NAVAIR
The Naval Air Systems Command provides cost-wise readiness and dominant maritime combat power in support of all activities that make up the Naval Aviation Enterprise. NAVAIR employs about 40,000 people working at eight principal continental United States sites and two principal sites overseas, each providing an indispensable piece of the NAE equation.

NAVAIR integrates the unique engineering, development, testing and management capabilities at each of the sites to deliver airborne weapons systems that are technologically superior and readily available. NAVAIR's full-spectrum and enterprise-wide approach positions the command to deliver its part of naval aviation solutions at optimal costs and provide support for vital programs.

Patuxent River is home to the Naval Air Systems Command headquarters and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. NAVAIR's Aircraft Division at Patuxent River (including Webster Field Annex) is the Navy's principal research, development, test, evaluation, and engineering and fleet support activity for manned and unmanned aircraft, engines, avionics, aircraft support systems and ship/shore/air operations.

With more than 165,000 air operations annually, pilots at Patuxent River fly 140 aircraft (40+type/ model/series) over 2,100 square miles of restricted airspace from surface up to 85,000 feet in the Chesapeake Test Range operating areas. Additional air and sea space is available in the Atlantic Warning Areas, located east of the Delmarva Peninsula over the Atlantic Ocean. Scheduling these offshore warning areas, where support is typically provided, expands that area to over 50,000 square miles.

The RDT&E capability ranges from concepts analysis and procurement to flight testing and support equipment. Patuxent River has approximately a 22,000-member work force, 13,300 acres, five runways and 935 buildings with an estimated $2.8 billion value.

Test & Evaluation
NAVAIR test and evaluation develops and fields quality aviation vehicles, weapons systems and related products for the operating forces. NAVAIR supplies the people, processes, facilities and resources necessary to satisfy the test and training requirements of Navy program managers, fleet operators and other customers. The test and evaluation group at Patuxent River provides the expertise and facilities required to support all phases of testing for research, development, evaluation, experimentation, and in-service support of air combat systems, sub systems and related support systems. Training services are provided to the fleet through the development of training range systems and the use of test facilities and support staff for unit-level training exercises through large-scale joint scenarios.

AIR-5.1. The Integrated Systems Evaluation, Experimentation and Test (ISEET) Department provides the people, processes, facilities and aircraft for experimentation, and test and evaluation of battlespace concepts, systems of systems and platform systems. The Department is composed of test and evaluation engineers, project officers and test pilots who are responsible for identifying program-critical test elements, designing experiments to evaluate battlespace concepts, translating engineering test requirements into test plans for flight tests, and analyzing flight test data to evaluate system effectiveness. The department is responsible for flight test safety, aircraft maintenance services and flight operations. In addition, ISEET provides test and evaluation acquisition planning for PEOs / PMAs / IPTs, provides resources and staffing to operate the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, and manages the NAVAIR Technical Assurance Board (NTAB), which monitors designated programs for technical issues arising from aviation test and evaluation.

AIR-5.2.†The NAVAIR Range Department operates major test ranges and facilities on the East and West Coasts of the United States. NAVAIR assets include the Sea Range at Point Mugu, Calif.; the Land Ranges and Electronic Combat Range (ECR) at China Lake, Calif.; and the Atlantic Test Ranges (ATR) at Patuxent River, Md. In addition to the physical test areas, NAVAIR provides associated test article preparation and instrumentation, test facilities and associated threat environments, radar-cross-section measurements, specialized tracks, and interconnectivity with other major ranges and simulation and stimulation facilities in NAVAIR's Integrated Battle-space Simulation and Test Department. NAVAIR's premiere open-air range complexes provide test and evaluation and training support for fleet, program, commercial and foreign customers.

ATR provides fully instrumented and integrated test and training ranges for full-service support of cradle-to-grave testing and training. This support includes research, development, test and evaluation, and training of aircraft/aircrew and integrated avionics and mission systems. Real-time radio link reception, translation, processing and display of test data are available using the Real-Time Telemetry Processing System.

