing waters of glacial melt and eons of endless rain, today’s desert conditions seem almost preternaturally silent.

Canyons cut through the basalt formations give evidence of the wet conditions that once prevailed here. As glaciers from the last ice age retreated into the high Sierras, meltwater and constant rain blasted through the volcanic rock to form streams, canyons and river valleys. Cut off from the ocean, inland lakes formed between the

The rocks in the canyon are populated with images of deer, mountain lions, dogs, coyotes, rattlesnakes, lizards, centipedes and anthropomorphic figures, in addition to people and most notably, bighorn sheep. Photo by Patti Sauers

Spring �007 15

mountain ranges and created a lush environment perfect for large mammals.

Broad savannas with willow and cottonwood-lined streams stretched away from the marshy lakeshores. Oak and pine woodlands rose from the China Lake basin up into the Sierras. This habitat supported horses, camels, bison, sloth, and the carnivores that hunted them – saber-toothed tigers and jackal-like dogs.

In this mild climate, food was plentiful. The earliest people lived in small villages along the lakes, taking game and collecting plant foods with relative ease. But the climate became progressively hotter and drier, forcing life to adapt. Between 9,000 to 7,000 years ago, rapid drying led to the extinction of most large mammals. Others, like pronghorn antelope and desert longhorn sheep, endured until recent times.

Inyo mule deer still roam here as do wild horses, which come to the canyon floor and leave pits dug with their hooves through the sandy soil in search of water. Smaller mammals like rabbits, coyote and fox; and desert rodents, lizards, insects and snakes survive in abundance.

As the climate became more arid, desert plants or barren soils replaced temperate vegetation. The landscape finally became among the driest in the nation, with an annual rainfall of only 4.5 inches. No permanent water sources now exist. Today, only desert and Great Basin plant communities survive. No trees grow here, leaving only topographic diversity to create the vast and dramatic vistas for which this area is known.

Coso’s paleoindiansNo one really knows how or when people first came to

Coso, or specific details of their civilization. Archeologists believe people came across the Bering Straight during the last ice age. Coso’s Paiute Indians say they emerged from the very mud of the Coso Hot Springs. While the specific date of when they came here is not entirely clear, tests show that some of Coso’s rock art is at least 12,000 years old.

Coso’s paleoindians were few in number and moved constantly across what was then a lush landscape in search of large game animals. Over time, their population increased slightly, though never much beyond a small number of family bands. With the decline in large game animals, people began to rely less exclusively on hunting and gathered more plant foods.

As a hunter-gatherer society, Coso’s people never developed true agriculture, nor did they ever adopt a true staple food source. Over time, they learned to take full advantage of the scant resources available to them. In fact, Coso Indians adopted unique practices involving food sources that required significant extra work to be made edible. Some archeologists describe Coso’s people as being hunter/gatherer-processors. This reliance on processing marks Coso Indians as part of the widespread Numic linguistic and cultural continuum. Numics, who spread out from eastern California through Nevada and Utah and beyond, also shared a distinct rock art tradition. In historical times, the local Indians included the Coso or Panamint Shoshones and the Owens Lake Paiutes.

When gold and other minerals were discovered in California, a handful of Euro-Americans arrived to stake claims or start ranches. Occasional skirmishes with Coso peoples led the U.S. Army to remove by force nearly 900 Indians from the area in 1863. However, many people never left, but simply moved to local towns or took work on outlying ranches. Descendents of the Coso Indians still live in the region today, some even using Little Petroglyph Canyon for ceremonies.

There were many moments during our hike through the canyon when we paused in awe, both at the journey we were making and the lives of the natives who had inhabited the area and walked the very trail we were on now. The rugged beauty that surrounded us was immense, whether the work of nature or of man: ancient artwork framed not in gilt wood, but by the beauty and light of the desert floor. q

Compiled using information from the National Park Service’s Archaeology and Ethnography Program and information from the NAWS Public Affairs Office

Air Time Volume III, Issue 116

New range targets expeditionary warfare sailors

EXPLOSIVE Ordnance Disposal Training and Evaluation Unit One (EODTEU 1) opened a new

naval firing range course last November at the Land Range, geared toward training deploying expeditionary warfare sailors under the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC).

The NECC brings EOD, Naval Coastal Warfare, Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support functions and Seabees together under one umbrella. NECC integrates all warfighting requirements for expeditionary combat and combat support elements. This transformation allows for standardized training, manning and equipping of sailors who will participate in the global war on terrorism as part of the joint force. It also results in more capable, responsive and effective expeditionary sailors.

EODTEU 1 held its first two-week course in October, 2006, and another in January.

“The course is as realistic as they get. It fits both environment and combative conditions that they may see in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Senior Chief Explosive Ordnance Technician (EWS/

SW/AW) Michael G. Manning, one of seven instructors at the new facility attached to EODTEU 1.

The Advanced Combat Skills and Tactical Mobility Facility presents a new type of firing range that simulates desert-terrain combat conditions, giving sailors basic

to advanced small arms weapons training and tactical convoy mobility operations in life-like situations.

The course is designed to test the strengths of the sailors and allows them to compete against each other during timed evolutions. The 16 different live-fire ranges

present various shooting distances, the longest being 300 meters, using different sizes and shapes of targets to test a shooter’s ability, and to remind a shooter to remain focused on their environment and changes they may encounter.

