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Naval Air Facility El Centro

Naval Air Facility El Centro
Summary
Airport type Naval Air Facility
Operator United States Navy
Location Imperial County, near El Centro, California
Built May 1, 1946
In use Active
Commander CDR Erik Franzen
Elevation AMSL -42 ft / -13 m
Coordinates 32°49′45″N 115°40′18″W / 32.82917°N 115.67167°W / 32.82917; -115.67167Coordinates: 32°49′45″N 115°40′18″W / 32.82917°N 115.67167°W / 32.82917; -115.67167
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
8/26 9,503 2,897 PEM
12/30 6,824 2,080 PEM

Naval Air Facility El Centro or NAF El Centro (IATA: NJKICAO: KNJKFAA LID: NJK) is a military airport located six miles (10 km) northwest of El Centro, in Imperial County, California.

The facility was commissioned on May 1, 1946, as a Naval Air Station. Prior to that, the base was a Marine Corps Air Station. Through the years, Navy El Centro has had several names: Naval Air Facility, Naval Auxiliary Landing Field, Naval Air Station, and the National Parachute Test Range.

For the first 35 years, the mission of NAF El Centro was devoted to aeronautical escape system testing, evaluation, and design. In November 1947, the Parachute Experimental Division from Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey moved to El Centro. In 1951, the Joint Parachute Facility was established and consisted of the Naval Parachute Unit and the U.S. Air Force's 6511th Test Group (Parachute). The Air Force remained part of El Centro’s test organization for the next 27 years.

The facility has two operating runways. The 9,503-foot (2,897 m) east/west runway handles 96 percent of the traffic. It is equipped with a Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System (FLOLS) at each approach end as well as lighted carrier flight deck landing areas at both ends so pilots can simulate carrier landings.

Apart from "touch and go" landings and take-offs, aircrews use the many ranges at NAF El Centro to develop their skills. A remote-controlled target area allows naval aviators and naval flight officers to practice ordnance delivery. The desert range is used for air-to-ground bombing, rocket firing, strafing, dummy drops and mobile land target training. The target complex uses the Weapons Impact Scoring System that microwaves target images to a range master control building for immediate verification of weapons delivery accuracy.


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