NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER WEAPONS DIVISION, Calif. – Cmdr. Elizabeth “Lizard” Somerville relieved Lt. Col. William “Opie” Rothermel as the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 31 commanding officer in an airborne change of command ceremony over NAWCWD China Lake on July 13.

Somerville was serving as VX-31’s chief test pilot since January 2016. Originally an EA-6B Prowler electronic countermeasures officer and now an EA-18G electronic warfare officer, Somerville graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. Somerville also holds a masters degree in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. Somerville’s career assignments have included Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141 where she deployed aboard  USS Roosevelt (CVN 71), USNTPS, VX-31 as a project officer, a department head tour with VAQ-141 where she deployed flying the EA-18G for its maiden deployment, and the Airborne Electronic Attack Systems and EA-6B Program Office (PMA-234).

Rothermel served as VX-31’s CTP from May 2014 to January 2016, when he assumed command of the Dust Devils.

As Commanding Officer of VX-31, Rothermel was responsible for the oversight of aircraft, maintainers, aircrew, civilians, and flight test planning for research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) of current and future manned aircraft, weapons and weapons systems. During his term as commanding officer, he oversaw the successful development of numerous programs which included: JSOW, Harpoon, LRASM, LMAV, AIM-120, AIM-9X, Tomahawk, upgraded software to the F/A-18 C/D/E/F, E/A-18G, AV-8B, as well as MH-60S operations, providing search and rescue assets for the R-2508 complex.