China Lake Museum

Military museum in Ridgecrest, California

China Lake Museum

Location within California

Former name

| U.S. Naval Museum of Armament and Technology
Established| 2000 (2000)
Location| Ridgecrest, California
Coordinates| 35°37′48″N 117°40′06″W﻿ / ﻿35.6299°N 117.6682°W﻿ / 35.6299; -117.6682
Type| Military museum
Website| www.chinalakemuseum.org

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

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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.[1] 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.[2]

### Move

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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 2,880 sq ft (268 m2) modular building.[3] Five years later, the museum revealed it had received approval for a second phase with a 7,200 sq ft (670 m2) building.[4]

## Collection

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### Aircraft on display

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McDonnell Douglas YF-18A Hornet

* Grumman F11F-1F Super Tiger[5]
* McDonnell Douglas YF-18A Hornet[6]
* North American T-39 Sabreliner[7]

### Munitions on display

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* AGM-45 Shrike[8]
* AGM-53 Condor[9]
* AGM-62 Walleye[10]
* AGM-65 Maverick[11]
* AGM-83 Bulldog[12]
* AGM-84 SLAM-ER[13]
* AGM-88 HARM[14]
* AGM-122 Sidearm[15]
* AGM-136 Tacit Rainbow[16]
* AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon[17]
* AIM-9 Sidewinder[18]
* AIM-54 Phoenix[19]
* ASM-N-2 Bat[20]
* BGM-109 Tomahawk[21]
* CBU-59 APAM[22]
* CBU-78/B GATOR[23]
* GBU-24B/B Paveway III[24]
* Mark 4 nuclear bomb[25]
* Mark 20 Rockeye II[26]
* Mark 80 series[27]

## See also

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* List of maritime museums in the United States

## References

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1. ^ "Museum Facts" (PDF). U.S. Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. 18 February 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
2. ^ "The China Lake Museum of Armament and Technology is to Become the China Lake Museum" (PDF), The China Laker, vol. 17, no. 4, p. 5, Fall 2011, retrieved 12 December 2023
3. ^ Mayer, Steven (9 April 2017). "China Lake Museum Moving from Naval Base to Ridgecrest". Bakersfield.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
4. ^ "County Approves New Phase 2 Building Plans!". China Lake Museum Foundation. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
5. ^ "F11-1F Super Tiger". China Lake Museum Foundation. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
6. ^ "Hornet 1". China Lake Museum Foundation. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
7. ^ "T-39". China Lake Museum Foundation. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
8. ^ "AGM-45 Shrike Antiradiation Missile". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
9. ^ "AGM-53 Condor". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
10. ^ "Walleye". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
11. ^ "AGM-65 Maverick". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
12. ^ "AGM-83 Bulldog". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 November 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
13. ^ "SLAM-ER". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
14. ^ "AGM-88 HARM". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
15. ^ "AGM-122 Sidearm". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
16. ^ "AGM-136 Tacit Rainbow". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
17. ^ "AGM-154 JSOW". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
18. ^ "AIM-9 Sidewinder". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
19. ^ "AIM-54 Phoenix". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 21 October 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
20. ^ "ASM-2 Bat". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
21. ^ "Tomahawk". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
22. ^ "APAM CBU-59". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
23. ^ "CBU-78/B GATOR". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 7 November 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
24. ^ "Laser-Guided Bomb LGB-24B/B". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
25. ^ "FatMan- Mark IV". China Lake Museum Foundation. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
26. ^ "Rockeye II Mark 20". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
27. ^ "Mark 80 Series General Purpose Bombs". US Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. China Lake Museum Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2023.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to China Lake Museum.

* Official website
* U.S. Naval Museum of Armament & Technology, China Lake NAWS, June 25, 2002 – Goleta Air & Space Museum