No other China Lake reproductions are allowed unless approved by the U.S. Government for direct defense contract to the U.S. Government. ReBuildChinaLake.com Comprises Four Activities. The M79 and XM148 grenade launchers were single-shot, and the repeating T148E1 grenade launcher was unreliable, so a request was made to China Lake engineers. Antisubmarine warfare (ASW) was at one time a major area of endeavor for NOTS; the Pasadena Annex was the focus of ASW work, which included technology development, submarine-detection systems, torpedoes, fire control, and delivery systems. In 2003, they achieved a breakthrough and were able to convince fellow writer and firearms enthusiast Captain Monty Mendenhall to finance their research effort. China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division is located 2 miles north of Ridgecrest and 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles on the western edge of California's Mojave Desert. FAE II test detonation near target ship ex-U.S.S. Late manufactured reproduction CSG/Trident China Lake Launchers are said to number at nine in total during a manufacturing run from 2003-2009. Welcome to the official Facebook page of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake! 1 Pearl Harbor Dr Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, CA 93555-2803. China Lake redesigned the Elsie (TX 8/TX 11) penetrator weapon and developed the Bombardment Aircraft Rocket (BOAR), one of the earliest rockets designed to carry a nuclear warhead. The China Lake does 155 to 25 damage with a 7.62m blast radius. The M79 and XM148 grenade launchers were single-shot, and the repeating T148E1 grenade launcher was unreliable, so a request was made to China Lake engineers. Stay Connected. Total known China Lake Grenade Launchers is 13 with this information. NAWS China Lake spans over 1.1 million acres. Test firing of 30.5-Inch Bombardment Aircraft Rocket (BOAR), sans warhead, 1955; one of the earliest rockets designed to carry a nuclear warhead (Mk 7), BOAR was developed by NOTS as an interim weapon with a planned service use of 3 years, but the 30.5-Inch Rocket Mk 1 was deployed in 1956 and remained in the Fleet until 1963. Best nearby. As of 2009, Airtronic USA will commence manufacturing the launcher in its original form and another variant with picatinny rails, pistol grip and retractable "M4 Carbine" type stock. [citation needed], Starting in 2004 Brian Fauci's Trident/CSG of New York created nine China Lake reproduction launcher receivers. A separate ceremony was held June 27 at Point Mugu to recognize award winners there. Open, rear sight is the M79 ladder elevation sight system marked 375 meter ladder, front is a M79 square-notch/blade, This page was last edited on 26 January 2021, at 04:02. Snakeye was fielded in 1964 and used extensively since; the retarder tail (Mk 14/Mk 15 fins for Mk 81 250-pound/Mk 82 500-pound bombs) allowed low-level, high-precision attack while avoiding bomb-fragment damage to delivery aircraft and retaining a low-drag delivery option. Sidewinder is certainly China Lake's best-known success, although far from being its only one. [4] The highest original receiver number found is 50, but it may never have been made into a functional weapon. Follow-on work included design and development for the Advanced Bomb Family.China Lake also developed and applied the technology of Fuel-Air Explosive (FAE) Weapons, from grenades to 2,000-pound FAE II bombs (BLU-96/B). This announcement occurred simultaneously with a demonstration of the CSG/Trident China Lake launcher in an episode of the popular military technology program, "Weaponology". Early China Lake products also included spin-stabilized bombardment rockets and special-purpose rockets that were used for everything from propelling line charges to sampling atomic clouds. 50 talking about this. Located aboard the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in Ridgecrest, California Address: 1 Administration Circle Bldg. [1], Submitted for field trials in Vietnam, this weapon apparently performed quite well with HE-Frag ammunition. These launchers were separate from the ten contracted Trident launchers connected to the Airtronic deal. "Mighty Mouse" 2.75-Inch Folding-Fin Aircraft Rocket (FFAR); originally conceived as an air-to-air weapon, and first used in combat in the Korean War, the 2.75 (with its expendable pod launchers) became the standard ground-attack rocket. Apply to Site Manager, Intelligence Analyst, Ia / Information Assurance / Cyber and more! China Lake demonstrated the technology and hardware for the next-generation long-range air-to-air missile with its Advanced Common Intercept Missile Demonstration (ACIMD), which incorporated advanced guidance, ramjet-propulsion, warhead, and airframe technologies. Advanced Common Intercept Missile Demonstration (ACIMD) fit- test on F-14; the goal of China Lake's ACIMD was a long-range, highly capable, but smaller (Sparrow-sized) Phoenix follow-on for the outer-air-battle role; ACIMD incorporated