During the course, students also use laid out convoy mobility driving tracks and the Military Operation on Urban Terrain (MOUT) foundation, where they use simulated munitions and paintball guns, giving them experience with different views and aspects they may come across during combative situations.

The course consists of approximately 10 hours of classroom training covering safety, fundamentals and familiarization. After classroom time, students participate in hands-on training on the firing range

both during the day and at night for about 70 to 75 hours.

“I think this course is important because we find that a lot of expeditionary warfare sailors are going overseas more often in support of the global war on terrorism,” said Chief Gunner’s Mate (SW) Robert D. Vincent, an

Land Ranges support warfighter at Advanced Combat Skills and Tactical Mobility Facility

Sailors from Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron Five and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Group One shoot M-16s at a target �5 yards away at China Lake’s Advanced Combat Skills and Tactical Mobility Facility during a recent Joint Task Force Exercise. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jose R. Rolun

Explosive Ordnance Disposalman 1st Class, Tim Idom, and Explosive Ordnance Disposalman 1st Class, Ray Kassow conduct reconnaissance operations for hidden weapons during a training exercise at the China Lake Land Range. Kassow and Idom are assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit Eleven (EODU-11). U.S Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Steve Vasquez

Spring �007 17

instructor attached to EODTEU 1. “We want them to be prepared and have as much knowledge and advance training as we can give them before they get over there.”

JTFEX expands EOD Group 1, NCWS 5 training skills

Last November, more than 80 active-duty and reserve sailors from two commands under Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) participated in a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) at the Advanced Combat Skills and Tactical Mobility Facility at China Lake. Preparations for the JTFEX started in October, when Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) sailors set up a base camp at the Darwin Wash EOD/NECC small arms range, with living spaces and a galley for the crew and a command and control center in preparation for the exercise.

Besides the 4,000 square feet of “bunkhouse” and an operations building, the facility includes two-and-a-half-mile-long firing lanes for light weapons (5.56 mm, etc.)

and weapons up to 50 caliber, as well as a facility for Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT), primarily constructed from seavans.

The JTFEX simulated combat conditions in desert terrain, preparing Sailors for future deployments to combat zones. The exercise allowed the two commands, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Group 1 and Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron (NCWS) 5 from Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, Calif., to sharpen skill sets and improve interoperability.

“We are bringing sailors here from various parts of the NECC enterprise, and they have various levels of expertise and experience in combat skills,” said Cmdr. Clark Nichols, chief staff officer with EOD Group 1. ”What we are looking for first of all is to provide a baseline across the enterprise, and there will be more advanced skills training down the line.”

This JTFEX is the second time NECC units conducted integrated operations on the West Coast, allowing units to train under a unified command and control structure.

“One of the big parts of the JTFEX is getting more understanding on how to work with each other in the fleet or in the war zone,” said Intelligence Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Shepperd, attached to EOD Group 1.

“Exercises like this expand our capabilities for a better interaction with the Army and Marine Corps.”

Several other groups, including Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron (NCWS) 5 from Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) and USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), joined EOD Group 1 during part of the exercise.

“We are going to start acting like we are in Baghdad,” said Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Ronald Sherman, weapons officer with EOD Group 1. “We are going to start wearing vests and helmets, just like if we were in the area of operations.” q

Compiled from press releases by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jose R. Rolon and Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jennifer R. Hudson, Fleet Public Affairs Center, Pacific

for post-test analysis. There are plans to replace the horseshoe magnets with smaller and lighter rare-earth element magnets, which will reduce sled air friction and drag and should be more reliable than the horseshoe magnets.

In addition to VMS, accelerometers can be located on the rocket sled to measure tri-axis vibration levels as the sled moves down the track. SNORT also has three meteorology stations measuring air density, temperature and other atmospheric conditions that directly impact the high-speed tests.

The SNORT facility is currently undergoing a major renovation that will restore the track to its original specification levels. When this repair work is completed in June, SNORT instrumentation will be ready to continue providing decision-quality data. q

SNORT instrumentationcontinued from p. 9

Air Time Volume III, Issue 118

it’s possible to engineer, we’ll try it. That’s why they call it testing.”

SNORT upgradeAfter years of planning and requests for funding, SNORT

received $2.4 million to pay for the huge maintenance project. Saving money by using SNORT employees; re-conditioning parts when possible; using on-station machine shops for custom fabrication; and sticking to an aggressive schedule that has work completed in a mere seven months, the SNORT crew is right on track to complete the work in time for a June test which was scheduled last year.

A large upgrade for the track was actually designed into the project from its start in the 1950s; the welding together of each section of track. When the track was built, technology wasn’t available to weld the sections together easily and precisely, but the designers did provide for this to happen in the future. This welding is finally being completed, and will make the track easier to align with greater precision, which will make it safer, stronger and better able to handle faster tests than before.

Work on the maintenance project began in November, with all eight SNORT employees and 10-12 employees from SA-TECH and Jacobs Engineering disassembling all the nuts, bolts and anchors that hold the rails in place, which hadn’t been replaced in over 50 years. The various parts were then sorted as either re-useable or recyclable, and the re-useable items were re-machined. New parts were made in on-station machine shops, often with extremely quick turn-around times so as not to stall the entire project.

The installation of the new or rehabilitated parts was the next step, and the crew completed about 400 feet per day. McKenzie praises the original design work on the track, noting that this upgrade is using all the original engineering work, which is still valid. New, improved materials such as asphalt that contains rubber to absorb more of the vibration, and a heavy-duty, marine-grade grease to sink the anchors into will be used to further improve performance and longevity of the track.

