Warplanes of the USA: Maryland, Patuxent River Naval Air Museum

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Patuxent River Naval Air Museum, Naval Air Test Center, Lexington Park, 20670-0407.  The Museum is immediately outside, and adjacent to, Patuxent River Naval Air Station/Trapnell Field Gate 1, at the intersection of State Route 235 and Pegg Road.

The Patuxent River Naval Air Museum is a museum at Lexington Park, Maryland, first opened in 1978, which preserves and interprets the Naval Air Station Patuxent River history and heritage of advancing US naval aviation technology with artifacts, photographs and film, documents, and related heritage memorabilia from Patuxent River and other naval stations. The museum is dedicated to those who have employed their talents in advancing naval aviation research, development, testing, and evaluation. (Wikipedia)

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U.S. Navy RQ-2B Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

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AAI RQ-2A Pioneer, C/N 101. The AAI RQ-2 Pioneer was an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that was used by the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Army, and deployed at sea and on land from 1986 until 2007. Initially tested aboard USS Iowa, the RQ-2 Pioneer was placed aboard Iowa-class battleships to provide gunnery spotting, its mission evolving into reconnaissance and surveillance, primarily for amphibious forces.

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Aurora XV-24 Lightning Strike unmanned aerial vehicle with electric distributed propulsion - D60 Symposium - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, 2018. The Aurora XV-24 LightningStrike is an experimental unmanned aerial vehicle created by Aurora Flight Sciences and partners Rolls-Royce and Honeywell. It was developed for the Vertical Take-Off and Landing Experimental Aircraft program.

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Aurora XV-24 LightningStrike.

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Beechcraft T-34B Mentor aircraft from Training Squadron 5 (VT-5). 3 November 1976. The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is an American propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston-engined. These were eventually succeeded by the upgraded T-34C Turbo-Mentor, powered by a turboprop engine. The T-34 remains in service more than seven decades after it was first designed.

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Beechcraft T-34B Mentor (BuNo. 140921), C/N BG-255.

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Beechcraft T-34B Turbo Mentor (BuNo. 140921).

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The Beechcraft T-6A Texan II is a single-engine, two-seat primary trainer designed to train Joint Primary Pilot Training, or JPPT, students in basic flying skills common to U.S. Air Force and Navy pilots. The trainer is phasing out the aging T-37 fleet throughout Air Education and Training Command.

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Beechcraft T-6B Texan II training aircraft assigned to Training Wing 5 from Pensacola, Florida, staged on the tarmac.

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Beechcraft PD 373, N8284M. The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by Textron Aviation. A trainer aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna T-37B Tweet and the United States Navy's T-34C Turbo Mentor during the 2010s.

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Bell TH-1L Iroquois Helicopter (BuNo. 157842), C/N 6437, NATC. 157842, was received by the Navy in April 1970. It was first flown in the Navy's Air Training Command. In 1983, it was transferred to the Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Directorate at the Naval Air Test Center. After it was retired from the Navy, it was transferred to the museum.

(John Shupek Photo)

Bell AH-1J Sea Cobra Helicopter (BuNo. 159227), C/N 26067, used by US Marine Corps (USMC). The Bell AH-1 SuperCobra is a Twin-engine attack helicopter based on the US Army’s AH-1 Cobra. The twin Cobra family includes the AH-1J SeaCobra, the AH-1T Improved SeaCobra, and the AH-1W SuperCobra. The Bell AH-1W is the backbone of the United States Marine Corps’s attack helicopter fleet, but will be replaced in service by the Bell AH-1Z Viper upgrade in the next decade.

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Tilt-Rotor Eagle EAV.

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Bell HV-911 Eagle Eye scale prototype. (Bell TR911X Eagle Eye). The Bell Helicopter Eagle Eye, Model 918, was an American tiltrotor unmanned aerial vehicle that was offered as one of the competitors in the United States Navy's VT-UAV (Vertical Takeoff - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) program.