advanced multimode-guidance, integral-rocket-ramjet propulsion, warhead/fuzing, and airframe/steering technologies--primarily China Lake developed. Since it was made on an ad hoc basis for special operations forces, it was not formally adopted and has no official military designation. NAWCWD is located at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station. The larger screw on the left side of the receiver was designed for a quadrant sight to be mounted. The China Lake is a secondary weapon, and the last weapon unlocked for Create-a-Class, unlocked at Level 48. Its name comes from Chinese prospectors harvesting borax from the lake bed, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Paxton Ranch. During this the U.S.M.C adopted the Milkor M32 Grenade Launcher as a replacement, essentially ending any further development of the China Lake launcher. All ten Airtronic/Trident launchers were destroyed and melted down. The T&E role continues to be significant, as witnessed by the huge Trident II motor test facilities opened in 1986. Related to Walleye but cancelled before completion was Condor (AGM-53), a rocket-powered TV-guided missile. [8], Ten of the China Lake Mil-Spec Reproduction launchers were manufactured in 2009 but eventually the two companies involved (Airtronic and Trident) parted ways after legal action. https://patents.google.com/patent/US3435549, 10. An outgrowth of in-house technology efforts, Walleye was fielded in 1967 and proved its unsurpassed accuracy in combat. It is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the "EX-41" or as the "China Lake NATIC". China Lake’s mission is to support the Navy's research, testing and evaluation missions to provide cutting-edge weapons systems to the warfighter. The grenade launcher was extre… FAE I (CBU-55/72) was deployed in 1970, and further developments have included surface-launched mine-clearing systems (SLU-FAE and CATFAE). Along with Shrike developments, China Lake antiradar technology programs (such as ERASE and its products and by-products, like the Antiradiation Projectile) provided the foundations for the next generation of antiradar missiles, including HARM (AGM-88). Only three originals currently remain under US Navy control, the rest have since been demilitarized. [8], Of the original 1967-1969 NAWS manufactured China Lake Grenade Launchers, none are known to be under private ownership. China Lake also developed Bulldog (AGM-83), the first successful laser-guided missile, which was approved for service use in 1974 but cancelled in favor of the Air Force Maverick. The China Lake Model (or China Lake Pump-Action Grenade Launcher) is a pump-action grenade launcher that was developed by the Special Projects Division of the China Lake Naval Weapons Center, which provided equipment to Navy SEALs. Harpoon missile seeker in one of the hardware-in-the-loop simulation laboratories; China Lake has carried on extensive product-improvement and production- and Fleet-support programs for weapons such as Harpoon, Sparrow, Maverick, and Tomahawk. NOTS also developed devices like the Mk 40 Torpedo Test Vehicle for RDT&E, and programs such as Project SWISH studies of torpedo hydrodynamic noise and RETORC--the Research Torpedo Configuration--laid the groundwork for further developments in ASW weapons, including the Mk 48 torpedo. The weapon was used in limited numbers by US Navy SEAL Teams, Marine Force Recon, and the 5th Special Forces Group. China Lake and Pasadena developed a variety of ASW rockets, including the 12.75-inch "Weapon A" rocket-propelled depth bomb and launcher system; the Rocket-Assisted Torpedo (RAT); and ASROC, which superseded RAT and went to the Fleet in 1960. 1115 King Ave. Ridgecrest, CA, United States 93555-0000. Navy SEAL teams were pleased with the resultant pump-action grenade launcher, since the tubular magazine held three 40x46mm grenades, and so with one grenade in the chamber, four grenades could be fired rapidly before reloading. The core principle of the China Lake Way was the partnership between civilian and military workers. Mon Reve (168) 1.5 mi $$ - $$$ French. A-4C Skyhawk firing AGM-45 Shrike antiradar missile on China Lake range; Shrike was developed following many of the same principles that guided Sidewinder development: simplicity, reliability, maintainability, producibility, improvability. The Eye series also included the Sadeye, Rockeye I, and Gladeye dispenser weapons; Fireye gelled-fuel weapon; Briteye balloon-borne flare; and Deneye antitank mine-dispenser system--as well as some special-purpose weapons, submunitions, fuzes, launchers, and supporting systems. Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS) is a vast weapons testing and training range operated by the U.S. Navy in California's Mojave Desert.. NAWS China Lake is the Navy’s largest single land holding, representing 34 percent of the Navy’s total land worldwide. China Lake Museum Foundation, 130 East Las Flores Avenue, Ridgecrest, CA, 93555, United States, chinalakemuseum@mediacombb.net or chinalakemuseumstoremanager@gmail.com, Donate Now - Buy a Brick - Become a Member. U.S. Patent Office. 