The welding was contracted out to Delta Rail from Ohio, who brought in 10 employees to perform the electric butt-fusion welding portion of the upgrade. This welding process grabs each side of the rail, applies current, slams them together and puts a hefty weld on the connection. Each weld was then subjected to mag-flux inspection to ensure a proper weld.

Because the four miles of steel can grow up to 10 feet as it is heated, the two ribbons of continuous rail were then permanently anchored at one end. The rail was heated equivalent to the maximum temperature anticipated for the

rail, 150 degrees Fahrenheit. The two rails were again permanently anchored to the opposite end of track foundation at that stretched length. The rails will be under maximum tension on the coldest days, and minimum tension on the hottest days.

The high speed of SNORT tests dictate tight tolerances for track alignment, and the SNORT crew used a special laser to align the rails to within sixty thousandths of an inch.

This phase had three teams working to unscrew and adjust 25,000 alignment points.

When the entire project is complete, the SNORT team will go back to doing what they do best – testing. From complex, multiple-target penetration using live, high-explosive-filled warheads; to missiles and rockets; guidance and fuzing; aircrew ejection systems; free-flight terminal ballistics; electronic warfare and counter measures; and vehicle and barrier testing, SNORT has supported over 750 programs and 10,000 individual tests during its 53-year history.

According to McKenzie, “Sometime between small-scale development wind tunnel testing and operational use, every weapon is tested somewhere on a test track. We’ve held the world record for speed a couple times over the years, back in the '60s. The biggest article we’ve tested was the Titan missile stage, which weighed approximately 136,000 pounds. We even test for NASA – Mercury, Gemini and the Mars Lander have all been tested on this track,” said McKenzie.

And when this upgrade is completed, SNORT will be ready to serve again for many more years. q

SNORT upgradescontinued from p. 8

Once upgrades are completed, the four-mile SNORT test track will consist of two continuously welded tracks of crane rail, elevated on H-shaped, six-foot-thick concrete, sunk three feet into the earth. Photo by Brian Bartels

Spring �007 19

improved, tested and validated various aspects of Sidewinder, Tomahawk, FAE, HARM and Shrike weapon systems to meet the immediate needs of the troops in the Gulf. NWC developed electronic-warfare system upgrades, developed and delivered operational-flight-program upgrades, and developed and fielded new and improved weapon-integration and -targeting software for combat aircraft. Major flight-test support was provided for Navy and Air Force squadrons, especially using China Lake’s Echo Range electronic warfare threat environment simulations, to help validate and update avionics and tactics.

On January 22, 1992, NWC was disestablished and the RDT&E functions of NWC were combined with the T&E functions of three other Navy activities to form the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. The NWC facilities, military administration and airfield functions were consolidated into the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.

Support of RDT&E programs continued for Sidewinder, Sparrow and Phoenix air-to-air missiles; fuzes for the Standard Missile and a wide variety of other surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles and free-fall weapons; Harpoon anti-surface weapon system; Tomahawk cruise missile; Sidearm and HARM anti-radiation-missile programs; parachute systems and subsystems for aircrews and equipment; avionics hardware and software and total-combat-system operational flight programs for most Navy fighter and attack aircraft; and tactical electronic-warfare and countermeasures systems.

China Lake in aviation historycontinued from p. 11

China Lake analysis and T&E capabilities and projects remain unmatched, with simulation of threat weapon systems; major electronic warfare threat-simulation facilities; and complete test and evaluation of a wide range of anti-air and anti-surface systems. Contributing to and complementing these projects are broad technology-based efforts, which range from basic research in physics and chemistry to applied projects in energetic materials, embedded computers, specialized semiconductor and superconductor materials, and lasers and optics.

Today, the Land Ranges at China Lake continue to support weapons systems testing and warfighter training with real-world innovations. Recent additions to Land Range T&E and training assets include an EOD/NECC (Explosive Ordnance Disposal/Navy Expeditionary Combat Command) small arms range; tracks for testing IED (Improvised Explosive Devise) countermeasures; and energetics and directed energy test areas. These new areas of test, evaluation and training support supply improved products and operational training in a timely manner to protect the warfighter in Afghanistan and Iraq – ensuring that American soldiers return home safely. q

Compiled using information from The Desert To The Sea, A Brief Overview Of The History Of China Lake; originally prepared for the 50th anniversary edition of The Rocketeer November, 1993

The “rocket-ridin' rabbit” (top) was the first logo adopted for the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS), in 1943; various versions of this popular piece appeared on everything from flight jackets to bars to informal publications. The eagle astride the High-Velocity Aircraft Rocket, or HVAR, (second from top) became the station's first official logo and was used throughout the 1950s. In the early 1960s, the original “screaming eagle” (second from bottom), representing both the air-warfare and underwater ordnance missions of NOTS, was unofficially adopted. This logo went through several iterations as the mission – and name – of the station changed, resulting in the most recent version (bottom), which retains all the elements that made it so popular and so appropriate. Logos and text courtesy of NAWCWD web site.

Air Time Volume III, Issue 1�0

ON a visit to various government and private sector activities that collaborate with the university, the

President of the University of California system, Robert C. Dynes, toured the Sea Range at Point Mugu in January. While there, Dynes was briefed on the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) and Southern California Coastal Observing System (SCCOOS) – two programs that the Navy is partnering with University of California at San Diego (UCSD) and the Scripps Institute of Oceanography to develop and field.

