Point Mugu History

The recorded history of Point Mugu dates to October 10, 1542 when the explorer, Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo, is thought to have landed at Mugu Lagoon as he charted the coastal waters. Cabrillo named the area Mugu after the native Churnash word mu'wa or muwu, for seashore, beach, or hand of the beach.

During the 1930's and early 1940's, a sand spit between the lagoon and the ocean was the site of the Mugu Fish Camp, which was visited by large numbers of tourists and sports enthusiasts from the Los Angeles area. A fishing pier was added to support deep sea fishing boats operating out of Port Hueneme. A cafe, store, tent cabins and later wooden cabins were constructed. The cafe would be Point Mugu's first Officers' Club.

In 1941 as the United States entered World War II, Mugu became a training area for the Seabees at Port Hueneme. The Seabees put down a section of Marston Mat runway which became Point Mugu's first airstrip.

As the need for a sea test range became evident, Cmdr. Grayson Merrill, head of the Bureau of Aeronautics Special Projects Branch, drafted a letter explaining the need for a sea test range. A site Survey Board was established. Point Mugu was later added to the list by Marshell Gurney, a Navy lieutenant stationed at Port Hueneme, advising them of the immense advantages of Point Mugu. Point Mugu rose to the top of the list and was the clear favorite.

While plans were being forwarded to the Secretary of the Navy in 1945, a Naval Air Facility at Point Mugu was established to test and evaluate the Loon surface-to-surface missile, for potential use as a ship-to-shore bombardment weapon for anticipated use against Japan. The Glomb, Gorgon, Gargoyle, Little Joe, and Lark programs also were tested.

The new missile center at Point Mugu was endorsed by the Secretary of the Navy, and was approved by President Truman in May 1946. Capt. Albert N. Perkins, the first commanding officer of the new center, read the directive establishing the Naval Air Missile Test Center at Point Mugu.

The year 1999 marked the 50th Anniversary of NAS Point Mugu. The station was permanently established on Aug. 1, 1949, to support the U.S. Naval Air Missile Test Center by providing material and service support, including military personnel administration, air traffic control and flightline functions.

The first major post-war missiles tested were the Sparrow and Regulus. The first airborne target hit by an air-launched missile, Sparrow I happened in 1952.

In early 1958, the Army transferred more than 19,000 acres of South Camp Cooke to the Navy, which became Naval Missile Facility, Point Arguello; and in June 1958, Pacific Missile Range was established with headquarters at Point Mugu. PMR became the western member of the triad of national ranges including Atlantic Missile Range and White Sands Missile Range. The Naval Air Missile Test Center became the Naval Missile Center on Jan. 7, 1959. Missile programs at this time included the Sidewinder, Sparrow III and Bullpup.

In the 60's development support work included the AIM-54A Phoenix. The combined F-14A Tomcat/Phoenix would prove to be one of Point Mugu's most significant contributions to naval aviation. In the 1970's, new computers and software helped make new weapon systems more effective. The F-14 System Integration Test Station (SITS) lab became operational in 1971 which was a complex performance simulator built around an F-14 fuselage containing a full suite of avionics, fire control and electronic warfare systems. It was unique at the time and was instrumental in NMC becoming the Software Support Activity for the F-14A.

The NMC and PMR were disestablished and formed into the Pacific Missile Test Center on April 26, 1975. Weapon systems at this time included the Harpoon, Tomahawk, Standard Missile, Aegis, and Trident. In the 1980's, two major laboratories were constructed. The Electronic Warfare System Laboratory and the Missile Systems Evaluation Lab. Also the first launch of a Standoff Land Attack Missile was made from a PMTC A-6E Intruder during testing in 1989.

As the defense budget decreased with the end of the cold war, the Naval Air Systems Command combined Point Mugu, China Lake, White Sands and Albuquerque to form the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWPNS). This process helped streamline base functions under one command to better serve the Navy using fewer tax dollars.

Disestablishment ceremonies were held January 22, 1992 and at the same time the Naval Air Station was reestablished as Naval Air Weapons Station.

Presidents Nixon, Kennedy, Reagan, Bush and Clinton have visited Point Mugu.

Throughout our 53-years of Test and Evaluation our name has changed, but the quality of our testing has remained constant. We have contributed successfully to missile programs in the Navy, from Loon, Sparrow, Sea Sparrow, Regulus, Bullpup, Polaris, Trident, Harpoon, Tomahawk, SLAM, Standard Missile, HARM, AMRAAM, and Sidewinder. And our support to the fleet doesn't stop at testing. The people in our Logistics Support area insure that the missiles we test continue to be dependable for our fighting force.

On Oct. 1, 1998, as part of a Navy-wide program to streamline the operation of shore installations, the Naval Air Station was transferred under Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

About Point Mugu