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NAVFAC Completes NAS Patuxent River Aircraft Facility

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100608-18
6/8/2010

By Regina Adams, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Washington's completion of Phase I of an Aircraft Prototype Facility (APF) June 4.

The facility complements a complete array of existing, co-located laboratory and test facilities at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. It is the only facility of its kind in the U.S. that provides the total research, development, test and evaluation package for aircraft modification in the areas of survivability, sensors, electronic warfare, weapons and low observable systems and subsystems. The objective is to reduce mission critical gaps in these areas on current weapon platforms. Now, projects can be executed from concept design through testing at a single site.

U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer and Vice Adm. David Architzel, commander, Naval Air Systems Command, spoke at the event.

"On a peaceful day like today, far from the dust, sand, and unforgiving temperatures of Afghanistan's desert, or the hot steel of a carrier flight deck. It may seem that we're far removed from the urgency of providing our Sailors, Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, and civilians the operational assets, weapons, and systems they need to survive, fight, and win." Architzel said. "Nothing could be farther from the truth. It is for them that we research, test, and fly new systems and hardware in the interest of accelerating the transition of critical technologies and delivering unique capabilities."

"It was an investment in technology that allowed us with a smaller force to have a more dominate role on the battlefield," said Hoyer.

The two-story facility provides a secure environment in which combat vehicles, mainly aircraft, are modified with prototype equipment and systems and tested for the fleet.

"One of our goals was to construct a quality facility meeting customer requirements," said Cmdr. Mike Lewis, Patuxent River public works officer at NAVFAC Washington. "This goal was reached through daily inspections, weekly progress meetings and positive communication."

The $15 million project was awarded by NAVFAC Washington to J. C. Grimberg Co., Inc. April 30, 2008 and construction began Jan. 7, 2009.