The Sea Range regularly uses buoys and CDIP to forecast the sea and swell heights for many different operations. Aerial target recoveries are one example, according to Robi Garcia, Geophysics Branch Head.

“All BQM targets have a sea and swell limitation, whether it’s Aegis, AMRAAM, HARM, JSOW or AESA. We also need to take into consideration sea states when planning ship transfers for Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), ATLS and MST ship operations for the fleet and T&E; especially Japanese Defense Force. The program is also used for sea-surface roughness computations, for radio frequency and electro-optical scatter, and for platform sensor testing,” explained Garcia. “We work closely with UCSD and Scripps when developing wave rider ocean buoy capabilities, modeling ocean swells, and developing surface current measurement capabilities on the mainland and at San Nicolas Island.”

NAVAIR and UCSD/Scripps have been cooperating for many years to observe and model the maritime environment in Southern California. UCSD/Scripps has a vast network of surface wave rider buoys and highly developed software that can model the waves’ energy as it gets refracted around the offshore

islands. NAVAIR frequently deploys a wave rider buoy near San Nicolas Island for just this purpose. In late 1997, an agreement was developed to operate the Navy’s buoy in compliance with data formats of the UCSD/Scripps’ CDIP network. This allows CDIP to take advantage of the data provided by the Navy’s

buoy, while providing the Navy with expert knowledge in the configuration, repair and operation of the wave rider buoys.

The NAVAIR buoy maintenance facility at the Sea range has been completely shuttered, saving over $5,000 annually in maintenance costs. In addition, UCSD/Scripps has provided special modeling and analysis of test areas in the Sea Range near the Channel Islands.

Recent discussions have also been held to provide near-shore sites under Navy control to expand the SCCOOS observation capability of surface currents. This summer, NAVAIR will be helping to install Coastal Ocean Dynamics Applications Radar (CODAR) high-

frequency radar on a site at Point Mugu and on San Nicolas Island. The CODAR system remotely measures ocean surface currents. The system allows one to get a complete map of ocean currents without stepping foot aboard a boat or deploying an expensive array of current meters. Each map has a range of about 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) from the coast with a

measurement every 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles).

According to Julie Thomas, from CDIP Scripps Institute of Oceanography, who coordinated with Garcia in organizing the visit, “President Dynes thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and was appreciative of how well the UC ocean monitoring programs were integrated into the Navy’s test range. He encouraged continued partnerships and endorsed plans to expand into the ocean current monitoring program.” q

(Left) This summer, NAVAIR will help install CODAR high-frequency radars like this one at Point Mugu and on San Nicolas Island. (Right) The Sea Range regularly uses buoys and CDIP to forecast the sea and swell heights for many different operations. Photos courtesy of CDIP Scripps Institute of Oceanography web site

Steve Mendonca, NAVAIR Range Department Director; Robert C. Dynes, President of the University of California (UC) system; and Robi Garcia, Geophysics Branch Head, during a tour of the Sea Range. Photo by Patti Sauers

Sea Range partners with UCSD/Scrippsby Patti Sauers

Spring �007 �1

SUMMER temperatures at China Lake have prompted more than one visitor to describe the area in “hellish”

terms. However, it was not high temperatures, but a record-breaking cold spell in mid-January that wreaked havoc with facilities at China Lake. A quick response and teamwork prevented further damage to two buildings at the Electronic Combat Range (ECR) and enabled the range to continue serving customers without any impact to the flight schedule. The Engineering Support Facility (ESF) at the ECR is the largest building on the range and contains a high bay, lab spaces and office spaces for 20 employees.

Malfunctions with the heating system left the ESF building without heat on the night of January 13, as temperatures dipped to a record breaking seven degrees Fahrenheit. The freezing temperatures froze water pipes, causing them to burst. As the pipes thawed throughout the following day, the flooding began.

China Lake Fire Department personnel noted the loss in pressure in the sprinkler system and responded to find water running out the door of the building and gushing from the walls and ceiling. The China Lake Police Department worked with range facilities personnel to identify and shut off the sources of flooding. This proved to be a difficult task since ESF suffered ruptured pipes in the fire suppression system, the culinary water system, and the coils of the heating and air conditioning system.

A quick inspection of other buildings revealed flooding in the Configuration Management (CM) library building. Government personnel and range support contractors joined forces throughout the Martin Luther King holiday weekend to stop the flooding, secure the buildings of safety hazards and prevent further damage.

On Tuesday morning, teams organized to gather wet/dry vacuums and begin the cleanup process. Some personnel rented industrial carpet cleaners while others brought personal

systems from home to help in the effort. While some sheet rock and ceiling tiles were destroyed and will need to be replaced, the quick response prevented water from further damaging the carpet and dry wall throughout the building. A department credit card holder facilitated a quick purchase of floor fans to dry the carpet and the Station’s Public Works Department (PW) contracted a professional service provider to treat the carpet to prevent the growth of mold and mildew. By close of business on Wednesday, all spaces within the ESF were ready for employees to resume work. Three personnel from the CM library building have been moved to other spaces.

All of this damage control was performed without impact to the ECR flight schedule. The quick and thorough response of those involved prevented more significant damage from occurring to the ESF. The willing and ready attitude of range team members to pitch in and do the work quickly, prevented carpet and wall damage from being excessive and reduced the resource draw on PW, which was responding to more than 70 other calls regarding frozen pipes and flooding.

