Jersey Shore Magazine

j e r s e y s h o r e • F A L L / H O L I D A Y 2 0 2 3 59 flew up and down the coast looking for signs of enemy submarines that could potentially cause harm to the vessels sailing off the Jersey Shore, the people and crews onboard those vessels, and to everyone on land. The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training and the Naval Air Test Facility The Naval Air Technical Training Center, now called the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training, was established at Lakehurst in 1951. Its mission has prepared countless sailors to serve as Aviation Boatswain's Mates, Aircrew Survival Equipment Personnel, Aerographer's Mates, Naval Security Guards, and Marine Corps Expeditionary Airfield Technicians. Hangar One also houses the largest training aid in the Navy, The Carrier Aircraft Launch and Support System/ Equipment Simulator, which is a one- third scale model aircraft carrier. The simulator provides training on cata- pults, arresting gear assemblies, and other equipment with which Aviation Boatswain's Mates must be familiar. In 1957, NAS Lakehurst welcomed the Naval Air Test Facility (NATF) to the base. NATF's mission was to test and evaluate aircraft launch and recovery systems and aviation support equipment, but by 1962, the Navy discontinued all lighter than air operations. Antisubmarine helicopter squadrons became a part of the sta- tion's mission from 1965 to 1973. Many Names NAS Lakehurst is no stranger to name changes as it has been renamed with numerous Scrabble-worthy acronyms several times over the last fifty years. In 1973, the Naval Aircraft Factory moved from Philadelphia to Lakehurst and was renamed the Naval Air Engineering Center (NAEC); then in 1977, the Naval Air Test Facility (NATF) and NAS Lakehurst merged with the NAEC to all become the NAEC. The station was once again renamed in 1994 and became the Naval Air Engineering Station (NAES) and served as the host com- mand to the Lakehurst contingent of the Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), which is part of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). Then in 2009, Lakehurst became a part of the United States military's first tri-service joint base when it merged with McGuire Air Force Base and Fort Dix (U.S. Army) to become Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. While JBMDL is under the man- agement of the Air Force, NAVAIR continues its Navy mission at the Lakehurst base. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Today, NAVAIR Lakehurst serves as a critical link between Naval Aviation support and the Navy Aircraft Carrier Battle Groups worldwide. More importantly, NAVAIR Lakehurst is the only faction in the world responsible for maintaining fleet support and infusing modern technology across the entire gamut of equipment need- ed to launch, land, and maintain air- craft from ships at sea. The first aircraft, an F/A18E Super Hornet, launched from the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System from NAVAIR Lakehurst in December 2010. Less than a year later, the next generation fighter, the F35C, was launched from the base. The NAVAIR complex at Lakehurst includes as 12,000-foot research, development, test and engineering runway with two fleet representative aircraft carrier steam catapults, a CVN-78 class new generation elec- tromagnetic catapult, two fleet repre- sentative arresting gears, a full-scale fleet representative jet blast deflector site, and three active mile-long jet car test tracks used to propel dead loads weighing up to 100,000 pounds into arresting gear. An advanced engineering campus, a 5.7-acre complex of manufacturing and prototyping shops, and engineer- ing laboratories are found within the NAVAIR Lakehurst facilities, all of which directly support naval aviation. In addition to the station's rich airship history, it has served as a cen- ter for research into aircraft ejection seats and carrier aircraft launch and recovery techniques. The first Navy Helicopter Squadron and the first live ejection seat test were at NAVAIR Lakehurst. NAVAIR Lakehurst's merging to be a part of the tri-base in 2009 led it to become a sibling with two other military installations, each with their own lineages and stories. continued on page 60 USAF F-16 Viper demonstration at "Power in the Pines," the largest public event held at JBMDL. The air and space open house event, showcasing air superiority from both the ground and sky, returned after a five-year hiatus in May 2023. 87th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

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