Photo By Ryan Smith | Navy leaders cut the ribbon on the Rear Adm. William S. "Deak" Parsons Range Control...... read more read more
Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division celebrated a major milestone Sept. 23, 2025, cutting the ribbon on the new Range Control Complex at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California.
Delivered by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest and its Resident Officer in Charge of Construction China Lake, the state-of-the-art complex consists of four separate facilities that will serve as NAWCWD’s operational hub for range testing and evaluation, directly supporting their mission to deliver cutting-edge capabilities to the Fleet.
The Range Control Complex is comprised of the Range Control Center, Range Engineering and Operations Building, Range Instrumentation Support Facility, and the Range Fire Control/Missile Assembly Building—four specialized facilities designed to provide advanced command, control, and coordination across China Lake’s 1.1 million acres of ranges. The $242 million project restores and modernizes capabilities lost during the July 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes.
“This project showcases NAVFAC Southwest’s drive to seek innovation at each step of these complex, technically demanding facilities, while remaining on schedule and to the highest of standards,” said Capt. Cathy Eyrich, commanding officer, NAVFAC Southwest. “The Range Control Complex is a tangible demonstration of how NAVFAC enables the Navy’s operational mission through construction, engineering and contracting.”
At the heart of the complex, the Range Control Center serves as the “nerve center” of the Ranges, said Tom Dowd, NAWCWD’s director for Ranges/Targets Operations and Labs Group.
“This range with our current facilities supports 2,000 test events annually. It also supports 27,000 training sorties for Navy and Air Force pilots every year,” Dowd explained. “Just imagine what this new range complex is going to allow the test team at NAWCWD to accomplish on behalf of the warfighter.”
During the ceremony, the control center was dedicated in the name of Rear Adm. William S. “Deak” Parsons, who perhaps best known for his work on the Manhattan Project, but also one of the driving forces behind the establishment and expansion of the range at what would become China Lake.
“Here at China Lake, Deak is remembered as the godfather of the Naval Ordnance Test Station,” said Rear Adm. Keith Hash, NAWCWD commander. “He pushed for more land and more range space. He backed Sidewinder before it ever had a successful guided test. He secured the resources and the trust that allowed Naval Ordnance Test Station to grow into a world-class center for research, development, testing, and evaluation.”
A Navy officer, Parsons came to Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project as an outsider but quickly became essential is connecting civilian scientists and the military.
“Deak built bridges between scientists and Sailors. He knew both were essential. That model still defines NAWCWD. Military and civilian. Engineers and operators. One team in support of the Fleet,” Hash said.
| Date Taken: | 09.23.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.24.2025 22:20 |
| Story ID: | 549237 |
| Location: | CHINA LAKE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 569 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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