Released by the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division China Lake Public Affairs Office--
By Candace Majedi

A new era in research & development facilities began June 26 with the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Advanced Sensors Integration Facility that took place at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division China Lake. The six-story, 110 foot-high addition to the existing Advanced Weapons Laboratory complex will provide ample space and resources for superior sensor testing and other testing of advanced and state-of-the-art weapons.

Barry Douglas, F/A-18 AWL Integrated Product Team Lead, said the facility "will provide the several hundred folks in the AWL the necessary space and technology to safely and effectively support the Warfighters and their efforts in the Global War On Terror and future engagements that they may be called to fight.”

The 17.1 million dollar development will take just over a year to complete. The building will be approximately 35,000 square feet and house personnel, data storage, networks and laboratories. The first three floors will consist of office and conference areas and the top three floors will comprise space for sensor integration work. The ASIF will be used to perform weapons system research, development, integration, test and evaluation for the F/A-18 aircraft. Platforms include the Active Electronic Scanned Array (AESA) radar, the Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared Receiver (ATFLIR), the Shared Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP), and the EA-18G Growler.

Weapons Division Commander Rear Adm. Mark Skinner highlighted the significance of the event to those in attendance by saying, “We don’t get to have too many groundbreakings, but when we do, they are projects that we need and facilities we are truly proud of.”

The new ASIF facility will provide better capability to cooperate with the defense industry by providing faster, more efficient, and higher quality weapons systems for customers and sponsors by utilizing the unique testing capabilities of this facility.

Douglas made the importance of the new addition clear when he said “This new construction will allow us to continue supporting the 1000-plus Hornets, Super Hornets, and Growlers in the domestic Navy and Marine Corps stable in addition to our seven active foreign military sales partners for many years to come.”
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PHOTO CUTLINE: Pictured (L-R): Vincent Fong, District Representative for Congressman Bill Thomas; Captain Mick Gleason, Commanding Officer, Naval Air Weapons Station; Barry Douglas, F/A-18, AWL IPT Lead; Robin Hoffman, AWL Operational Planning Lead; Rear Admiral Mark Skinner, Commander, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division; Captain Michael Bowers, Naval Facilities Southwest Operations Officer; and Andy Martin of RA Burch Construction Co., Inc., General Contractor plunge ceremonial shovels into the future site of the Advanced Sensors Integration Facility.