The China Lake Museum is a military museum in Ridgecrest, California focused on the history of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and the development of naval aviation armament and technology.
History The museum originated with single room at the Weapons Exhibit Center in 1955. The collection was expanded in 1963, but began to deteriorate ten years later due to the expansion of a lab. A man named Milt Burford began efforts to expand the collection again in 1989 and four years after that the China Lake Museum Foundation was established. The organization was officially recognized as the U.S. Naval Museum of Armament & Technology in May 2000. However, in Fall 2011, the museum announced it would no longer be part of the Navy museum system and would change its name to the China Lake Museum.
Move Plans to move the museum to the adjoining city of Ridgecrest to improve public access were announced in April 2017. The first phase involved the construction of a parking lot and modular building. Five years later, the museum revealed it had received approval for a second phase with a building.
Collection Aircraft on display
Grumman F11F-1F Super Tiger McDonnell Douglas YF-18A Hornet North American T-39 Sabreliner
Munitions on display
AGM-45 Shrike AGM-53 Condor AGM-62 Walleye AGM-65 Maverick AGM-83 Bulldog AGM-84 SLAM-ER AGM-88 HARM AGM-122 Sidearm AGM-136 Tacit Rainbow AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon AIM-9 Sidewinder AIM-54 Phoenix ASM-N-2 Bat BGM-109 Tomahawk CBU-59 APAM CBU-78/B GATOR GBU-24B/B Paveway III Mark 4 nuclear bomb Mark 20 Rockeye II Mark 80 series
See also List of maritime museums in the United States
References
External links
U.S. Naval Museum of Armament & Technology, China Lake NAWS, June 25, 2002 – Goleta Air & Space Museum