"Pax River" redirects here. For the river, see Patuxent River.Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as
NAS Pax River, is a
United States Naval Air Station located in
St. Mary's County,
Maryland on the
Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the
Patuxent River. It is home to the
U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, and serves as a center for test and evaluation and systems acquisition relating to
Naval Aviation. Commissioned on April 1, 1943 on land largely acquired through
eminent domain, the air station grew rapidly in response to
World War II.
The base became a center for testing as several facilities were constructed throughout the 1950s and 1960s; including the U.S. 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.
Since the end of the
Cold War, the Navy'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.
NAS Patuxent River is home to the
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Headquarters, the Air Test Wing Atlantic, and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Commands.
It was used as a filming location for the
Harrison Ford movie
Random Hearts...
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