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'''Naval Air Station Patuxent River''' also known as '''NAS Pax River''', is a United States Naval Air Station located in [[Saint Mary's County, Maryland|St. Mary's County]] on [[Chesapeake Bay]] near the mouth of the [[Patuxent River]]. It is home to the [[U.S. Naval Test Pilot School]] and serves a center for test and evaluation and systems acquisition relating to [[Naval Aviation]]. Commissioned on [[1 April]] [[1943]] on land largely acquired through eminent domain, the air station grew rapidly in response to World War II.

The base became a center for testing as several facilities were constructed throughout the [[1950s]] and [[1960s]]; including the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (1958), the [[Weapons Systems Test Division]] (1960), and the [[Propulsion System Evaluation Facility]].

 {{#display_map: 38.289128, -76.407852|zoom=12}} Since the end of the [[Cold War]], the Navy's [[Base Realignment and Closure]] measures have migrated research and testing facilities for both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft to NAS Patuxent River from decommissioned bases. The complex now hosts over 17,000 people, including active-duty service members, civil-service employees, defense contractor employees, and military dependents.

It was used as a filming location for the [[Harrison Ford]] movie ''[[Random Hearts]]'' (1999). Ford and director [[Sydney Pollack]] both visited Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Ford, a certificated pilot, flew the aircraft himself.

[[ImageFile:NAS Patuxent River NAN4-48.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of NAS Patuxent River in the mid-1940s]]Situated on a peninsula between the Patuxent River and the [[Chesapeake Bay]], NAS Patuxent River is located on {{convert|6400|acre|km2|0}} acres of what was once [[prime farmland]], consisting of several large farms, [[Mattapany]], [[Susquehanna]], and [[Cedar Point, Maryland|Cedar Point]], as well as numerous tenant and sharecropper properties and a few clusters of vacation homes. The [[Cedar Point, Maryland|Cedar Point]] community included several churches, a post office, and a gas station. Some of the old homes now serve as quarters for Navy personnel stationed there.

In 1937, the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics sought to consolidate aviation test programs, previously being conducted at several stations, including [[Dahlgren]] and [[Norfolk, Virginia]], the [[Washington Navy Yard]], and [[Naval Air Station Anacostia]] in [[Washington, D.C]]., and the [[Naval Aircraft Factory]] in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]. [[Cedar Point, Maryland|Cedar Point]] was selected due to its remote location on the coastline, well removed from air traffic congestion, with ample space for weapons testing.

The onset of American involvement in [[World War II]] spurred establishment of the new air station. Rear Admiral [[John Henry Towers]], Chief of Bureau of Aeronautics, requested approval and authorization to begin construction on [[22 December]] [[1941]]. Secretary of the Navy, [[Frank Knox]], gave approval on [[7 January]] [[1942]] and construction began on [[4 April]] [[1942]]. Residents had about a month, until [[1 March]] [[1942]], to relocate as the federal government purchased all the land at a cost of $712,287 for {{convert|6412|acre|km2|0}}acres.

A lack of transportation in [[Saint Mary's County]] led the Navy to revitalize a [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] branchline from [[Brandywine, Maryland|Brandywine]], to [[Mechanicsville, Maryland]] and build an extension south from Mechanicsville to the air station in 1944. Known as the [[U.S. Government Railroad]], the rail line was steam-powered and operated south of Brandywine for exclusive official use until 1954, when it ceased operation. A highway extension to the new air station was required by the project—250,000 tons of material were transported by either truck or water routes during a year of construction.

On [[20 October]] [[1942]], U.S. Marines first arrived and took over security. More than 2,200 workers were arrested during a ten month period as the Marines conducted finger-printing and background checks. Today, the station utilizes the [[Department of Defense Police]] for standard local law enforcement, the [[Naval Criminal Investigative Service]] (NCIS) for high profile criminal investigations, and a contract security force for access control.

During construction, housing needs far outstripped supply, and barracks were built for workers on the station. Later, several housing areas were erected off station for workers and their families in [[Lexington Park, Maryland|Lexington Park]], formerly [[Jarboesville]], named in honor of the [[USS Lexington (CV-2)|USS Lexington]], the Navy's second aircraft carrier, lost during the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]] on [[8 May]] [[1942]].

The station was formally commissioned "U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland" on [[1 April]] [[1943]]. The unofficial name had been ''Cedar Point'' or the ''Naval Air Station at Cedar Point'', but officials were concerned about possible confusion with the [[Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point]], [[North Carolina]], so the new facility was named for the adjacent river.