84 Weapons jobs available in China Lake, CA on Indeed.com. It's unique from all the other explosive weapons with its pump action ability, being able to dispense Grenades with ease. Email. In fact, a skilled operator could fire four aimed shots before the first one landed. ASROC versions are still in service, including Vertical-Launch ASROC. NOTS Pasadena developed or participated in the development of the Mk 32 Mod 2, Mk 42, Mk 43, Mk 44, and Mk 46 torpedoes. Check flight prices and hotel availability for your visit. At that time, the U.S. Military was approached with an offer from Airtronic USA (then the current government manufacturer of the M203 after Colt) to acquire a license for military production and sales. It was a follow up design created two decades after the China Lake Model was produced. China Lake did not work on nuclear warheads, but supported a number of special weapon programs during the 1950s, when the military's focus was largely on nuclear weapons, with safety evaluations, component and shape testing, and component development. 1403, Stop 1311 China Lake, California 93555 Help. Thus the SEALs referred to the experimental weapon by referencing the facility which produced it, thus creating the name, the "China Lake grenade launcher". A Project for Only the Most Uniquely Qualified. [citation needed], An effort to produce an improved version of the weapon began in 1992 when Samuel "Dutch" Hillenburg, a firearms writer specializing in military weapons, teamed up with master machinist Brian Fauci. [citation needed], Brian Fauci later sold his improved upon military demonstration CSG/Trident China Lake Grenade Launchers to private parties after the contract for a Marine Corps replacement Grenade Launcher was cancelled in October 2009 with the selection of the M32. The Main and Lauritsen Gates are both open 24 hours, daily. The CSG/Trident China Lake launchers have additional manufacturing to increase reliability & improved cycling of action compared that of the original. [4] Serial number 2 is stored at the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington DC. Get directions, maps, and traffic for China Lake, CA. China Lake supports the Navy's research, testing and evaluation missions and is home to Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, two air test and … SAN DIEGO – Two major earthquakes that struck Southern California late last week opened fault lines on Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and prompted officials to evacuate residents. It drops about 17 damage per every meter, meaning the lethal blast radius is about 3.22m. There are four gates at China Lake NAWS. Rockeye II (antitank cluster bomb Mk 20), dropped from an A-4 Skyhawk, immediately after opening; fielded in 1968 and still in service, Rockeye dispenses 247 shaped-charge antitank bomblets; the dispenser is also used in the Gator air-delivered mine system. Although guided missiles were originally outside of the Station's charter, Sidewinder was developed by China Lake beginning with a 1949 feasibility study that begat the "heat-homing rocket" that became Sidewinder. NAWS China Lake provides and maintains land, facilities and other assets that support the Navy’s research, development, acquisition, testing and evaluation (RDAT&E) of cutting-edge weapons … The early forward-firing aircraft rockets developed by the CalTech-NOTS team included the 3.5- and 5.0-Inch Aircraft Rockets; the 5.0-Inch High-Velocity Aircraft Rocket, Holy Moses; and the 11.75-inch Tiny Tim. "... make clear that civilian scientists worked in partnership with the military, not in subordination to it. China Lake's rocketry expertise--propulsion, warheads, airframes, aerodynamics, ballistics, launchers, fire-control, etc.--was also instrumental in establishing its guided missile programs. The installation is the Navy's largest single landholding. The "Eye" Series of free-fall weapons (originally targeted with an "iron bombsite and a Mk 1 eyeball") began with a late-'50s China Lake study that showed the need for improved conventional weapons. Nearly every guided missile in the U.S. Folding-fin aircraft rockets (FFARs) are another highly successful China Lake product; literally millions of the 2.75-inch Mighty Mouse and 5.0-inch Zuni have been fired in combat. The grenade launcher was extremely light for its size, since a significant portion of it was made of aluminum. Naval Weapons Center, China Lake weather forecast updated daily. Sources differ as to how many weapons were produced. "SWISH" torpedo-hydrodynamics test vehicle surfacing in 1959 test; NOTS torpedo work was centered at the Pasadena Annex and included basic and applied research in related fields and ASW concepts; development of sub-, ship-, rocket-, and air-launched torpedoes, launchers, and components; and development and support of remote-controlled and manned submersibles. 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