Naval Air Facility El Centro was established in its present location in 1942 when it was commissioned as a Marine Corps Air Station. Since then the naval base at El Centro had several names: Naval Air Facility, Naval Auxiliary Landing Field, Naval Air Station, and the National Parachute Test Range. Although its name and activities have varied over the years, it has been in continuous use since World War II.

    For the first 35 years, the Navy in El Centro devoted much of its time toward aeronautical escape system testing, evaluation, and design. Today, NAF El Centro, provides realistic training to aviation units and activities of the Navy's operating and training forces. Aviation squadrons visit NAF El Centro to practice gunnery, bombing, carrier landings and air combat. The facility has two operating runways. The 9,500-foot east/west runway handles 96% of the traffic. It is equipped with a Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System at each approach end as well as lighted carrier deck landing areas at both ends so pilots can simulate ship landings. Apart from "touch and go" landings and take-offs, aircrews utilize the many ranges at NAF El Centro to develop their skills. A remotely controlled target area allows naval aviators 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 imaging to a range master control building.

    NAF El Centro also is the winter home of the Navy's elite Blue Angels precision flying team. NAF El Centro is located about nine miles west of the city of El Centro, CA.

    The Squadron Duty Officer (SDO) is the squadron contact point, who communicates with former squadron members about squadron information, sea stories, squadron pictures, scuttlebutt, and gathers information about squadron buddies. Please contact the Squadron SDO as listed on this link. Sharing your stories, photos etc. is essential to the success of the Skyhawk Association and we invite you to JOIN with us in preserving the Skyhawk legacy.

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Heritage:

• November 1947, the Parachute Experimental Division from Lakehurst, New Jersey moved to El Centro.
• 1951, the Joint Parachute Facility was established and consisted of the Naval Parachute Unit and the Air Force 6511th Test Group (Parachute). The Air Force remained part of El Centro's test organization for the next 27 years.
• 1959, an ejection seat designed for pilot escape from a high-speed jet at altitudes fewer than 1,000 feet was successfully tested here. That group also tested the parachute system that the Mercury Space Program used for the first U.S. manned satellites, and later for the Apollo re-entry system.
• 1964, the US Naval Aerospace Recovery Facility was designated.
• July 1, 1973, USNARF was combined with the Naval Air Facility to form the National Parachute Test Range.
• July 1, 1979, the parachute test function was transferred to Naval Weapons Center China Lake and El Centro again became a Naval Air Facility.

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Commanders:

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Photograph Albums:

• NAF El Centro Photograph Album
  
• NAF El Centro Off-Duty Album

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