ATR controls fully-instrumented and integrated test ranges that provide full-service support for cradle-to-grave testing. Airspace and surface target areas are used for test and evaluation of aircraft and for war fighter training missions. In addition to radar and optical tracking systems, fixed and mobile assets provide the necessary capabilities for diverse testing and training scenarios.

The Telemetry Data Center provides real-time radio-link reception, translation, processing and display of test data using the Real-time Telemetry Processing System. This widely-used system provides real-time test information from up to nine separate in-flight aircraft to ground engineering employees. Test teams operate the system from any of the nine project engineer stations.

The inshore operating area, known as the Chesapeake Test Range, consists of selected targets and airspace covering regions over the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. Additional air/sea space is available in the Atlantic Warning areas, located east of the Delmarva Peninsula over the Atlantic Ocean. ATR controls an aerial firing range and two exclusive-use surface target areas in the Chesapeake Test Range restricted areas. The 1,000-acre Webster Field Annex is located about 12 miles southwest of Patuxent River. Webster Field is used as an auxiliary field for daylight testing and is home to VC-6, a squadron devoted to maintaining the Pioneer Unmanned Air System (UAS). ATR provides real-time connectivity to NASA Wallops Flight Facility; Fleet Area Control & Surveillance Facility, Virginia Capes (FACSFAC VACAPES); NAVAIR simulation and stimulation laboratories; and other NAVAIR and DoD major test ranges. ATR is the Navy's principal research, development, test & evaluation (RDT&E), fleet support activity for naval aircraft, engines, avionics, aircraft support systems and ship/shore air operations. The open-air range and ground test facilities developed for RDT&E also have tremendous application for fleet and war fighter pre-deployment systems grooming and readiness exercises. ATR coordinates multiple training events in airspace at ATR or at sites around the country. Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) and Expeditionary Strike Groups (ESGs) are routinely supported: from small, unit-level events to large-scale, joint exercises.

The Air Vehicle Modification and Instrumentation (AVMI) group provides source data and air vehicle modifications necessary to support the NAVAIR test & evaluation community. AVMI also provides resources for rapid, innovative solutions to unique prototyping needs of the Navy fleet. AVMI consists of three divisions located nationally.

The 5.2.8 Mechanical Solutions Division is located at Patuxent River. The division designs, builds and installs prototype aircraft and field system installations. It provides customers with a fully integrated engineering design, machining, sheet metal/composite fabrication, prototype modeling and installation capability.

The NAVAIR 5.2.9 Aircraft Instrumentation Division is co-located at Patuxent River and China Lake. The division designs, develops, builds, installs, calibrates and provides operational support of flight test aircraft instrumentation and telemetry systems. The division also provides airborne video data support at Patuxent River and airborne mission system T&E software loads at China Lake.

The NAVAIR 5.2.J Weapons Instrumentation Division is co-located at China Lake and Pt. Mugu, Calif. The division designs, develops, builds, installs, calibrates and provides operational support of miniaturized airborne weapons instrumentation and telemetry systems.

AMVI engineers proactively participate with other DoD activities, academia and industry on national initiatives dedicated to the advancement of technologies associated with physical measurement, data acquisition, data communications, networking, telemetry and data processing.

AIR-5.3 The Threat/Target Systems Department provides the resources required to provide threat-representative targets, simulations and presentations for test and training in laboratories, at sea, on land and in the air.

The Atlantic Targets and Marine Operations (ATMO) Division provides range clearance support to ATR. ATMO employees are also equipped with the skills and resources necessary to develop, construct and modify target systems for realistic threat simulation. Targets include aerial targets, land point targets, scored targets, seaborne targets and scuttled or afloat target ships.

Aerial targets include subscale subsonic targets, full-scale missile targets and full-scale aircraft targets - all capable of remote operation. Available aerial targets include the BQM-74E and BQM-34S (subscale subsonic recoverables); AQM-37 (a subscale supersonic missile); and GQM-163A Coyote and MA-31 (full-scale supersonic missiles).

