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<-- 1954 1955 Photo Gallery. Last updated 03 December, 2009 1956 -->
• Jan -- NAF has 43 aircraft consisting of 2 F7U-3, 1 F9F-8, 1 F9F-5, 3 F2H-2, 1 F2H-2N, 1 F2H-3, 1 FJ-2, 4 F6F-5, 2 F3D-1, 1 F3D-2, 3 F8F-2D, 1 AD-6, 1 AD-5, 1 AD-4, 1 AJ-2, 1 AF-2S, 1 P2V-3, 1 P2V-3B, 1 P4Y-2, 1 R4D-6, 1 R4D-5, 1 SNB-5 & 12 F6F-5K.
• Feb -- The 1st Provisional Marine Guided Missile Battalion was redesignated the 1st TERRIER Surface to Air Missile Battalion at the U. S. Naval Ordnance Test Station, Inyokern, CA
• March -- renamed NOTS China Lake.
• 24 June -- GMU-25 established.
• Opening of permanent G-1 range for guided-missile free-flight-testing.
• Opening of permanent G-2 range for rocket free-flight testing.

Aerial view of the SW corner of NOTS China Lake, 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

Douglas XF4D-1 Skyray BuNo 124586 & Douglas XA4D-1 Skyhawk BuNo 137812 prior to flight demo for the press, China Lake, January 1955.

Naval Aviation News photo.

Armitage Field hangar #2, China Lake, 05 Jan. 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

AF-2S Guardian, BuNo 126783, China Lake, 05 Jan. 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

VF-193 F2H-3 Banshees parked on the flightline, China Lake, 08 January 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

VF-193 F2H-3 Banshee B-306 & l-r: Long, Gilbert, Thompson, Drunhaver, O'Neil, Lawrence, Farris & Shepard, China Lake, 08 January 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

AD-6 Skyraider, BuNo 135278, boresight, China Lake, 24 Jan 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

AD-6 Skyraider, BuNo 135278, boresight, China Lake, 24 Jan 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F2H-2 Banshee, BuNo 123290, boresight, China Lake, 24 Jan 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F2H-2 Banshee, BuNo 123290, boresight, China Lake, 24 Jan 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F2H-2 Banshee, BuNo 123290, boresight, China Lake, 24 Jan 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F9F-8 Cougar BuNo 131159 with AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, China Lake, 01 February 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F2H-2 Banshee, BuNo 123290, FFAR rocket pods, China Lake, 11 Feb 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

R&D Dallas F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 128467, China Lake, 15 Feb 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

R&D Dallas F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 128467 & F6F-5 Hellcat, BuNo 78199, China Lake, 15 Feb 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F9F-8 Cougar, BuNo 131159, Sidewinder 1A on century pylon, China Lake 15 Feb 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F2H-2 Banshee, BuNo 123247, FFAR rocket pods, China Lake, 08 Mar 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

AD-5W Skyraider, BuNo 132784, FFAR rocket pods, China Lake, 08 Mar 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

AD-5W Skyraider, BuNo 132784, FFAR rocket pods, China Lake, 11 Mar 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

SSM-N-8 Regulus GM-0095, China Lake, 15 March 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

VX-5 F9F-8 Cougar BuNo 131086, XE-16, application of A-1 sight head to toss-bombing technique, 15 March 1955.

This Cougar was used by LT J.A. Sickel, USN and CAPT G.J. Hogenmiller, USAF to test the "heads up" display

NACA photo.

F9F-8 Cougar, BuNo 131159, Sidewinder 1A on century pylon, over the Sierras, 06 Apr 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F9F-8 Cougar, BuNo 131159, Sidewinder 1A on century pylon, 06 Apr 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F7U-3 Cutlass, Elsie (L.C.), TX-11 weapon drop, China Lake, 07 Apr 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

VX-5 AD-4B Skyraider BuNo 127860, circa 1955, probably Miramar.

Official U.S. Navy.

VX-5 F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 129665, XE-2, and pilot S. Joel Premselaar, circa 1955.

Photo from S. Joel Premselaar.

VX-5 F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 129665, XE-2, circa 1955

Photo & comment from S. Joel Premselaar ... the store is the small 12 KT nuke. Ground clearance provided by the F7U permitted leaving the fins spread.

VX-5 F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 129674, XE-4, circa 1955

Photo & comment from S. Joel Premselaar ... note /1

VX-5 F9F-8 Cougar BuNo 131075, XE-15, The store is the smaller 12KT nuke, circa 1955

Photo & comment from S. Joel Premselaar... Note /2

AD-6 Skyraider BuNo 135278, cluster bomb, China Lake, 09 May 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

AD-6 Skyraider BuNo 135278, cluster bomb, China Lake, 09 May 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

GMU-25 Emblem, CPO Office - SPQ-5 Radar Bldg, China Lake, 24 June 1955. Design by Bob-Griswold.

HUP-2 Retriever BuNo 128600, Rescue demonstration, China Lake, 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F3D-1 Skyknight BuNo 123766, Sidewinder 1 missile, 28 Jul 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F3D-1 Skyknight, BuNo 123766, Sidewinder 1 missile, 28 Jul 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F7U-3 Cutlass, TX-11, Elsie, China Lake, 05 Aug 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

USAF F-86D Sabre, s/n 52-3598, oblique rocket pack, China Lake, 07 Oct 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

USAF F-86D Sabre, s/n 52-3598, oblique rocket pack, China Lake, 07 Oct 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

AIM-9 Sidewinder, China Lake, 24 October 1955

Official U.S. Navy photo.

R4Y-1 Samaritan, BuNo 141005, assigned to Pax River, China Lake, 07 Nov 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

USAF F-86 Sabre, s/n 52-5143, NAKA rocket pack, China Lake, 01 Dec 1955

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F9F-5 Panther, BuNo 126043, GIMLET, China Lake, 24 Nov 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F9F-5 Panther, BuNo 126043, ZUNI, China Lake, 24 Nov 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

F9F-5 Panther, BuNo 126043, ZUNI, China Lake, 24 Nov 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

FJ-4 Fury prototype, possibly BuNo 139280, X-47B FFAR rocket pods, 09 Dec 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo.

A-4A Skyhawk tail section set up for flutter test on SNORT, about 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photo, NOTS Report 1938.

/1 the larger 60 KT nuke required that the store's fins be folded. Dive Bombing with nukes, we used an 80 degree dive angle. This enhanced accuracy by minimizing the effect of airspeed errors at release.

/2 note that the fins are extended and the Cougar's speed brakes are deployed (they appear to be just in front of the store's nose, but they are, in fact, on the fuselage). When we were still based on Moffett Field, CO Cdr. Leonard (replaced Eppes) asked me to bring back a land tortoise for him upon my return from a China Lake deployment. I found a small young one (they grow quite large) that I placed in a safe place in the cockpit of the F9F-8 I was flying. I climbed to a very high altitude on my way to Moffett and when I was almost to Mt. Hamilton, I dove at full power and broke the sound barrier. I then presented my skipper with the world's first and perhaps only supersonic tortoise.