Work on the heating, air conditioning and fire suppression systems at ESF continues and there is still work that needs to be completed on the CM library before personnel can return to their work stations. The range continues to support customers throughout this challenge, and managers are confident that all team members will pull together to face any challenges that

come along, even if it is hell freezing over. q

Blowing hot and coldby Robert Jensen

A Land Range employee works to clean up the mess left in the ESF after freezing temperatures caused the building's water pipes to burst. Photo by Robert Jensen

The interior of the ESF is reflected in the standing water which damaged much of the building when pipes burst after a record-breaking cold spell at China Lake in mid-January. Photo by Robert Jensen

Air Time Volume III, Issue 1��

AIRSpeed Update

Black Belt: Bella Younano

Problem: Requirements for maintaining/producing instrumentation reports are unclear and inconsistent; Project Managers do not have sufficient time to produce a detailed report prior to project start; existing documentation not easily used as a template.

Goal: Define an efficient instrumentation reporting process; reduce cycle time by 35 percent; and increase customer satisfaction.

Core Team: Lee Sides, Allen Sanders, Rich Fry and Chris Bailey.

Actions: Improve Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Report Writing Instructions; train all employees on the new process; create templates to expand the AutoCAD symbol library; include multiple parameters in diagrams per page; acquire stand-alone printers for use at aircraft; improve software calibration.

Benefits: Reduced cycle time of 35 percent will result in $10�,000 annual savings in labor and material costs; reduced frustration of building documents that are not standard/reusable and frequently never referred to after installation.

Reduce Cycle Time to Create Instrumentation Reports at AVMI Aircraft Instrumentation Division Green Belt: Robi Garcia

Problem: No broad understanding of the inventory management process; inventory data calls at unexpected intervals requires a number of individuals to spend time locating inventory items and equipment is frequently missing; item transfer paperwork and barcoding are incomplete and an excessive level of missing/lost/stolen equipment is reported.

Goal: To reduce the cost of conducting, maintaining and sustaining inventory and property management processes.

Core Team: Jack Keadle, Linda Page, Rossie Calvin, Jessie Mesa, Lou Arboleda, Jon Olson, Sandra Beckers and Steve Galloway.

Actions: Identify an Equipment Manager with proper authority; require purchase card holders to enter items into inventory and apply barcodes; conduct annual inventory using scanners with help from area experts and Division Equipment Managers; train

Division Equipment Managers to use barcode equipment; establish checkout/log procedures for transported equipment; red-tag non-plant property to reduce time spent looking for barcodes during inventory; excess unused equipment.

Benefits: Cost avoidance of two work years and $150,000 annually for scanning and inventory tasks. There is some cost associated with purchasing scanners and conducting training, but once process is in place, inventories should go more smoothly and require fewer employees, with others reassigned to mission-related tasks.

Equipment Inventory Management Project at China Lake and Point Mugu

Green Belt: Robert Stancil

Problem: It takes too many labor hours to track and analyze photogrammetric data.

Goal: Better document the process for processing photogrammetric data and reduce data extraction time.

Core Team: Jason Catterton, Mike Granger, Miguel Marez, Alice Abell, Wayne Dernoncourt, David Schug, Ed Forsman and Mike Snider.

Actions: Documented the photogrammetric data reduction process with SOP; instituted a quality assurance process; trained image and photo analysts on the use of the new TrackEye system – used in both store separations and ship suitability processing.

Benefits: Reduced analysis time for both store separations and ship suitability flights by more than 80 percent, resulting in annual savings of $40,000 - $60,000; increased customer satisfaction with faster tracking,

analysis and delivery of data.

Reduced Labor for ATR Photogrammetrics Data Processing

The Reduced Labor for ATR Photogrammetrics Data Processing project team includes (from left): Project Sponsor Buddy Beal, Green Belt Robert Stancil, Jason Catterton, Mike Granger, Miguel Marez, Alice Abell, Wayne Dernoncourt, David Schug and Ed Forsman. Photo by Theresa Hopkins

Spring �007 �3

Green Belt: Mike VanMeter

Problem: Lack of a Configuration Management (CM) process for range data systems results in a lack of planning for maintenance, development and version control; software and hardware version control problems result in systems that are difficult to accredit, diagnose, repair and modify.

Goal: Develop and implement a common CM

version control process and make available a common tool-set across ATR.

Core Team: Tom Jones, Rob Purdy, Dennis Normyle, Stephanie Boyd, Paul Hetzer, Tim Keck, Patty Morgan, Karen Nelson-Gass and Shawn Watt.

Actions: Develop a defined CM process; update Individual Performance Plans to include CM document preparation as an assigned task; hold biweekly meetings; clarify what is expected from individuals and groups so that CM expectations can be met.

Benefits: Reduction in time and labor associated with software and hardware rework by $45,000; reduced cycle time will increase customer satisfaction and potentially compress overall program schedules; version control processes will result in higher quality products and follow-on documentation to support Operations and Maintenance requirements.

Configuration Management Process at ATR

Green Belt: Raymond Semaan

Problem: Inventory control system lacks accuracy and often equipment cannot be located; during triennial inventories, extended searches are required to locate destroyed or missing equipment.

Goal: Implement SOP to reduce time and labor

spent searching for and locating equipment; reduce equipment losses; improve equipment storage and inventory accuracy.

Core Team: Bill Hollifield, Phil Lucio, Calvin Cairns, Robert Kweiser, Robert Morock, John Hart and Dennis Mulloy.