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The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft. The V-22 is operated by the United States and Japan, and is not only a new aircraft design, but a new type of aircraft that entered service in the 2000s, a tiltrotor compared to fixed wing and helicopter designs. The V-22 first flew in 1988 and after a long development was fielded in 2007. The design essentially combines the vertical takeoff ability of a helicopter, but the range of a fixed-wing airplane.

The failure of Operation Eagle Claw in 1980 during the Iran hostage crisis underscored that there were military roles for which neither conventional helicopters nor fixed-wing transport aircraft were well-suited. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) initiated a program to develop an innovative transport aircraft with long-range, high-speed, and vertical-takeoff capabilities, and the Joint-service Vertical take-off/landing Experimental (JVX) program officially began in 1981. A partnership between Bell Helicopter and Boeing Helicopters was awarded a development contract in 1983 for the V-22 tiltrotor aircraft. The Bell-Boeing team jointly produces the aircraft.[3] The V-22 first flew in 1989 and began flight testing and design alterations; the complexity and difficulties of being the first tiltrotor for military service led to many years of development.

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) began crew training for the MV-22B Osprey in 2000 and fielded it in 2007; it supplemented and then replaced their Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knights. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) fielded its version of the tiltrotor, the CV-22B, in 2009. Since entering service with the Marine Corps and Air Force, the Osprey has been deployed in transportation and medevac operations over Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Kuwait. The U.S. Navy began using the CMV-22B for carrier onboard delivery duties in 2021. (Wikipedia)

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A U.S. Navy Bell-Boeing CVM-22B Osprey of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron 50 (VRM-50) "Sunhawks" approaches the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) on 12 March 2022. Nimitz was underway in the Pacific Ocean conducting routine operations.

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Bell-Boeing MV-22B Osprey (BuNo. 164940).

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USMC Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight Helicopter, October 2011.

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Boeing Vertol BV-107M CH-46E-BV Sea Knight (BuNo. 152578). 152578, was received by the Navy as a CH-46D, but was converted to a CH-46E in the late 1970s, which updated its avionics, rotor blades, and engines. It was was flown by the Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Squadron (HX-21) At NAS Patuxent River. It was retired from the Navy in October 2012 and brought to the museum in 2014.

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Boeing X-32B. The Boeing Joint Strike Fighter X-32B demonstrator lifts off on its maiden flight from the company's facility in Palmdale, Calif. Following a series of initial airworthiness tests, the X-32B, with Boeing JSF lead STOVL test pilot Dennis O'Donoghue at the controls, landed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The X-32B will complete a number of flights at Edwards before moving to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., for the majority of STOVL testing. The overall flight-test program will include approximately 55 flights totaling about 40 hours.

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Boeing X-32B JSF STOVL Demonstrator. The Boeing X-32 is a concept demonstrator aircraft that was designed for the Joint Strike Fighter competition. It lost to the Lockheed Martin X-35 demonstrator, which was further developed into the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

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Curtiss E-8-75 A-1 Triad replica.

Douglas C-54D Skymaster (Serial No. 56501), C/N 10636.

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Douglas F4D-1 Skyray (BuNo. 130743) from the Naval Air Test Center at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, with a towed target on display at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, 14 May 1960.

The Douglas F4D Skyray (later redesignated F-6 Skyray) is an American carrier-based supersonic fighter/interceptor designed and produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was the first naval fighter to exceed the speed of sound in level flight and the last fighter produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company prior to its merger with McDonnell Aircraft to become McDonnell Douglas.

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Douglas NF-6A/F4D-1 Skyray (BuNo. 134764), C/N 10358.

Douglas F-6A/F4D-1 Skyray (BuNo. 144764).

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Goodyear 195/XAO-3 Inflatoplane, shown here undergoing wind tunnel tests with NACA.

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The catapult officer is giving the "launch" signal to a Grumman S-2D Tracker of Reserve Carrier Anti-Submarine Air Group 51 (RCVSG-51) on the port catapult of the U.S. Navy training carrier USS Lexington (CVS-16) on 22 January 1963.

