Fifty years ago the Sidewinder missile was quietly under development at the then Naval Ordnance Test Station, China Lake, Calif. Few of the scientists and engineers working on the project could have foreseen that this missile would still be a mainstay in the aircraft weapons world today. Anticipated or not, the Sidewinder, Air-Intercept Missile (AIM-9), in all its many variants, remains one of the most widely used missiles in the world.

This November 1 through 3, The NAVAIR Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif., will celebrate 50 years of Sidewinder history. One of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, also an early Sidewinder “shooter,” Wally Schirra, will join Vice Admiral Joe Dyer, commander of the Naval Air Systems Command, and retired Vice Admiral Mike Bowman, former commander of Naval Air Forces Pacific, as key speakers at the events.

Highlighting the weekend events will be the official opening of a new, comprehensive Sidewinder display at the Naval Museum of Armament and Technology at China Lake. In addition, weapons exhibits and displays, a dinner honoring past and present members of the Sidewinder team, and videos depicting the history of both the Sidewinder program and China Lake will be presented.

The City of Ridgecrest and the Ridgecrest Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring a welcome reception on Friday night. VAdm. Bowman and Dr. Karen Higgins, executive director of the NAVAIR Weapons Division, will be speakers on Friday.

Schirra, who was an early test pilot in the Sidewinder program, and VAdm. Dyer are among Saturday’s featured speakers. The China Lake Museum Foundation is the sponsor of Saturday’s “A Salute to Sidewinder” dinner. Other speakers include former China Lake notables Burrell Hays, Tom Amlie, Walt LaBerge and Glenn Tierney.

Both the reception and dinner will be held in the Kerr-McGee Center in Ridgecrest.

A final event is a picnic at China Lake’s Solar Park on Sunday, Nov. 3, sponsored by the Retired Affairs Office.

As a result of increased security at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, it will be necessary to issue a badge to everyone attending the event.

To expedite badge processing, anyone planning to attend is asked to visit the Sidewinder 50th Anniversary Web site to submit a badge request and request for tickets to the various events. The registration information can be found at http://www.nawcwd.navy.mil/~sw50/.
For additional information please call 760-939-2002 or email to [email protected]