RAdm. Brian Corey, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division commander, and Joan Johnson, NAWCWD executive director, welcome Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter to China Lake on 02 February 2016 for a tour and discussion about the innovative work underway at NAWCWD China Lake. (U.S. Navy photo)

RAdm. Brian Corey, NAWCWD commander, talks with Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, right, about how High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles are converted into Advanced Anti-Radiation Guide Missiles at China Lake. Dave Janiec, director of the Software and Mission Systems Integration Department, and Joan Johnson, NAWCWD executive director, supported the discussion. China Lake, 02 February 2016. Official U.S. Navy photo.

Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division’s Greg Wheelock, right, explains the equipment and process for obtaining mass properties data to Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter during a visit to the NAWCWD China Lake Propulsion Lab on 02 February 2016, Official U.S. Navy photo.

A technician at the Salt Wells facility at the China Lake Propulsion Laboratory uses a crane to hoist one of the 150-gallon mixing bowls of plastic bonded explosives over to the cylinder for casting, China Lake, 18 February 2016. Official U.S. Navy photo.

An experienced technician from the Ordnance Processing Group at NAWCWD China Lake opens a valve to allow the mixture of plastic bonded explosives to funnel into the cylinder, China Lake 19 February 2016. The crew was tasked with mixing five separate layers of plastic bonded explosives (PBXN-110) and continuously pouring it layer by layer into the cast to allow it all to cure at the same time. Official U.S. Navy photo.

Weighing a total of 15,000 pounds, the completed asset (PBXN-110) is placed into a box for transportation and storage for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, NAWCWD China Lake, 02 March 2016. Official U.S. Navy photo.

VFA-15 Valions FA-18C Hornet BuNo 164678, AJ-312, (bottom) and VX-31 Vampires F/A-18C Hornet BuNo 165210 (top) in the carrier break at NBVC Point Mugu, 19 April 2016. Official U.S. Navy photo by Vance Vasquez.

VFA-15 Valions F/A-18C Hornets participate in a large force exercise hosted by VX-31 April 18-29 in Point Mugu, CA. Top to bottom BuNo 164678, AJ-312, modex 100, BuNo 164879, AJ-304, and BuNo 164201, AJ-300, 22 April 2016.. Official U.S. Navy photo.

Joan Johnson, left, NAWCWD China Lake executive director, talks with Dr. Janine Davidson, undersecretary for the Navy during a three-hour orientation visit to NAWCWD China Lake, 13 July 2016. This was the undersecretary's first visit since taking office in March. Official U.S. Navy photo by Ron Rodriguez.

Nick Quigley, aerospace engineer at NAWCWD China Lake, talks solid fuel ramjet technology with Dr. Janine Davidson, undersecretary for the Navy during a three-hour orientation visit. China Lake, 13 July 2016, Official U.S. Navy photo.

James Coppersmith, the technical director for the VX-31 Dust Devils at NAWCWD China Lake, stands near AV-8B Harrier II BuNo 164549, DD-81, that bears his name at China Lake, 27 July 2016. Official U.S. Navy photo.

NAWCWD China Lake Swarm View teammates Joshua Elroy, front left, Melvin DeBerry, back left, Christopher Yelton, back right, and Jeremy Siedschlag, front right, work on the unmanned aerial vehicles used for their Innovation Challenge. China Lake, 18 October 2016, Official U.S. Navy photo.

CBS cameraman Leigh Hubner prepares to film a Perdix autonomous micro-drone ground launch event on the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division South Range. China Lake, 22 October 2016, Official U.S. Navy photo.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Lincoln Laboratory personnel launch multiple Perdix micro unmanned aerial vehicles during a demonstration on the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division South Range. China Lake, 22 October 2016, Official U.S. Navy photo.

Adm. John Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations, receives a brief from Nicholas Roder, a systems engineer at NAWCWD China Lake, during a Digital Precision Strike Suite briefing and demo during CNO's visit. China Lake, 05 December 2016, Official U.S. Navy photo.

Nick Quigley, aerospace engineer at NAWCWD China Lake, talks to Adm. John Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations, about the Solid Fuel Ramjet’s capabilities. China Lake, 05 December 2016. Official U.S. Navy photo.

Second cohort graduates of the Tactical Engineering Development Program at NAWCWD China Lake are joined by Ian Anderson, right, program lead, at the William B. McLean Laboratory following a 06 December 2016 ceremony at China Lake. Cohort 2 graduates from China Lake and Point Mugu were: Daniel Arias, Lauren Bigalke, Andrew DeHaan, Rebecca Garnett, Catherine Gonzalez, Thomas Haugh, Daniel Kaseforth, James LeJeune, Jarrod Lembke, Stanley Loughmiller, Ryan Martin, Michael Ratzlaff, Michael Reindl, Rachel Reitz, Walter Duane Runkle, Sean Smith, Carl Weinstein, Eric Williams and James Zheng. Official U.S. Navy photo by Ron Rodriguez. F/A-18A Hornet BuNo 163092 port side in the markings of the VX-31 Dust Devils in the background.

Spike, a forward-firing miniature munition, is loaded on a rail launcher for a recent counter-unmanned aerial vehicle demonstration on the land range at NAWCWD China Lake,  December 2016. Official U.S. Navy photo.

Spike, a forward-firing miniature munition, is launched at an Outlaw, a class-two representative unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), during a recent and successful counter-UAV demonstration on the land range at NAWCWD China Lake, December 2016. Official U.S. Navy photo.

U.S. Navy personnel demonstrated the Spike missile's ability to take down an Outlaw UAV with one shot during a test in December 2016. Official U.S. Navy photo.

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