• Jan -- NAF has 21 aircraft
consisting of 1 F9F-5, 2 F2H-2, 1 F2H-2B, 1 F2H-2N, 1 F2H-3, 3 F3D-1,
3 AD-4, 1 AD-4B, 1 AJ-1, 1 AF-2W, 2 P4Y-2, 1 P2V-3, 1 R4D-8, 1 R4D-5 &
1 SNB-5.
• Opening of G-4 range for high-speed terminal-ballistics
studies.
• May -- A target drone unit was officially established
as a permanent part of NAF.
• June 3 -- U.S. Navy LCdr... Kermit
Q. Ellis, from Moffett, lost his life when his AD Skyraider
crashed on one of the China Lake Ranges.
• Jul -- NAF has
40 aircraft consisting of 1 F7U-3, 1 F9F-5, 3 F2H-2, 1 F2H-2B, 1 F2H-2N,
1 F2H-3, 2 FJ-2, 3 F3D-1, 3 F8F-2D, 1 AD-6, 3 AD-4, 1 AD-4B, 1 AJ-2,
1 AF-2S, 2 P4Y-2, 1 P2V-3, 1 R4D-8, 1 R4D-5, 2 SNB-5 & 10 F6F-5K.
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| 1Q |
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AIM-9 Sidewinder SNORT |
AIM-9 Sidewinder missile test mounted on a SNORT
sled, China Lake, 1954. Official U.S. Navy photo.
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AIM-9 Sidewinder SNORT |
AIM-9 Sidewinder missile test, SNORT, China Lake,
1954. Official U.S. Navy photo.
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F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 128466 |
VX-5 F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 128466, XE-2, Moffett
Field, circa 1953-54. San Diego Air & Space Museum
courtesy of A. Romano
www.navarchives.com
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F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 128465 |
VX-5 F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 128465, XE-1, and F7U-3
Cutlass BuNo 128466, XE-2, Moffett Field, circa
1953-54. San Diego Air & Space Museum courtesy of A.
Romano www.navarchives.com
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F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 128465 |
VX-5 F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 128465, XE-2, Moffett
Field, circa 1953-54. San Diego Air & Space Museum
courtesy of A. Romano www.navarchives.com
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F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 128465 |
VX-5 F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 128465, XE-1, Moffett
Field, circa 1953-54. San Diego Air & Space Museum
courtesy of A. Romano www.navarchives.com
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F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 128466 |
VX-5 F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 128466, XE-2, Moffett
Field, circa 1953-54. San Diego Air & Space Museum
courtesy of A. Romano www.navarchives.com
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QB-17 Flying Fortress drone |
QB-17 Flying Fortress drone damage from Sidewinder
missile hit, Armitage Field, China Lake, 09 Jan 1954.
Official U.S. Navy photo.
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QB-17 Flying Fortress drone |
QB-17G Flying Fortress drone, Armitage Field, China
Lake, 01 Feb 1954. Official U.S. Navy photo.
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F3D-1 Skyknight OMAR missile |
NAF F3D-1 Skyknight, BuNo 123757, OMAR beam rider
missile, Armitage Field, China Lake, 01 Feb 1954. Official
U.S. Navy photo.
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F2H-2 Banshee Gimlet |
NAF F2H-2 Banshee BuNo 123290, Gimlet launcher &
rockets, Armitage Field, China Lake, 06 Feb 1954. Official
U.S. Navy photo.
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AD-4 Skyraider Mk-43 RAT |
NAF AD-4 Skyraider BuNo 123904, Mk-43 Rocket-assisted
Torpedo (RAT), Armitage Field, China Lake, 23 Feb 1954.
Official U.S. Navy photo.
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AD-4 Skyraider FFAR Aero X6B |
NAF AD-4 Skyraider BuNo 123904, FFAR Aero X6B rocket
pods, Armitage Field, China Lake, 27 Feb 1954. Official
U.S. Navy photo.
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F2H-3 Banshee BOAR |
NAF F2H-3 Banshee BuNo 126424, 30.5-Inch Rocket,
Mark 1, Mod 0 Bombardment Aircraft Rocket (BOAR), Armitage
Field, China Lake, 18 March 1954. Official U.S. Navy
photo.
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F2H-3 Banshee BOAR |
NAF F2H-3 Banshee BuNo 126424, 30.5-Inch Rocket,
Mark 1, Mod 0 Bombardment Aircraft Rocket (BOAR), drop &
ignition, 18 March 1954. Official U.S. Navy photo.
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| 2Q |
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FJ-2 Fury firing GIMLET |
FJ-2 Fury firing GIMLET 2.0" rockets at a F6F
Hellcat drone, 30 Apr 1954. Official U.S. Navy photo.
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AD-4B Skyraider FFAR pods |
NAF AD-4B Skyraider BuNo 132233 & wing mounted
FFAR pods, Armitage Field, China Lake, 17 May 1954.
Official U.S. Navy photo.
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Armed Forces Day |
Armed Forces Day F2H Banshee in the foreground and
over runway 32, in the background are two P4Y-2 Privateers
(one would be BuNo 59920), two R4D's and SNB Navigator
BuNo 39263, Armitage Field, China Lake, 21 May 1954.
Rocketeer photo.
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AD-4 Skyraider Mk-43 RAT |
NAF AD-4 Skyraider BuNo 123904, Mk-43 Rocket-assisted
Torpedo (RAT), Armitage Field, China Lake, 01 Jun 1954.
