Naval Weapons Evaluation Facility

The United States Army Air Corps began using Kirtland Field south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the early years of World War II.

Several units from the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory were relocated to the Sandia Base in 1945 to use the Kirtland Field flight test facilities.

This detachment was headed by CDR Thomas Walker who had been working at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory as the prospective commander of the 4th atomic bomb mission which was cancelled following the surrender of Japan.

In 1952 this detachment was designated the Naval Air Special Weapons Facility (NASWF) to conduct special weapons tests on the White Sands Missile Range and Tonopah Test Range in coordination with the United States Atomic Energy Commission.

The Mk 101 Lulu was also tested for NATO allies with the Canadair CP-107 Argus, Avro Shackleton, and Hawker Siddeley Nimrod.