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Grumman S-2D Tracker (BuNo. 149240), 240, C/N 84C. 149240, was manufactured in 1962 and was flown by the Naval Research Laboratory in its Flight Support Detachment, where it conducted meteorological and oceanographic research. It was retired in February 1981, and had been flown for 5,175.2 hours. It was transferred to the museum in 1982.

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The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft Company for the United States Navy as a replacement for the earlier, piston-engined E-1 Tracer, which was rapidly becoming obsolete. The aircraft's performance has been upgraded with the E-2B and E-2C versions, where most of the changes were made to the radar and radio communications due to advances in electronic integrated circuits and other electronics. The fourth major version of the Hawkeye is the E-2D, which first flew in 2007. The E-2 was the first aircraft designed specifically for AEW, as opposed to a modification of an existing airframe, such as the Boeing E-3 Sentry. Variants of the Hawkeye have been in continuous production since 1960, giving it the longest production run of any carrier-based aircraft.

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Grumman E-2B Hawkeye (BuNo. 152476), C/N 48.

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Grumman C-2 Greyhound (BuNo. 152476)

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Grumman XF9F-6 Cougar fighter (BuNo 126670). The Grumman F9F/F-9 Cougar is a carrier-based jet-powered fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Grumman.It was developed during the early 1950s on behalf of the United States Navy (US Navy) and United States Marine Corps (USMC), which were keen to quickly introduce a naval fighter equipped with a swept wing. Grumman's design team decided to adapt its earlier F9F Panther, replacing the straight wing of the Panther with a new swept wing. Thrust was also increased with the installation of a newer and more powerful engine. Nevertheless, the aircraft remained limited to subsonic speeds. The first prototype (XF9F-6), which was produced by modifying an existing Panther, performed its maiden flight on 20 September 1951. The Navy considered the Cougar to be an updated version of the Panther, despite having a different official name, and thus Cougars started off from F9F-6.

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Grumman F9F-8B Cougar (BuNo. 144276), NATC 276. 144275, was received by the Navy as an F9F-8, and converted to the F9F-8B. It was later converted to the QF-9J target drone, and flown out of the Pacific Missile Test Center at NAS Point Mugu. It was retired in September 1966 and displayed in Richmond, Virginia, and was later transferred to the museum.

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A U.S. Navy Grumman A-6E Intruder aircraft (BuNo. 156926) from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Pax River Ordnance Systems Department released a Walleye II extended range data link missile over the Atlantic Ocean during a flight to fully certify the weapons for use on Fleet Intruders. The Walleye II, a 2,000 pound class standard offensive weapon used on other Navy aircraft, has now been given the green light to be used on the Intruder.

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Grumman NA-6E Intruder (BuNo. 156997), 500, C/N I-466.

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The Northrop Grumman (formerly Grumman) EA-6B Prowler is a twin-engine, four-seat, mid-wing electronic-warfare aircraft derived from the A-6 Intruder airframe. The EA-6A was the initial electronic warfare version of the A-6 used by the United States Marine Corps and United States Navy; it was used during the Vietnam War. Development on the more advanced EA-6B began in 1966. An EA-6B aircrew consisted of one pilot and three Electronic Countermeasures Officers,[3] though it was not uncommon for only two ECMOs to be used on missions. It was capable of carrying and firing anti-radiation missiles (ARMs), such as the AGM-88 HARM.

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Grumman E6B Prowler (BuNo. 159909).

Grumman F-14A Tomcat (BuNo. 159455).  Strike Test Squadron.

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, all-weather-capable variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the collapse of the General Dynamics-Grumman F-111B project. A large and well-equipped fighter, the F-14 was the first of the American Teen Series fighters, which were designed incorporating air combat experience against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War.

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Grumman F-14A Tomcat (BuNo. 161623), 220, C/N 482/PA-4.  Naval Air Warfare Center.

Grumman F-14A Tomcat (BuNo. 162595).

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Gyrodyne QH-50D Dash Drone (Serial No. DS-1679).

