1992-Contin ued

19 January Naval Aviation History Office commemo-

rated its fiftieth anniversary by preparing for its move

to new quarters in the Washington Navy Yard.

21 January The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons

Division (NAWC WD) was established during a cere-

mony at Point Mugu, Calif., Rear Admiral William E.

Newman was its first commander. NAWC WD head-

quarters was located at Point Mugu and China Lake,

with a facility at White Sands. NAWC WD was respon-

sible for aircraft weapons and weapons systems, sim-

ulators and targets. It absorbed the activities of the

Pacific Missile Test Center, Point Mugu, Calif; the

Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, Calif.; the Naval

Weapons Evaluation Facility, Albuquerque, N.Mex.;

and the Naval Ordnance Missile Test Station, White

Sands, N.Mex.

21 January The Naval Air Station, Point Mugu, Calif.

was disestablished, with Naval Air Weapons Station,

Point Mugu, taking its place the same day. This action

left NAVAIR with NAS Patuxent River, Md., as the com-

mand's only remaining air station. At one time,

NAVAIR had NAS Lakehurst, N.J., and NAS Point

Mugu.

22 January Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake,

Calif., was established at the site of the former Naval

Weapons Center.

23 January The first production U.S. Navy T-45A

Goshawk jet trainer rolled out at the McDonnell

Aircraft facility in St. Louis, Mo. The T-45 Training

System is the Navy's first totally integrated training sys-

tem, combining computer-based academics, simulators,

trainer aircraft, and a training integration system and

contractor logistic support.

31 January The Navy took delivery of the last pro-

duction A-6 Intruder from Grumman, closing out over

31 years of Intruder production. The aircraft was to be

delivered to VA-145 at NAS Whidbey Island, Wash.

4 February Mr. Pete Williams, the Assistant Secretary

of Defense (Public Affairs), stated that the Navy's goal

of active carriers was twelve.

5 February Forrestal, the Navy's first super carrier

was redesignated a training carrier at her new home

port, NAS Pensacola, Fla. This brought the Navy's total

of active carriers down to 14 active and one training

carrier. Forrestal was scheduled to replace Lexington as

the Navy's training carrier.

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

379

6 February A ceremony at NAS Barbers Point,

Hawaii, marked the beginning of HSL-37's transition

from the SH-2F Seasprite helicopter to the SH-60B.

11 February VA-34 Blue Blasters became the first fleet

A-6E squadron to fire a AGM-65E laser-guided Maverick

missile during an exercise in the Arabian Gulf.

14 February VMFA(AW)-225 formally accepted the

first fleet two-seat F/ A-18D Hornet at MCAS El Toro,

Calif. This was the first aircraft capable of operating the

new ATARPS.

24 February McDonnell Douglas and British

Aerospace reached an exclusive partnership agree-

ment, pending U.S. government approval to work to-

gether to develop and produce advanced short take-

off/vertical landing (ASTOVL) strike fighter aircraft.

4 March NAWC AD Patuxent River, Md., officially

stood up in ceremonies held at NAS Patuxent River.

Rear Admiral (Sel.) Barton Strong assumed command

of the division.

4 March VAW-113 at NAS North Island, Calif., be-

came the first fleet squadron to accept delivery of the

E-2C Group II aircraft, which was equipped with the

new APS-145 radar.

10 March The Department of Defense announced its

plan for the withdrawal from the Philippine Naval

Facility at Subic Bay. Major milestones in the plan in-

cluded: closure of DoD dependents schools in June;

transfer of the majority of dependents throughout the

summer months; relocation of Fleet Logistics & Support

Squadron 50 to Anderson AFB, Guam, in August; dises-

tablishment of the ship Repair Facility in September;

and formal final turnover of the facility to the

Philippine government in December.

21 March Independence with CVW-5 on board, de-

parted Subic Bay, the last carrier scheduled to call at

the base before its closure.

31 March NASA announced that Lieutenant

Commander Wendy B. Lawrence had been chosen to

be among the space agencys' new astronauts.

Lieutenant Commander Lawrence was the first Navy

woman line officer Naval Aviator astronaut.

1 April Fleet Electronic Warfare Support Group

(FEWSG) merged with the Fleet Deception Group,

Atlantic to form the Fleet Practical Readiness Group.

The new command, based at Naval Amphibious Base,

Little Creek, Va., assumed operational control of

FEWSG's electronic aggressor squadrons VAQ-33, -34,

and -35.