Actions: Perform all-hands Branch cleanup; reduce inventory by disposing of obsolete equipment and removing from the database; remove items less than $5,000; transfer equipment to Equipment Managers at specific facilities; verify equipment transfers; ensure new equipment is accurately added to the database; create new, centrally located equipment staging/storage area; institute new SOP for checking out/in equipment using Inventory Control Sheet to accurately track equipment.

Benefits: Improved inventory accuracy, reduced labor hours and equipment costs by up to $170,000 per year.

Optical Systems Branch Inventory Control Kaizen Project at the Sea Range

(Right) Optical Systems Branch Inventory Control Kaizan team members include (from left, front) Tim Johnson, Robert Morock, Raymond Semaan, John Hart, (back) Phil Lucio, Douglas Bradley, Melvin Staton, Robert Kweiser and Calvin Cairns. Photo by Jim Diderrich

Photo by Theresa Hopkins

In December, the ATR Systems Engineering Process Enhancement AIRSpeed project completed its Control Tollgate and eight

months of hard work by the team which includes, from left: Project Sponsor Greg Gillingham, Dustin Robinson, Tom Jones, Black Belt Kim Darland, Maren Decolator, Dennis Normyle, Kevin Gish, Bob Myers (and not pictured) Buddy Beal, Bill Darden, Jim Pilkerton, Ken Clarke and Mike Snider.

The project will introduce industry-standard Systems Engineering practices for in-house-developed systems and reduce the delay in ATR developmental efforts. Three, one-day Kaizan events on requirements generation; design (cost/schedule); and development, test and deployment, were part of the improvement process. Pilot projects have been identified to

test the new process.

Air Time Volume III, Issue 1�4

Discussions regarding expanded UAS system support are ongoing between ATR, NAVAIR PMA-263 and the Atlantic Test Wing. A major concern is how to safely integrate unmanned systems into airspace used by larger, manned, tactical aircraft. Safety issues are being resolved and ATR continues to research ways of using additional airspace for UAS flights. The TROC, with its onboard monitoring systems, will be available in the near future to supply real-time mission safety and surveillance to training, test and evaluation customers.

Once the infrastructure has been built and tested at WFA, NAVAIR will be able to support UAS platforms with the development and approval of a Federal Aviation Administration Certificate of Authorization to allow the UAS to transit outside of Pax River restricted airspace to other regional ranges’ special-use airspace for UAS test and training operations.

The transportable range capability of TROC will enable NAVAIR Ranges to support remote range operations at locations across the country for use by UAS and other customers. q

Transportable Range Operations Centercontinued from p. 4

termination, optical tracking and ground support systems. The division has also developed high g-force subminiature telemetry encoders the size of a quarter, used in munitions testing. These are now being adapted for Unmanned Air System applications where small size, weight and power are critical requirements.

WID is a cross-site division with personnel located at both China Lake and Point Mugu. The shared expertise is utilized to design, fabricate, environmentally qualify and deliver extremely reliable telemetry systems to aircraft and weapons customers. In addition, WID provides flight test support through its small fleet of telemetry vans; and acceptance testing on critical instrumentation components such as transmitters and flight termination receivers.

Greg Bell, the division head, explains, “Each customer provides us with their unique instrumentation system electrical and mechanical requirements from which we design a customized system to meet their needs. To ensure interoperability between ranges, our designers follow the guidance provided in the telemetry standards document (Intra Range Instrumentation

Group [IRIG] 106). We also work with the folks at each range where the system will be used, to ensure compatibility with their ground stations.”

A TM system must be the most reliable piece of the aircraft or weapon under test. Failure of the TM on a single firing can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars spent with no data to show for it. Loss of telemetry data can precipitate premature command destruct since a Range Safety Officer deprived of telemetry data has no means of ascertaining the health of the weapon’s flight path and must terminate to ensure personnel safety. Building reliability into the design becomes an even greater challenge, given the harsh environments in which TM systems function. In the case of the AN/DKT-80, for instance, the wingtip of an F/A-18E/F is not a very forgiving environment for a sophisticated piece of electronics. To mitigate this, WID has implemented sound Quality Assurance (QA) and Configuration Management (CM) programs that incorporate the appropriate design reviews, inspections, testing and documentation required; ensuring a level of quality and reliability.

Serving the fleet and DOD WID began designing TM systems for weapons such as Condor,

Bulldog and the original Sidewinder AIM-9A in the 1970s. Today, the division’s designers, engineers and technicians are responsible for the TM units used in many of the fleet’s major weapon systems. In addition to the Navy and Marine Corps, the division supports the Army, Air Force, many Joint Programs and the development of new technology through the Office of the Secretary of Defense Central Test and Evaluation Investment Programs (CTEIP).

In addition, division personnel bring their expertise to bear in the exploitation of foreign weapons systems. WID has worked extensively with the Air Force National Air Intelligence Center and other counter measure programs to design and fabricate sophisticated telemetry and instrumentation systems to replace the warhead of a variety of threat missile systems. From this data, invaluable information has been obtained, resulting in the development of effective tactics and countermeasures that ultimately will save the lives of our servicemen and women.

Thanks to the talented group of designers, engineers and technicians and their commitment to providing the customer with an extremely high caliber of test data, WID continues to build on over four decades of instrumentation expertise to provide decision-quality data in support of the warfighter. q

TM weapon system testingcontinued from p. 5

Spring �007 �5

In a February awards ceremony at the NAVAIR Moffett Building, Mike Johnston, ATR Associate, and the Workload Acceptance Task Team were awarded the NAWCAD Innovation Award in the Institutional Support Category.