Gyrodyne XROE-1 (Serial No. 4022).

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The Navy’s THE-1, constructed by Hiller Helicopters of Palo Alto, California, is a modified version of the standard Hiller production model with specified Navy appointments. It was equipped with “rotormatic” control. The helicopters carriedthree passengers at a gross weight of approximately 2,400 pounds and will develop approximately 178 hp. 22 September 1950.

Hiller H-12 Raven (Serial No.).

The Hiller OH-23 Raven is a two, three, or four-place, military light observation helicopter based on the Hiller Model 360. The Model 360 was designated by the company as the UH-12 ("UH" for United Helicopters),[1] which was first flown in 1948. Initially it was a two-place helicopter powered by a piston engine that entered service in the late 1940s, it went on to be a popular military and civilian light helicopter in the late 20th century.

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Helicopter Light Anti-submarine Squadron 30 (HSL-30) Kaman SH-2F Sea Sprite helicopter preparing to land on the helicopter pad of the destroyer USS Nicholson (DD-982).

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Kaman SH-2G Seasprite Helicopter (BuNo. 161642), C/N 192. 161642, was manufactured as an SH-2F and received by the US Navy in November 1983. It flew with the Naval Air Test Center's Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Directorate until October 1984, and was transferred to the HSL-32 squadron. In October 1991, it was upgraded to the SH-2G, and rejoined the Naval Air Test Center in September 1993. It was retired in September 1997, and had 5,413.6 flight hours and 10,884 landings. It was transferred to the museum in July 1998.

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A U.S. Navy Lockheed C-130T Hercules (BuNo. 165350) of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 55 (VR-55) flies over the Channel Islands off the coast of California (USA) on 17 January 2015.

(AviationPhotographer Photo)

(Lockheed C-130 Hercules nose section. The legacy C/KC-130T Hercules is a medium-sized multi-role, multi-mission transport aircraft supporting U.S. Navy operations world-wide. Naval Reserve C/KC-130T aircraft fulfill the Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift mission to provide the last logistic mile in support operations to forward deployed Naval Forces.

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Two S-3B Viking aircraft assigned to the “Fighting Redtails” of Sea Control Squadron Two One (VS-21), return to the conventionally powered aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) after completion of a mission in support of routine Carrier Strike Group (CSG) operations near the island of Okinawa, August 2004.

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An S-3B Viking attached to Sea Control Squadron 21 (VS-21) conducts routine flight operations from aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), 8 March 2001.

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Lockheed S-3B Viking (BuNo. 159770), C/N 394A-3099. 159770 was transferred to the Naval Air Test Center in October 1976, and to the Operational Test Squadron VX-1 in October 2003. It was transferred to the museum in January 2005. It has 4,285.7 flight hours, 187 catapult launches, 341 arrested landings, and 5,922 landings.

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The X-35 Joint Strike Fighter demontrator conducting flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base, California, c20018. The Lockheed Martin X-35 is a concept demonstrator aircraft (CDA) developed by Lockheed Martin for the Joint Strike Fighter program. The X-35 was declared the winner over the competing Boeing X-32 and a developed, armed version went on to enter production in the early 21st century as the F-35 Lightning II.

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X-35, Joint Strike Fighter from Lockheed Martin nearing completion of flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base, California in 2001.

(Carl Lindberg Photo)

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Lockheed-Martin X-35C JSF Carrier Demonstrator, 300.

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A U.S. Navy Ling-Temco-Vought A-7E-5-CV Corsair II (BuNo 156863) of Attack Squadron 146 (VA-146) "Blue Diamonds" in flight on 16 November 1974. VA-146 assigned to Attack Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CVA-64) for a deployment to the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean from 21 June to 23 December 1974.

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LTV A-7A Corsair II (BuNo. 152658), 658, C/N A-015. 152658, was received by the Navy in September 1966. It was used for carrier suitability tests on the USS America. In 1969, it was the first A-7 with the TF41 engine, which was used on all future A-7s. It was flown for 2,579 hours and was retired in October 1978, and was brought to the museum in 1979.

