Naval Air Station Patuxent River

Naval Air Station Patuxent River
Trapnell Field
St. Mary’s County, Maryland in the United States
A US Navy P-8A Poseidon flies with a P-3C Orion, prior to landing at NAS Patuxent River, 2010.
NAS Patuxent River is located in Maryland
NAS Patuxent River
NAS Patuxent River
Location in Maryland
NAS Patuxent River is located in the United States
NAS Patuxent River
NAS Patuxent River
NAS Patuxent River (the United States)
Coordinates38°17′10″N 76°24′42″W / 38.28611°N 76.41167°W / 38.28611; -76.41167
TypeNaval Air Station
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defense
OperatorUS Navy
Controlled byNaval District Washington
ConditionOperational
WebsiteOfficial website
Site history
Built1942 – 1943
In use1943 (1943) – present
Garrison information
Current
commander
Captain John Brabazon
GarrisonNaval Test Wing Atlantic
Airfield information
IdentifiersIATA: NHK, ICAO: KNHK, FAA LID: NHK, WMO: 72404[citation needed]
Elevation11.8 metres (39 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
6/24 3,596.3 metres (11,799 ft) asphalt
14/32 2,966.3 metres (9,732 ft) asphalt
2/20 1,530.4 metres (5,021 ft) asphalt
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Naval Air Station Patuxent River (IATA: NHK, ICAO: KNHK, FAA LID: NHK), also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station located in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River.

It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, the Atlantic Test Range, Patuxent River Naval Air Museum, and serves as a center for test and evaluation and systems acquisition relating to naval aviation. The station also operates a small outlying field, NOLF Webster.

Commissioned on April 1, 1943, on land largely acquired through eminent domain, the air station grew rapidly in response to World War II and continued to evolve through the Cold War to the present.