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 Location in Maryland Show map of Maryland NAS Patuxent River NAS Patuxent River (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates	38°17′10″N 76°24′42″W / 38.28611°N 76.41167°W / 38.28611; -76.41167
Type	Naval Air Station
Site information
Owner	Department of Defense
Operator	US Navy
Controlled by	Naval District Washington
Condition	Operational
Website	Official website
Site history
Built	1942 – 1943
In use	1943 (1943) – present
Garrison information
Current commander	Captain John Brabazon
Garrison	Naval Test Wing Atlantic
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: NHK, ICAO: KNHK, FAA LID: NHK, WMO: 72404[citation needed]
Elevation	11.8 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.