CHINA LAKE, Calif. –
When contractors quoted mechanical engineer Vincent Malpaya $2,500 per unit to manufacture a switch matrix for rocket testing—and he needed 10—he turned to Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division’s Innovation Lab instead. By building the part himself for just 20 cents per unit, he kept the project on schedule and saved tens of thousands of dollars.
For Malpaya and many others, solving problems fast is part of the mission. The Innovation Lab gives them the tools, space and flexibility to do exactly that.
“I’m working on this gimbal,” Malpaya said during a recent visit, shaping his design on a computer screen.
Stories like his highlight how the Innovation Lab strengthens readiness across the command. By enabling employees to design, build and test ideas sooner, the lab helps deliver capability to the warfighter faster.
NAWCWD operates two Innovation Labs, one at China Lake and one at Point Mugu. Both California sites offer identical equipment and training, and employees can use either location. Shared access cuts wait times and keeps cross-installation projects moving without delay.
For some projects, speed is the only way to meet the mission.
Using rapid prototyping tools, such as 3D printers, laser cutters and computer numerical control (CNC) machines, the Innovation Lab helps teams build prototypes in days instead of months.
“We’re just trying to cut down a lot of lead time,” said Kevin Hughes, Innovation Lab manager at Point Mugu.
Drew Hines, an engineer working with Range Support Aircraft, experienced that pressure firsthand. His team needed to mount new equipment on a KC-130 Hercules for a scheduled test event in Australia, but the technical documentation was incomplete. Some dimensions were missing. Others were wrong.
Sending a flawed design to an outside machine shop would have cost thousands of dollars and weeks of delay. Instead, Hines and colleague Sam Newcomer used the lab to 3D scan the equipment, design a mounting plate and cut a prototype from plywood on the CNC machine. When the hole patterns did not line up, they corrected the design for pennies.
“The flexibility to make something new, adjust it, test it, find a mistake, fix it and still support the mission is what justifies having this place,” Hines said.
From saving thousands on test equipment to solving problems under tight deadlines, the Innovation Lab helps NAWCWD deliver capability at the speed of relevance.
For Malpaya, the impact is already measurable; he can now print a gimbal mount for a weapons system he supports.
Hughes said the lab reflects what he values most about working in defense.
“I’m doing something for the service, for the warfighter,” Hughes said, noting faster solutions keep test events on track and get capability to the fleet faster.
From the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California. 