The group, which included (from left) Johnston, Anthony Lee, William Morris, Regina Hansell, (and not pictured) Charles Betterson, Greg Heller and Rosanne Schwerman, was presented an Innovation Certificate and a $5,000 cash award by Rear Adm. Steven Eastburg, Commander, NAWCAD. Through the process that the Team created, NAWC decision makers are now able to base

workload decisions on a set of criteria consisting of mission compliance, strategic alignment and business impact. The process allows for recommendations of the proposed workload performed to be vetted through both competency and NAWC leadership. The process is facilitated by an electronic workflow system, which has been used successfully in other applications within the NAWC. By creating and documenting the process, as well as facilitating it with an off-the-shelf and previously-used workflow tool, this innovation allows the NAWC workforce to make difficult workload decisions in a relatively straightforward manner.

Length of Service

Dave Kenney10 years

Ron Swann10 years

Yvette Jones15 years

Ted Warren15 years

Ed Forsman�0 years

Kevin Gish�0 years

Ken King30 years

Ted Takacs35 years

From left:Phillip Bayarena, 10 years; Mike Thoms, �5 years Derris Castleberry, 10 years

Greg Cote30 years

Mike Pullen35 years

2006 NAWCAD Innovation Award

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Air Time Volume III, Issue 1�6

Letter of Commendation

On January 30, Nichole Brown received a letter of commendation signed by Maj. Frank P. Conway, Operations Officer, VMX-��:

“Please accept this letter in recognition of the superior performance of Nichole Brown. My flight crew was conducting a gun shoot on night vision devices as a flight of two MV-22B Osprey aircraft...Due to a delay in refueling the aircraft aboard Patuxent River NAS, the second portion of our flight was delayed. Expecting to be turned down on a Friday night, the flight crew was pleasantly surprised to hear Ms. Brown respond that she would stay as long as we needed. During the flight, the fire alarm system in the controller building inadvertently went off. Once she was assured the condition was safe, Ms. Brown continued to provide radar control despite the alarm loudly echoing within the building. Thanks to the dedication and support of Nichole Brown, VMX-�� was able to

conduct much needed initial aerial gunnery qualifications in preparation for conducting an operational test of the Osprey.”

Steve Mendonca, Director, NAVAIR Range Department, forwarded an electronic version of this letter to Rear Adm. Skinner and Ed Greer, Deputy Assistant Commander for T&E and NAWCAD Executive Director, stating that “Nichole Brown is one of our newest (and probably youngest) controllers at ATR.”

“I definitely recognize and applaud Ms. Brown’s outstanding support to our ATR customer during this training event,” said Test Management Branch Head Thom McCaughey, “And I would like to add my thanks to other team members from Test Management and the Safety Office that participated. Norm Elsbree provided event coordination, and John Shaver conducted surveillance and safety monitoring of the aircraft and exercise area to ensure the safe conduct of the event. This training event was particularly significant since it was provided to one of the first V-��

Marine warfighter units that will be deploying with the aircraft.”

T&E Director’s Award

At his recent retirement celebration, Carl Flynn, who worked in the Range Communications Branch of the Range Data Systems Division, was presented the Test and Evaluation Director’s Award by Steve Mendonca for his outstanding service to the NAVAIR Range Department.

During his tenure as Range Communications Branch Head, Carl streamlined and consolidated West Coast range communications, operations and services, bringing needed efficiencies and pushing improved concept of operations across the Land, Sea, and Electronic Combat Ranges. In addition, his leadership was a key contributor to the success and progress of Information Technology accreditation initiatives.

Because of Carl’s knowledge and dedication, the Range Department was able to show that the impending A-76 Commercial Activities (CA) Study

re-competitions were of no value to the government and a waste of money to the taxpayer.

As a direct result of Carl’s hard work on the A-76 CA Study, NAVAIR

recently received approval from Vice Adm. Harvey, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations - Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education (N1), to cancel further planning for re-competition.

The NAVAIR Range Department owes Carl Flynn our sincere gratitude and thanks for his many years of outstanding contributions to NAVAIR and the warfighter. Those efforts have truly made a significant and positive difference.

The entire Range Department would like to convey their best wishes to Carl and his wife Debbie for a very happy and peaceful retirement. They will surely be missed!

CA Study cancelled

The Range Department’s A-76 Commercial Activities (CA) Preliminary Planning effort for re-competing NAVAIR Test & Evaluation (T&E) Most Efficient Organizations (MEOs) has been cancelled. NAVAIR received a memo from Vice Adm. Harvey, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations - Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education (N1) canceling further planning for competition. These MEOs resulted from the last round of CA Studies that started almost 10 years ago. Navy leadership listened and reacted to the case made by the Range Department Director Steve Mendonca and

Ed Greer, Deputy Assistant Commander for T&E and NAWCAD Exectutive Director, that the Range Department should be excluded from any further A-76 studies.

Special thanks to Tom Wilson, AVMI Associate, and the rest of the Preliminary Planning team members, who played pivotal roles in convincing leadership that canceling these studies was the right thing to do.