(Bill Larkins Photo)

Martin SP-5B/P5M-2 Marlin (BuNo. 155355), parts.

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Four U.S. Marine Corps Douglas A-4M Skyhawk of Marine Attack Squadron 214 (VMA-214) "Black Sheep" in flight, c1970s.

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McDonnell Douglas NA-4M Skyhawk (BuNo. 155049), SD-300, C/N 13865. The A-4M Skyhawk prototype on display at Patuxent River Naval Air Museum. It was converted from the A-4F BuNo 155049. However, note the tail number "4059". A Skyhawk BuNo 154069 or 164069 did not exist.

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Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk aircraft (BuNo 153685) from Fleet Composite Squadron 1 (VC-1) as it is piloted by CDR Davis, the squadron's executive officer. Oahu, Hawaii, 10 August 1976.

McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk (BuNo. 158106).

(D. Miller Photo)

McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II hovering. Airventure 2005.

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McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II (BuNo. 161396), C/N 512001/001.  On loan to the NMMC.

McDonnell AV-8B Harrier (BuNo. 161398), C/N 512001), 001.  This aircraft was previously on display at Indian Head.

McDonnell F-4B Phantom II (BuNo. 153070), cockpit.

(USN Photo)

A U.S. Navy McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II (BuNo 155895) of Fighter Squadron 96 (VF-96) "Fighting Falcons" in flight over the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CVA-64). VF-96 was assigned to Attack Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9) aboard the Constellation between 1971 and 1974. The aircraft is fully armed with AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles, indicating that this photo was probably taken during a deployment to Vietnam.

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McDonnell F-4J Phantom II (BuNo. 153071), SD-100, C/N 1488. 53071, was received by the Naval Air Test Center in February 1967 and was used to test the Automatic Carrier Landing System. It was retired in October 1986, and had 4,256.1 flight hours, 447 catapult launches, 533 arrested landings, and 8,655 total landings. It was brought to the museum in March 1987.

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An F/A-18A Hornet assigned to the “Warhawks” of Strike Fighter Squadron Nine Seven (VFA-97) fly over the Western Pacific Ocean during flight operations, 26 October 2003.

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Two U.S. Navy Reserve McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet aircraft of Strike Fighter Squadron 303 (VFA-303) over Southern California, 1989.

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McDonnell Douglas NF/A-18A Hornet (BuNo. 161353), SD-120, C/N 0021/A017. 161353, was received by the Navy in June 1981, and was first a part of the VFA-125 training squadron. It was transferred to the Naval Air Test Center's Strike Aircraft Test Directorate in March 1986. It was flown as a Blue Angels jet from March 1990 to September 1991, and retired it August 1993. It was transferred to the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum in September 1996.

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Four pilots from the United States Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration team fly in a tight formation during the Chicago Air and Water show. 15 August 2015.

(AviationPhotographer Photo)

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet (BuNo. 161367).  Naval Air Systems Command HQ.

(USN Photo)

110930-N-JQ696-401 PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (Sept. 30, 2011) An MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) successfully completes the first unmanned biofuel flight at Webster Field. The aircraft flew with a combination of JP-5 aviation fuel and plant-based non-food source camellia. Fire Scout is the seventh and final aircraft to demonstrate the versatility of biofuel through its use in all facets of naval aviation.

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Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout. The MQ-8 Fire Scout is an unmanned autonomous helicopter developed by Northrop Grumman for use by the United States Armed Forces. The Fire Scout is designed to provide reconnaissance, situational awareness, aerial fire support and precision targeting support for ground, air and sea forces. The initial RQ-8A version was based on the Schweizer 330, while the enhanced MQ-8B was derived from the Schweizer 333. The larger MQ-8C Fire Scout variant is based on the Bell 407. In February 2018, 23 MQ-8Bs were in service with the U.S. Navy. The MQ-8B was retired from service in October 2022. (Wikipedia)

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A U.S. Navy North American A3J-1 Vigilante in flight in 1958. The Vigilante made its first flight on 31 August 1958. The A3J-1 was redesignated A-5A in 1962.

