JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Lakehurst held a ribbon cutting ceremony on the Lakehurst side of base July 10 to mark the opening of a new facility where engineers can efficiently investigate various Support Equipment issues facing the fleet.
The Support Equipment Engineering Laboratory will serve as a workspace to inspect, reverse engineer, prototype and conduct engineering investigations on various naval aviation SE systems.
The SEEL was developed out of a need engineers had for a facility where they could analyze fleet issues, and reverse engineer and conduct investigations on support equipment without having to travel to ships or other facilities, said Wanda Staton-Riggins, NAWCAD Lakehurst Aircraft Handling Branch head.
Rear Adm. Shane G. Gahagan, NAWCAD commander and assistant commander for Research and Engineering, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), joined Kathleen P. Donnelly, director of the NAVAIR SE and Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Department, for the ribbon cutting during his visit to NAWCAD Lakehurst.
“The addition of the Support Equipment Engineering Lab at Lakehurst will equip our engineers with the tools and space they need in order to investigate a fleet problem and provide a rapid response back to our Sailors and Marines,” said Donnelly. “I thank all those involved in getting the lab up and running, and for continuing our commitment to bringing speed to the fleet.”
The SEEL lab is now fully operational and will continue to expand its capabilities as needed, said Staton-Riggins.