Seaborne targets include littoral and open-ocean targets such as the High-Speed Maneuverable Surface Target (HSMST), which at 40-plus knots can operate independent of ranges with a portable command-and-control unit, and the QST-35 Seaborne Powered Target (SEPTAR) which is used as a target and a range clearance boat and is capable of remote operations. Other seaborne targets include the Improved Surface Tow Target; Trimaran and Williams Sled; Floating At-Sea Target (FAST); and the High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM).

ATMO can also fabricate a variety of fixed, mobile and anti-radiation land targets, which are constructed to meet specific program requirements. A low-cost, vacuum thermal-forming process is used to make a variety of plastic armored vehicle targets. These simulated targets support a wide range of RDT&E and training requirements.

Many different types of full-scale, three-dimensional plastic targets are currently produced: BRDM II Amphibious Scout Vehicle, SA-9 Gaskin, AT-5 Spandrel, T-72 Main Battle Tank, ZSU-23-4 Shilka, SA-6 Straight Flush, SA-6 Gainful, SA-20 Tombstone, 2S6 Tunguska, BTR-70, M2A2 Bradley, HUMVEE and (new in 2007) the Stryker. Several two-and-a-half dimensional targets are also available. They are designed to be indistinguishable from a 3-D unit at a distance of 1,000 meters and at angles deviating up to 10 degrees from a direct line-of-site with the target.

These aerial, seaborne and land targets, combined with updated range clearance capabilities, enable ATMO to fulfill the constantly changing testing and training requirements of the fleet and RDT&E communities.

AIR-5.4. The Integrated Battlespace Simulation and Test (IBST) Department is NAVAIR's center of excellence and point-of-entry for modeling and simulation of the battlespace environment. The department is NAVAIR's lead for the development and creation of synthetic and virtual battlespace environments in support of research, development, testing, training, systems evaluation and experimentation. For large-scale simulations used across an acquisition lifecycle, the department is also the lead for model management, scenario development, interface support, distributed simulation expertise, and Verification, Validation, and Accreditation (VV&A). The IBST Department manages NAVAIR's Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) domain and, as part of the NAVAIR CIO process, oversees the RDT&E Governance Board.

The department operates, maintains and manages a number of Navy Installed System Test Facilities to support test and evaluation events for a variety of aircraft avionics and weapon systems. These facilities provide both physical and simulated environments and are designed to place test articles in a realistic, yet simulated combat environment. From launch to recovery, every phase and aspect of a mission is simulated to enable engineers to capture data necessary to assess the efficiency and capabilities of the avionics or weapons systems under test. Real-world threat signals are produced to evaluate avionics and sensor system performance while studying and identifying the Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) these and other signals have on the avionics and other collocated systems. Pattern-Unit Cockpit training systems are manufactured and placed into simulated combat environments to assess the efficiency of cockpit layout and to evaluate aircrew workload and effectiveness; while a multitude of communications simulations provide assessments of aircraft and aircrew communications and interoperability capabilities. Additional testing provides ground radar cross-section measurements, missile fuse characterization and measurements and overall assessments of the entire kill-chain, from target identification to target engagement, including damage assessment and indication.

The department operates and maintains the Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facility (ACETEF), the Integrated Battle-space Arena (IBAR), the Surface/Aviation Interoperability Lab Branch, the Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) Facilities (TEMPEST/EMC/NERF/EMP), the Missile Engagement Simulation Arena (MESA), the Radar Reflectivity Lab (RRL), the NAVAIR High Performance Computing (HPC) Centers, the Joint Integrated Mission Model (JIMM) Model Management Office (JMMO), the Next Generation Threat System (NGTS) Model Management Office (NMMO), and the NAVAIR RDT&E Base Area Networks.