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North American A-5A Vigilante (BuNo. 146697), C/N 247-6.  Early version located near the main gate.

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A U.S. Navy North American RA-5C Vigilante (BuNo 156640) of Reconnaissance Heavy Attack Squadron 3 (RVAH-3) "Sea Dragons" in flight on 1 June 1976.

North American RA-5C Vigilante (BuNo. 156643), 643, C/N 316-36.  Last Vigilante built.

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North American Rockwell NT-39D Sabreliner (BuNo. 150987), C/N 285-19, USN.  150097 was modified in 1977 with an F-18 nose radome and the entire APG-65 radar suite plus crew stations for testing and training. The aircraft served in that role until its retirement on 14 July 1989.

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The North American T-2 Buckeye (BuNo. 159722). The Buckeye was the United States Navy's intermediate training aircraft, intended to introduce U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps student naval aviators and student naval flight officers to jets. It entered service in 1959, beginning the replacement process of the Lockheed T2V SeaStar, and was itself replaced by the McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk in 2008.

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North American T-2C Buckeye (BuNo. 158320).

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A T-38A Talon, assigned to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, takes off for a training flight from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, 3 August 2005.

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Northrop T-38 Talon, marked as an aircraft in the US Naval Test Pilot School. The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Northrop Corporation. It was the world's first supersonic trainer as well as the most produced.

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A Sikorsky H-3H Sea King (BuNo 154101) hovers over the water to recover Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians climbing a ladder to the aircraft on 17 March 1997. Team members from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobil Unit 2 and helicopter crews from Fleet Composite Squadron 8 (VC-8) were practicing insertion and recovery operations off the coast of the U.S. Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.

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Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King (BuNo. 148038).

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A rainbow is formed in the mist rising from the ocean as a Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 (HM-15) MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter conducts mine countermeasures operations near Naval Air Station, Alameda, California, 1 September 1990.

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Sikorsky NCH-53A Sea Stallion (BuNo.151686), C/N 65-003.

Taylor E-2B Cub (Serial No.).

Historic Photos  of the Naval Air Test Center at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

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Goodyear F2G-1D Corsair (BuNo. 88454) of the Naval Air Test Center at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, in 1947. 88454 was retired on 31 May 1948 and is today on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.

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Martin Mauler AM-1 Mauler (BuNo. 22308) of Naval Air Test Center (NATC) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland (USA), in flight, circa late 1940s.

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Kaiser-Fleetwings XBTK-1 (BuNo. 44313), first production aircraft at the Naval Aviation Training Command (NATC), Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, 8 August 1945.

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Douglas BTD-1 Destroyer at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, circa 1945.

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North American T-28C Trojan (BuNo. 138187) assigned to Naval Air Test Center (NATC) Patuxent River, Maryland (USA), after landing on the aircraft carrier USS Tarawa (CVA-40), in 1955. This aircraft had been built as a standard T-28B without arrester hook, but was obviously fitted with a hook, probably as a prototype for the arrester hook-equipped T-28C. BuNo 138187 was one of two Prototypes that were built as "C" models and was not converted, it was produced at NAA Ingleside Calf plant and flown to NATC for trials

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Grumman F7F-2D Tigercat (BuNo. 80340) drone control aircraft at the Naval Air Test Center Patuxent River, Maryland, 16 September 1948.

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Grumman F9F-2 Panther (BuNo. 122569), the tenth production aircraft being tested in the late 1940s at the U.S. Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland.

