SKY GUARDIANS 1/72 US NAVY MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F/A-18 HORNET 165210 VX-31 CHINA LAKE (SG722608)

Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake is a large military installation in California that supports the research, testing and evaluation programs of the U.S. Navy. It is part of Navy Region Southwest under Commander, Navy Installations Command, and was originally known as Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS).The installation is located in the Western Mojave Desert region of California, approximately 150 miles (240 km) north of Los Angeles. China Lake is the U.S. Navy’s largest single landholding, representing 85% of the Navy’s land for weapons and armaments research, development, acquisition, testing and evaluation (RDAT&E) use and 38% of the Navy’s land holdings worldwide. In total, its two ranges and main site cover more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km²), an area larger than the state of Rhode Island. As of 2010, at least 95% of that land has been left undeveloped. The roughly $3 billion infrastructure of the installation consists of 2,132 buildings and facilities, 329 miles (529 km) of paved roads, and 1,801 miles (2,898 km) of unpaved roads.

This F/A-18  is one of the various aircraft that have been operated over the years by the USN for a variety of roles. This aircraft carries one of the USN Centennial of Naval Aviation liveries.