Contact: Jessica Armstrong,
NAWCWD Public Affairs and BRAC offices
Office: 939-1926 / Cell: 793-8710
[email protected]

MEDIA INVITE

WHAT: The Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) and the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) will break ground for two new test facilities Thursday, May 14th to support work and personnel realigning as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC).

The first ceremony will celebrate the construction of a state-of-the-art fuze test facility for the performance of cutting-edge and efficient testing and evaluation of military fuzes. This will be only the second facility of its kind to be constructed in the nation and, when complete, will enable the same workload as the other facility located in Crane, IN, but with half the number of staff.

Ground will be broken in the second ceremony for a hardware-in-the-loop facility that will house two anechoic chambers and supporting work areas for testing and simulation of the interactions between missile seekers and threat targets.

WHEN: Thursday, May 14, 2009
10:00 a.m. – Fuze Test Facility ceremony
1:00 p.m. - Hardware-in-the-Loop Facility ceremony

WHERE: Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake
Fuze Test Facility ceremony – China Lake Propulsion Lab
Hardware-in-the-Loop Facility ceremony – Michelson Laboratory compound

NOTE: Ceremonies will be located in restricted areas. If you would like to attend, please contact Jessica Armstrong at the information listed above to make arrangements.

VISUAL AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES

Speak with:
o Capt. Mark Storch, USN, acting-commander of NAWCWD
o Capt. Gary Peterson, USN, commanding officer of NAWS
o Scott O’Neil, executive director of NAWCWD

Photo opportunities of the various representatives breaking ground with gold shovels and posing with construction equipment.