China Lake is one of the nation’s premier weapons laboratories. Established in 1943, it supports naval aviation and warfighter requirements and will continue to arm the fleet into the future. It conceived and developed rockets during World War II, non-nuclear components for the first atomic bomb, the Sidewinder, Shrike, and Walleye missiles, and the Polaris concept. China Lake developed NOTSNIK in 1958 and vital components for the Mars Lander in 2004. A world leader in aircraft weapons integration, testing, and electronic warfare, it developed 75% of the air-launched weapons used during Vietnam and jointly developed 80% of those used during Iraqi Freedom.