Innovation Lab Turns Ideas Into Warfighter Solutions in Days, Not Months

Contractors quoted Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division mechanical engineer Vincent Malpaya $2,500 per unit to manufacture a switch matrix for rocket testing, and he needed 10 of them.

Instead of waiting months and paying tens of thousands of dollars, he built the part himself in the warfare center's Innovation Lab at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, for 20 cents per unit. The savings helped keep the project on track and supported the fleet's test schedule.

For Malpaya and many others, solving problems fast is part of the job. The lab gives them the tools and space to do it.

"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 lab strengthens readiness across the command. Employees can design, build and test ideas sooner, which helps deliver capability to the warfighter faster.

The warfare center operates two innovation labs, one at China Lake, and one at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California. Both sites offer the same equipment and training, and employees can use either location. Shared access reduces wait times and helps teams working across both installations keep projects moving without delay.

Fast Solutions for Real Problems

For some projects, speed is the only way to meet the mission.

In an approach called rapid prototyping, the Innovation Lab uses 3D printers, laser cutters and computer numerical control machines to help teams build prototypes in days instead of months.

"We're just trying to cut down a lot of lead time," said Kevin Hughes, the Innovation Lab manager at Point Mugu.

His team needed to mount new equipment on a KC-130 Hercules refueling aircraft to support 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 time. Instead, Hines and his coworker, Sam Newcomer, used the lab to 3D scan the equipment, design a mounting plate and cut a prototype from plywood. When the patterns did not line up, they made corrections 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.

Building Skills That Support the Mission

From saving thousands of dollars on test equipment to solving problems on tight schedules, the Innovation Lab helps the warfare center deliver capabilities at the speed of relevance.

For Malpaya, the lab has already made a measurable impact. He can now print a gimbal mount for a weapons system he is supporting.

Hughes said the lab represents what he values most about working in defense.

"I'm doing something for the service, for the warfighter," Hughes said, adding that faster solutions mean test events stay on track and capability reaches the fleet sooner.