Genesis: 1937 Prior to 1937 the area was
prime farmland, consisting of several large plantations,
Mattapony, Susquehanna, and Cedar Point, as well as numerous
tenant and
sharecropper properties and a few clusters of vacation homes. The Cedar Point community included several churches, a post office, and a gas station. Some of the old homes now serve as quarters for Navy personnel stationed there. In 1937, the Navy's
Bureau of Aeronautics sought to consolidate aviation test programs, previously being conducted at several stations, including
Dahlgren and
Norfolk, the
Washington Navy Yard,
Naval Air Station Anacostia in
Washington, D.C., and the
Naval Aircraft Factory in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Cedar Point was selected due to its remote location on the coastline, well removed from air traffic congestion, with ample space for weapons testing. The unofficial name had been
Cedar Point or the
Naval Air Station at Cedar Point, but officials were concerned about possible confusion with the
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point,
North Carolina, so the new facility was named for the adjacent river. In 1945 the
Test Pilot School was established with the Navy's Flight Test Group transferred from
Naval Air Station Anacostia,
Washington, DC to NAS Patuxent River.
1950s: Flight test center and test pilot school facilities launched The base became a center for testing as several facilities were constructed throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including the facilities for
United States Naval Test Pilot School (1958), the Weapons Systems Test Division (1960), and the Propulsion System Evaluation Facility. The base also served as the testing facility for the
V-22 Osprey. In addition to its role in testing naval aircraft, during the 1950s to 1970s
Patuxent River served as an operational base for a Transport Squadron - VR-1, a
TACAMO squadron - VQ-4, Airborne Training Unit Atlantic - AEWTULANT, and VW-11, VW-13 AN VW-15 and a number of Patrol Squadrons including
VP-8, VP-44, VP-49, VP-24, VP-30 and VP-68.
1965: Addition of reconnaissance squadrons By 1965, reconnaissance Squadron VQ-4, based at NAS Patuxent River, began using Lockheed C-130s equipped with special communications equipment to perform their around-the-clock Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) mission. VQ-4 provided long-range, very-low-frequency communications relay between the National Command Center and the ballistic missile submarine fleet. Two
LTV A-7 Corsair II aircraft made the transatlantic crossing from NAS Patuxent River to Évreux, France, in 1967, racking up 3,327 nautical miles in just over seven hours, an unofficial long-distance, non-refueled flight by light attack jet aircraft. Cooperation with the British led to transatlantic visits to Pax River by RAF squadrons.
1970s: Development of major naval aircraft in flight. Tomcats underwent major development and testing at NAS Patuxent River. Research and development at NAS Patuxent River forged ahead in the 1970s. The
Grumman F-14 Tomcat, the
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II jump jet, and the
Lockheed P-3 Orion were just a few of the major aircraft programs undergoing the rigorous test and evaluation process at NAS Patuxent River. Helicopter programs also achieved major milestones during the 1970s. The Naval Air Test Center (NATC) at NAS Patuxent River took part in helicopter development and testing for new roles, such as minesweeping. The final flight of the service acceptance trials for the
Bell AH-1 SuperCobra gunship was made at NATC Patuxent River.
Renaming of the airfield On 1 April 1976, Patuxent River's airfield was named after pioneering aviator VADM
Frederick M. Trapnell, a former commander of the Naval Air Test Center at the station. Keynote address speaker, ADM
Frederick H. Michaelis, Chief of
Naval Material, noted: "All who fly in Navy blue remain indebted to Vice Admiral Trapnell. This field will serve as a living reminder of that debt."
1990s: End of Cold War, base consolidations favor Pax River NAS Growth of
Patrol Squadron 68 (VP-68) at NAS Patuxent River in May 1972 Since the end of the
Cold War, the
Pentagon's
Base Realignment and Closure measures have migrated research and testing facilities for both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft to NAS Patuxent River from decommissioned bases. The complex now hosts over 17,000 people, including active-duty service members, civil-service employees, defense contractor employees, and
military dependents.
Film location, 1999 The base was used as a filming location for the
Harrison Ford film
Random Hearts (1999). Ford and director
Sydney Pollack both visited Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Ford, a certified pilot, flew the aircraft himself.
2000s: Forefront of research, development, and testing on a test flight, with
California, Maryland in the background In January 1992, the Pax River Station acquired the Aircraft Division of the
Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWCAD). The Naval Test Wing Atlantic (NTWL) was already located there, which was a branch of the Naval Air Warfare Center, created in 1991, and located in Washington, DC. Its mission was the development and improvement of weapons. The partnership of these two units led to a "flourishing" of aircraft research and development at Patuxent. A number of new laboratory facilities on the forefront of research were created: a manned flight simulator, the Aircraft Anechoic Test Facility, the Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facility, the Aircraft Test and Evaluation Facility, and the Captain Steven A. Hazelrigg Flight Test Facility. The physical plant was expanded by new construction: the
U.S. Naval Test Pilot School academic building, an Aviation Survival Training Center pool facility and a new
air-traffic-control tower. The base's social infrastructure has grown as well. In 2013, a new, large-size child development center was completed. In September 2014, Captain Heidi Fleming became the first female commanding officer of NAS Patuxent River, where she served until 2016. For the future, the researchers are looking in the direction of unmanned flight. ==Tenant commands==