MEDIA OPPORTUNITY, Point Mugu,Calif.

WHO: NAVAIR WEAPONS DIVISION POINT MUGU
NAVY BASE VENTURA COUNTY AT POINT MUGU

WHAT: On Friday, Nov. 14, 2003, NAVAIR Point Mugu Weapons Division along with Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu will be recognized and designated as an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics(AIAA) site.

WHEN: A dedication ceremony at 2 p.m. will highlight the historical innovation and significant contributions of Point Mugu for Navy missiles, weapons systems and platform research, development, test and evaluation.

WHY: A proclamation and plaque will be installed recognizing more than 55 years of the Navy’s weapons systems including the first missile launched from the USS Cusk in 1947, to the first guided missile to destroy an airborne target in 1950, followed by Post WW II missiles such as the Sparrow, Regulus, Bullpup, Polaris, Trident, Harpoon, Tomahawk, SLAM, Standard Missile, HARM, AMRAAM and the Sidewinder.

NAVAIR Weapons Division at Point Mugu is also one of the Navy’s primary facilities for the development of electronic warfare capabilities and software systems for the F/A-14 Tomcat and the EA-6B Prowler aircraft platforms.

On Oct. 10, 1542 the explorer, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo landed at the Mugu Lagoon as he chartered the coastal waters of North America. Cabrillo named the area Mugu after the native Chumash word mu’wa or muwu, meaning seashore or hand of the beach.

U.S. leaders such as Presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and William Jefferson Clinton have visited NAS Point Mugu during their tenure as Commander-in-Chief.

The plaque citation reads: “American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Historic Aerospace Site U.S. Naval Air Missile Test Center Point Mugu, California. Established in 1946 to provide a comprehensive test and evaluation site for tactical missiles, Point Mugu has been instrumental in the development, test, evaluation and in-service support of systems including Regulus, Sparrow, Phoenix, Bullpup, Harpoon, SLAM, Tomahawk, Standard, and Rolling Airframe Missile. The first missile launch from an operational submarine was also accomplished at Pt. Mugu.”

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the premier professional society serving aerospace engineering. With over 30,000 members worldwide, it sponsors professional conferences and short courses, produces technical papers and journals, and publishes numerous aerospace-related books.

In 1999, AIAA founded the Historic Aerospace Site program for the preservation and promotion of sites of significant accomplishments made by the aerospace profession both to industry and to the general public. For more information on the organization go to http://www.aiaa.org. Sites are chosen through a nomination process.

From the past to the present, NAVAIR Point Mugu Weapons Division and Naval Base Ventura County are integral in weapon and weapons systems research, testing, development and evolution supporting national defense.

For more information on NAVAIR Point Mugu Weapons Division go to http://www.nawcwd.navy.mil and to http://www.nbvc.navy.mil for Naval Base Ventura County.

Media representatives who would like to attend, conduct interviews or film must contact Doris G. Lance at [email protected] or 760-382-9308 by Nov. 12, 2003 for coordination purposes.