Naval Test Wing Atlantic
Naval Test Wing Atlantic (NTWL), embedded in Naval Air Systems Command (AIR 5.1), Integrated Systems Evaluation Experimentation and Test (ISEET) Department, provides aircrew and aircraft assets, maintenance, operational and safety oversight and facility support to conduct research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) of manned and unmanned fixed and rotary wing aircraft; and train test pilots, test naval flight officers and flight test engineers to support the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE). The active-duty military employees assigned to the wing see themselves as advocates for the fleet with a continual focus on their war fighting requirements. Naval Test Wing Atlantic is composed of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Zero, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two One, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. It also includes the Fleet Readiness Center, formally the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department.

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Zero
Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Zero was commissioned to safely provide assets and services in support of program teams, the fleet and other customers associated with research, development, test and evaluation of P-3 Orion, E-2 Hawkeye, C-2 Greyhound, C-130 Hercules, T-34 Mentor, T-6 Texan and E-6B Mercury aircraft and mission systems. The squadron is responsible for active flight test and evaluation in all phases of weapon system life cycle, including aircraft carrier suitability testing, navigation and aerial refueling, strategic airborne communications, airborne surveillance and intelligence collection, airborne early warning systems, carrier onboard delivery and advanced trainer missions. Additionally, VX-20 operates and maintains two NP-3 aircraft that provide customers a safe and efficient method to conduct a variety of airborne scientific research projects.

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two One
Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two One performs developmental test and evaluation of rotary wing and tilt rotor aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, sensors and weapons systems for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. The squadron is comprised of military, civil service and contractor employees, and operates and maintains H-1, H-3, H-53, H-57, H-60, H-71 and V-22 series aircraft. In addition to conducting ground and flight test to enhance and sustain currently fielded fleet aircraft, HX-21 is actively engaged in the development of next generation rotary wing and tilt rotor aircraft to modernize Navy and Marine Corps war fighting capabilities for the 21st century. Major flight test programs underway at HX-21 include MH-60S, MH-60R, MV-22, UH-1Y and AH-1Z, VH-71 and the Firescout UAV.

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three
Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three is NAVAIR's largest flight test organization. The squadron's primary mission is to support the research, development, test and evaluation of fixed-wing tactical aircraft by providing pilot assets, maintenance services, safety oversight and facility support for these efforts. Primary areas of support include flying qualities and performance evaluations, shipboard suitability, propulsion system testing, tactical aircraft mission systems testing, ordnance compatibility and ballistics efforts, reliability and maintainability assessments, flight fidelity simulation and flight control software development. The squadron also provides government flight representatives, test monitoring, chase aircraft support, and facilities for contractor demonstration, validation, and development work involving tactical aircraft and associated systems.

VX-23 consists of about 40 officers (Navy, Marine Corps and foreign), 335 enlisted (Navy and Marine Corps), and 240 civil service and contractor employees directly involved with maintenance, planning, safety oversight and support of the squadron's 30 F/A-18A/B/C/D/E/F Hornets and Super Hornets, EA-6B Prowlers and T-45A/C Goshawks. Additionally, VX-23 is supported by hundreds of flight test engineers provided by the test and evaluation engineering competency and various contractors. The squadron conducts over 3,000 flight operations annually, totaling about 5,000 flight hours, much of which involves high-risk flight test. VX-23 conducts operations from a facility that includes three large hangars and also operates and maintains a TC-7 catapult and MK-7 arresting gear facility.

U.S. Naval Test Pilot School
The U.S. Naval Test Pilot School provides fixed-wing and rotary-wing instruction to experienced pilots, flight officers and engineers in the processes and techniques of aircraft and systems test and evaluation. The school educates and trains military and civilians from all U.S. military services, other U.S. government agencies and foreign nations. The school investigates and develops new flight test techniques, publishes manuals for use by the aviation test community in standardization of flight test techniques and project reporting and conducts special projects. The squadron maintains its staff as a focal point of expertise providing the aviation test community with engineering and training consultation.