South Airfield Military Construction Projects (MILCON), NAWS China Lake
Ridgecrest, California
Government/public building
Sent by: ECC
Region: ENR West
Owner: Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest
Main design company: (Hangars) Giuliani Associates Architects
Main design company: (Auxiliary Buildings) Steinberg Hart
General contractor: ECC
Civil Engineer: Urban engineers
Structural Engineer: Crosby Group; hangars
MEP Engineer: Master Engineers
Architect: Giuliani Associate Architects
Main subcontractor: Hensel Phelps
In the remote expanse of California’s western Mojave Desert, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake plays a central role in the US Navy’s weapons research, development and testing. A series of earthquakes in 2019 damaged key facilities and disrupted critical national defense operations. Restoring the base required a comprehensive reconstruction effort designed to modernize infrastructure, strengthen resilience, and restore full operational readiness.
The $855.6 million Southern Airfield Military Construction Recovery Program achieved this goal through a large-scale, multi-facility design-build contract, led by ECC as prime contractor for the Resident Officer in Charge of Navy Construction.
Image courtesy of the South Airfield China Lake DB QC Team
“This achievement reflects the commitment and collaboration of an integrated team of dedicated professionals from the US Government and ECC, working together to deliver complex mission-critical facilities,” says ECC President and CEO Manjiv Vohra.
Running from March 2021 to March 2025, the program consolidated six projects into a single coordinated initiative delivered on schedule and on a fixed-price budget, despite pandemic-related disruptions, supply chain volatility, and the logistical constraints of building an active military airfield in a remote desert location.
Image courtesy of the South Airfield China Lake DB QC Team
The program delivered Hangar 6, a multi-story, 189,000-square-meter facility that integrates high-level maintenance areas with laboratory and administrative space; the 70,000 square meter Integration Laboratory dedicated to computer research, development, testing and evaluation operations; the 14,550 square meter air operations and air traffic control building; the 59,630 square meter advanced war hangar; and the 17,270 square meter aircraft fire and rescue station housing seven apparatus bays along with living and training quarters.
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