Early history In 1944, the US Navy took over the lease of the property of the
Brewster Aeronautical Corporation following a period of mismanagement of the company and its inability to meet Navy contracts for the war effort. The
Brewster Buccaneer dive bomber was produced by Brewster at this location, which was known as Brewster Field. Following the US Navy takeover, the site was known as the Naval Aircraft Modification Unit (NAMU). It was considered a branch of the Naval Air Material Center (NAMC). NRaD Warminster Detachment ultimately relocated to San Diego when the base closed on 30 September 1996. NADC Code 40 and subsequently NRaD Warminster Detachment Code 30 operated several facilities including the GPS Central Engineering Activity (CEA) and a large, dome-shaped, underground facility (Inertial Navigation Facility). This facility performed the engineering functions associated with Inertial Navigational Equipment, including gyroscopes, used for inertial navigation systems on military aircraft and submarines. While the GPS CEA currently operates out of San Diego, CA, the underground inertial facility is maintained and operated by the Penn State Applied Research Lab (ARL). The runway at the base was able to accommodate the
C-5 Galaxy military cargo aircraft.
Today The former Center is now home to an industrial park, Warminster Community Park, a housing development, the new
Bucks County morgue crime lab, Ann's Choice, a senior citizens' housing complex, a
Costco and the IHG hotel "Holiday Inn Express".
Stormtracker6, the
Doppler weather radar for
WPVI is also located there. While once part of the EPA's superfund list, the US Navy has completed all cleanup activities at the former base. In 2014, the
Warminster Municipal Authority issued a public notice stating that groundwater contamination had been identified on and in the area of the former NAWC site and shut down two supply wells as a result of the contamination until further notice. The water is contaminated with
perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. Contamination was detected in other wells but not above the EPA's provisional Health Advisory Level. prepares to enter the gondola of the
human centrifuge at Johnsville in 1960. ==Human centrifuge==