Departure
93%
vs 95% ▼ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
China Lake Naws (Armitage Field) Airport, ICAO KNID, is a US Navy airfield within Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the Mojave Desert region of California. It offers exceptionally long, hard-surfaced runways but is a restricted military facility, so civil access for simulator pilots reflects its role as a weapons-testing and research station rather than a general-aviation field. Its combination of huge runways and remote desert setting make it a distinctive destination for those exploring US military aviation in a flight simulator.
Armitage Field is the airfield serving Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake, a US Navy facility in the California desert. It is a working military aerodrome rather than a civil airport, built to support weapons research, development and testing, and it is notable to simulator pilots chiefly for its unusually long runways and its position within a large restricted range complex.
The airfield lies within the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake site in Kern County, California, close to the town of China Lake and the city of Ridgecrest, which sits about two nautical miles to the south-southeast. The field is situated within the R-2508 restricted airspace complex, and traffic in the surrounding area is worked by Joshua Approach/Departure. Because of its position inside this restricted range complex, transient aircraft routing to or from China Lake must coordinate with the R-2508 Complex Control Board before a prior permission request can be obtained.
Armitage Field has three physical runways, all hard-surfaced and lit. Runway 03/21 is the longest, at 9,981 feet. Runway 14/32 measures 8,993 feet. Runway 08/26 has differing lengths in each direction, at 7,525 feet on the 08 threshold and 7,092 feet on the 26 threshold. Field elevation is 2,234 feet.
The published frequencies for KNID are: Air/Departure (A/D) 133.65 MHz, which also serves as the Joshua Approach/Departure and VFR advisory service (AAS) frequency; ATIS on 32.237 MHz; Ground on 36.02 MHz; PMSV on 34.315 MHz (PMSV Metro); and Tower on 120.15 MHz. There is no ILS at the field.
Access is restricted: the airfield is for official civil business only and requires prior permission, which must be arranged through the R-2508 Complex Control Board for scheduling and briefing before a PPR can be issued. Operating hours are restricted and subject to change, and pilots planning to file KNID as an alternate or use it for an emergency diversion are advised to verify current operating hours with base operations beforehand. A noise abatement procedure requires departing traffic to avoid overflying China Lake and the city of Ridgecrest, which lies two nautical miles to the south-southeast.
Ridgecrest, roughly two nautical miles south-southeast of the field, is the key visual landmark noted in relation to noise-sensitive overflight avoidance, and the town of China Lake itself lies close to the field's location.
Armitage Field forms part of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, a US Navy installation established for weapons research, development and testing in the California desert; its long, robust runways reflect this military testing role rather than civil airline or general-aviation use.
The field remains an active US Navy facility supporting Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and is not open for routine civil use. Civil aircraft may only operate there on official business, and prior permission is required, obtained through coordination with the R-2508 Complex Control Board. Given the restricted nature of operations, pilots should treat published operating hours as subject to change.