Spring �007 �7

Time-off award

In April, a group of NAVAIR Engineer and Scientist Developmental Program (ESDP) employees, including Mai Tran, an ESDP working for the Range Data Systems at the Sea Range, established a voluntary

effort to incorporate improved utilization and information on the Weapons Division ESDP web site. Over a five-month period, the team established improvements that have increased efficiency and use of the site and provided new features for practical information exchange to accomplish ESDP requirements; answer frequently asked questions; and provide insight, status and schedules for all ESDP activities at WD. Mai was presented with a time-off award by Steve Mendonca, Director, NAVAIR Ranges, for her part in the development. Congratulations to Mai and the rest of the team!

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In appreciation

Freezing temperatures at the China Lake site in January resulted in substantial flooding damage from frozen and burst pipes at the Electronic Combat Range (ECR) (see “Blowing Hot and Cold” on page �1). One of the many

employees who worked as a team to dry out flooded workspaces was Monica Serna, a department Credit Card Purchaser. Monica dropped everything to ensure ECR folks were able to secure the tools needed for the cleanup operation. Her great effort is much appreciated by everyone involved.

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Letter of Recognition

Mike Smith, who works as the Airspace Surveillance Center (ASC) Section Head in the Range Operations Division, was recently recognized by Capt. Michael Gleason, Commanding Officer, Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS), China Lake. Smith played a

major role in extinguishing a wildfire in the Coso Range, started by a spotting charge in a practice bomb dropped by a Lemoore F-18 on a training mission.

Mike worked with the Test Management and Range Safety Branches in designating the ASC as the Fire Suppression Command Center for range firefighting activities. Smith provided training to Assistant Fire Chief Gary Alvidrez on radar and communications equipment so that

Alvidrez could personally coordinate all firefighting assets. Mike then dedicated one radar control position to monitor firefighting activities. Mike also coordinated with the San Bernardino County Fire dispatch for an additional helicopter to fight the fire. By the end of the day, the fire was contained and all airborne assets released. The quick response by all (and favorable winds) limited the fire to a little over 100 acres.

Capt. Gleason wrote, “I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your recent actions...in a time of crisis...During an operation of this magnitude, communications are essential to the safety of all personnel involved. You directly contributed to our ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with not only our personnel on the ground but with air traffic as well. Your accomplishments reflect well upon you and NAWS.”

EA-18G appreciation

Employees from the Optical Systems, Photogrammetrics and Telemetry branches at the Atlantic Test Ranges recently received letters of appreciation from the

customer for their support of the EA-18G Carrier Suitability/Ground Loads Demonstration Program. Pictured from left (front row): Nate Combs, Mike Granger, Greg Faulstich, Kevin Lee, Miguel Marez, Jackson Wingate, Bob Guy, (back row) Joe Thompson, Rick Neuslein, Chris Rupert, Robert Stancil, Donovan Farrell, Jonathan Boyd and Mike Kerr. Not pictured: Cliff Kujawski, Donnie Goldsborough, Red Sciarra and Dave Springer.

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30-year retirement

Bob Nagy, with the Geophysics Branch, retired in April after 31 years of government service. Bob wrote much of the original software for upper air data reduction, and continued in this field through five different

systems until his retirement. He was involved with the rocketsonde program and was the Geophysics Historian. At a presentation in the lobby of the Range Control Center, he was presented with various plaques from Range management to honor his many years of service.

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Russ Fielder was recently selected as Chief Engineer for the Weapons Instrumentation Division, part of Air Vehicle Modification & Instrumentation. The Division is responsible

for designing, fabricating and testing state-of-the-art instrumentation systems for weapon and aircraft telemetry (TM) applications.

Last year he received the Weapons Division Demo Professional Employee of the Year Award.

Prior to being selected as Chief Engineer, he was the systems engineer for the design and development of a new telemetry system for the latest version of the Sidewinder Missile family (AIM-9X). Fielder leads a team of very talented designers, who are replacing the warhead section of the AIM-9X missile with an instrumentation system that maintains the same physical characteristics. Fielder’s leadership and technical expertise has led the team to develop a system that is completely compatible with the existing 1� Mbps secure data stream and incorporates a redundant Flight Termination System (FTS) with a GPS tracking capability.

The success of his designs has given the Division credibility with the PMA and contractor communities, which will result in funding dollars for future technical advances. It cannot be overstated the importance these advances will have on the future technological superiority of Navy programs and, ultimately, the warfighter.

Valarie Vine, who has worked at Point Mugu for �0 years, is retiring. Two of those years Valarie worked in the Electronic Warfare group and for eighteen years she has worked for the Range.

When Valarie was younger, her mother wisely said, “you won’t always be young – you need to think about a job

with security.” She heeded her advice and hired on with the U.S. Navy at Point Mugu in a clerical position in May 1987. Now twenty years later, she says, “One: Mother was right. Two: I have a degree of security. And three: I found a ‘Home on the Range,’ which is perhaps the longest association I’ve ever had in my life, and one for which I am very grateful.”

The question perhaps most asked of a retiree is, “what do you plan to do?” Valarie has always been a student of history. She says, “My college degree was in History and some of my most enjoyable journeys have history at the core. I plan to continue my family historical research which has engrossed me for years and continue visiting locations wherever the family ‘footprints’ can be found…Hopefully a few stories will evolve from the research.”

Valarie sends a thank you out to her mother, who encouraged her to stop playing so much tennis and get a real job; to her wonderful (and historic) employer, the U.S. Navy; and to all her friends and associates she has made over the last �0 years in the far-flung and exotic locations of Point Mugu, China Lake and Pax River.

Good luck Valarie, we will miss you!

New WID Chief Engineer Vine retires

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