(NMNA Photo)

Grumman F9F-3 Panther (BuNo. 122562) operated by the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland (USA).  This aircraft was fitted with an experimental electro-hydraulically driven Emerson Aero X17A roll-traverse turret housing four 12.7 mm machine guns, in 1950. The idea was that the aircraft could destroy enemy bombers while avoiding the fire of the tail gunner.  The guns could be directed at any angle from directly forward to 20 degrees aft, and the gun mount could roll 360 degrees.  The roll rate was 100 degrees per second, and the guns could be traversed at up to 200 degrees per second. Unfortunately, the volume required for the fire control system avionics, and the sheer weight of the turret, made it impractical for single-seat fighters and the program was cancelled in early 1954.

(USN Photo)

Vought F6U-1 Pirate (BuNo. 122481) from the Naval Air Test Center at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, 1 Jan 1949.

(NMNA Photo)

Douglas XF3D-1 Skyknight (BuNo. 121458), assigned to the Naval Air Test Center at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, for evaluation in 1949.

(NMNA Photo)

Douglas F4D-1 Skyray (BuNo. 130746) of the U.S. Navy Naval Air Test Center taking off after having been catapulted by the stationary steam catapult at the NATC at Patuxent River, Maryland, in 1956.

(NMNA Photo)

McDonnell F3H-1N Demon (BuNo. 133489), first production aircraft, 1955.  The F3H-1 was ordered before it s first flight to counter the Soviet MiG-15 . However, only 58 aircraft were built and most never flew, because the Westinghouse J40 engine. The aircraft was seriously underpowered and the J40 was prone to inflight explosions and sudden failures.  All F3H-1Ns were permanently grounded in July 1955 and the surviving airframes were either used as ground trainers or scrapped. 133489 first flew on 24 December 1953 and was used for service evaluation at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland, in 1954.

(NMNA Photo)

General Dynamics/Grumman F-111B (BuNo. 151974).  This aircraft was used for limited carrier suitability tests aboard the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) in July 1968.  It was the only F-111B to perform carrier operations after completing arrestor proving tests at the Naval Air Test Center Patuxent River, Maryland, in February 1968.  It crash landed at NAS Point Mugu, California (USA), on 11 October 1968 and was subsequently scrapped.

(Navy Camera Operator Roy K. Heitman, USN Photo)

Schweizer X-26 Frigate sailplane, Patuxent River Naval Air Test Center, Maryland, 13 May 1984.

(Don S. Montgomer, USB (Ret) Photos)

Convair UC-880, US Navy, assigned to the Patuxent River Naval Air Test Center and used in the development of new refueling techniques for the F/A-18 Hornet aircraft, 16 May 1987.

(NMNA Photo)

Douglas KA-3B Skywarrior (BuNo. 138925) from the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland, refueling the first McDonnell Douglas YF-18A Hornet (BuNo. 160775), in April 1979.  A McDonnell F-4J-30-MC Phantom II (BuNo. 153812) chase plane is flying in the foreground.

(Joe Hegedus, USN Photo)

Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to the “Salty Dogs” of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (VX-23), conducting a flight test mission just off the coast of Maryland.  VX-23, based out of Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, supports the research, development and test and evaluation of fixed wing tactical aircraft and currently flies all versions of the F/A-18 Hornet, EA-6B Prowler and the T-45 Goshawk.

(Maj. Cody Allee, U.S. Marine Corps Photo)

Rockwell-Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm X-31 returns from a test flight for the VECTOR (Vectoring Extremely Short Takeoff and Landing Control Tailless Operation Research) program at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland on 14 Nov 2002.  The X-31 aircraft The X-31 uses thrust vectoring – controlling the direction of its engine exhaust with paddle-like vanes – to maintain control at high angles of attack and reduced speeds, well below the typical landing speed for an aircraft of its type.

(Andy Wolfe, USN Photo)

An Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) F-35A Lightning II aircraft made aviation history as it completed the very first F-35 trans-Atlantic Ocean crossing, arriving at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, from Cameri Air Base, Italy, on 5 Feb 2016.  F-35A aircraft AL-1, the first international jet fully built overseas at the Cameri Final Assembly & Check-Out (FACO) facility at Cameri Air Base, Italy, is also the first F-35 assembled outside of the U.S. to land on U.S. soil

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