Official U.S. Navy photo.
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AD-4 Skyraider Mk-43 RAT |
NAF AD-4 Skyraider, BuNo 123904, Mk-43 torpedo, Armitage
Field, China Lake, 22 Jun 1954. Official U.S. Navy photo.
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VX-5 Vampires F2H-3 Banshee & pilots |
VX-5 Vampires F2H-3 Banshee BuNo 127496, XE-4, circa
June 1954. Pilots l-r: unknown, unknown, Newt Wheat,
S. Joel Premselaar, VX-5 CO CDR H.H. Eppes, jr., unknown &
unknown. Photo & information from S. Joel Premselaar.
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VX-5 Vampires F2H-3 Banshee |
VX-5 Vampires F2H-3 Banshee BuNo 127496, XE-4, circa
June 1954. The store is a nuke practice shape and I
believe it had a yield of around 60 KT. Note that it
has folding fins. Photo & comment from S. Joel Premselaar.
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VX-5 Vampires AD-4B Skyraider |
VX-5 Vampires AD-4B Skyraider BuNo 132386, XE-14,
circa June 1954. the wing mounted stores are drop (fuel)
tanks. The centerline store is a 12 KT nuke practice
bomb. Its fins are folded to provide ground clearance
and are spread in flight. Photo & comment from S.
Joel Premselaar.
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| 3Q |
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F2H-2 Banshee BuNo 125054 |
NAF F2H-2 Banshee BuNo 125054, Sidewinder 1 missile,
Armitage Field, China Lake, 14 Jul 1954. Official U.S.
Navy photo.
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F8F-2D Bearcat drone controller |
LCdr. I.M. Applebaum, OIC of the Stations new drone
unit, standing on the wing of F8F-2D Bearcat drone controller,
looks on as AD2 Donald Cheverette checks the instruments
before take-off, Armitage Field, China Lake, 06 August
1954. Rocketeer photo.
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AD-4B Skyraider HPAG |
NAF AD-4B Skyraider BuNo 132233, High Performance
Air-to-Ground Rockets (HPAG), Armitage Field, China
Lake, 11 Aug 1954. Official U.S. Navy photo.
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F7U-3 Cutlass |
Latest addition to the complement of NAF combat aircraft
at Armitage Field is F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 129568 which is being
used in conjunction with various classified ordnance
test programs, Armitage Field, China Lake, 15 August
1954. Rocketeer photo.
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Mobile Smelting Company |
J.J. Spolar and J.B. Lyle of the Mobile Smelting
Company which bid $3,143.25 for 75,000 pounds of mixed
scrap from wrecked airplanes at the Station salvage
yard feed the scrap into the furnace, Armitage Field,
China Lake, 27 August 1954. Rocketeer photo.
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NASWF Albuquerque AD-6 Skyraider |
NASWF Albuquerque AD-6 Skyraider BuNo 134613, JATO,
Armitage Field, China Lake, 13 Sep. 1954. Official U.S.
Navy photo.
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| 4Q |
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F2H-2N Banshee Gimlet |
NAF F2H-2N Banshee BuNo 123206, Gimlet 2" (51mm)
unguided air-to-air rocket launcher, Armitage Field,
China Lake, 06 Oct 1954. Official U.S. Navy photo.
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F4D-1 Skyray FFAR Aero X7B rocket pods |
Douglas Flight Test F4D-1 Skyray, BuNo 130745, FFAR
Aero X7B rocket pods, Edwards AFB, 20 Oct 1954. USAF
T-28 TL-735 at left. Official U.S. Navy photo.
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radio-operated camera |
Anthony Bachinski, left, head of the aircraft range
operations branch, and Don Duckworth, electronic engineer
in charge of building and instrumenting the mobile station,
check the new radio-operated camera for B-1-B Range,
China Lake, 29 October 1954. Rocketeer photo.
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Douglas Flight Test |
Douglas Flight Test XF4D-1 Skyray BuNo 124587 &
Douglas XA4D-1 Skyhawk BuNo 137812 prior to a flight
demo for the press, Armitage Field, China Lake,
3 November 1954. Naval Aviation News photo. The Navy
publicly demonstrated the aircraft for the first
time when Douglas Test Pilot Robert O.
(Bob) Rahn flew the Skyhawk by a crowd of
visiting aviation writers and military personnel at a speed of 600 mph at an altitude of
about 100 feet. Test Pilot William B. Bridgeman in the bat-wing
Skyray was clocked at 650 mph.
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VX-5 Vampire F2H-3 Banshee |
VX-5 Vampire F2H-3 Banshee BuNo 127496, XE-4, Sky
Screening, 07 December 1954. Official U.S. Navy photo.
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Range Harp |
Range Harp used on C-Range to accurately record the
position of aircraft during bomb delivery on ground
targets, China Lake, 08 December 1954. Official U.S.
Navy photo.
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SSM-N-8 Regulus I |
SSM-N-8 Regulus I, T-33B and F2H Banshee chase planes,
China Lake, circa 1954-1955. Photographer unknown.
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SSM-N-8 Regulus I |
SSM-N-8 Regulus I recovery on final, P-80, T-33B
and F2H Banshee chase planes, China Lake, 08 Dec 1954.
Official U.S. Navy photo.
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