Photo By Michael Smith | Darli Nguyen, Countermeasure Systems Branch Head at Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons...... read more read more
At around ten years old, Darli Nguyen watched an aircraft drop from the sky. A surface-to-air missile struck the South Vietnamese jet just after it released flares. From where Nguyen stood, the blast lit the horizon. The war ended soon after, but the memory never did.
Thirty-five years into his civilian career, Nguyen still thinks about that moment each time he helps deliver safer aircraft to the fleet.
Nguyen now heads the Countermeasure Systems Branch at Point Mugu, where he oversees teams that create and deliver electronic warfare software. Their work helps protect aircraft and aircrew in combat zones. His contributions to mission data files and operational flight programs support fleet survivability, reflecting a career shaped by urgency, resilience, and a deep sense of purpose.
Nguyen reported to Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in July 1990, nervous but ready. He checked in at a security office near the middle gate and was told to find Building 361.
That first day set the tone for the rest of his career: unfamiliar, demanding, and worth the effort.
"I had no idea how the Navy labeled buildings," he said. "I drove up and down the road, guessing. It took a while, but I finally found it."
Nguyen started by writing software for radar warning systems and other onboard electronics. The lab computers were nothing like the laptops of today, but for a young engineer, it felt like stepping into the future.
"The actual machine was in the back room and filled half a wall," he said. "We connected to it using a terminal. We stored all our software tools and data on that system.”
Not long after he started, Operation Desert Storm broke out in 1991. Nguyen's team received the task of turning around a software update in 24 hours. It was his first experience with the speed and seriousness that would define his career.
"I was brand new, doing support testing in the lab," he said. "We didn't hear back from the pilots, but we knew the update made it to the fleet."
Today, his engineers focus on electronic warfare systems for the F/A-18. One key component is the ALQ-214, a defensive jammer. It helps aircraft detect and counter radar-guided threats. They also support the EA-18G Growler, the electronic attack variant of the Super Hornet.
As both a branch head and functional lead, Nguyen balances people management with hands-on technical oversight.
"We're a matrix organization now," he said. "I manage the team, but I also lead the system integration work that gets these tools to the fleet."
Recently, a fleet squadron operating in the Middle East urgently requested updates to its mission data files. Nguyen's team of sensor and system engineers developed, tested, and delivered a fix within days.
"Later, we heard from the aircrew that it helped them detect a threat and complete their mission safely," Nguyen said. "That felt good. We don't always get that kind of feedback."
Nguyen built his career on curiosity and consistency. He arrived with a degree in electrical engineering but little software experience. His quiet approach didn't go unnoticed. One of the junior professionals who started with him in 1990 is now his department head.
"Though quiet, he carried a big technical brain that showed itself when needed most," said Gerardo Garcia, now the Spectrum Warfare Department head. "Darli quickly became someone we looked to for solutions. We even sat next to each other in class. He was so sharp, I could never catch up to him in that department."
Nguyen learned by asking questions, testing ideas, and walking back and forth between his desk and the lab.
Early in his career, a patient task manager taught him to program by handing him a broken application and a manual.
"He didn't just help me at work," Nguyen said. "He showed me how to plan for things in life, like saving for retirement or buying a car."
Nguyen now passes those lessons on to new engineers. When someone joins the team, Nguyen asks if they've set up their retirement account. He offers advice, checks in, and shares what he's learned from decades of government service. Some of his former employees have successfully advanced their career at NAWCWD.
"I don't take credit for that," Nguyen said. "But it feels good to know I helped point someone in the right direction."
For more than two decades, Nguyen supported Foreign Military Sales programs as both a software engineer and technical lead. He delivered mission data updates and software tools to allied forces in Europe and Asia, including Switzerland, Finland, Spain, Italy, Taiwan and South Korea.
"Darli has always had a deep understanding of the EW systems we support, especially the software aspect of them," said Thanh Huynh, former Tactical Aircraft Foreign Military Sales Product Lead. "His technical knowledge has shaped how we build and test system software and mission data. His expertise and dedication have also built long-lasting relationships with many of our FMS customers."
There were hard years, too. During budget cuts and uncertain times, Nguyen watched as leaders scrambled to protect their people.
"I've never seen someone get laid off because of funding," he said. "We've always found a way to keep people working. That's one reason I've stayed. It's a place where people take care of each other."
That matters to Nguyen in a personal way. He didn’t grow up with that kind of security. His early life was shaped by war, loss, and instability. The contrast between those years and the support he found in civil service is something he doesn’t take for granted.
After the war, the new regime imprisoned his father for six years because of his military service. Authorities forced the family out of their home and relocated them to a remote mountain area.
Nguyen never finished high school in Vietnam. At 17, he escaped by boat, then lived nearly a year in refugee camps in Malaysia and the Philippines before arriving in California. Without a diploma, he enrolled in community college and later transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. After years of perseverance, he earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from California State University, Northridge.
He never forgot what brought him to NAWCWD.
"I want to protect the aircraft and protect the pilot," he said. "Even if they don't know my name, I know our work is helping them come home."
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.08.2025 11:50 |
| Story ID: | 545182 |
| Location: | POINT MUGU NAWC, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Darli Nguyen: 35 years advancing F/A-18 electronic warfare, by Michael Smith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
