Naval Air Station Patuxent River
![](/Images/godic/202501/29/NAB_Patuxent_River_Patch4922.jpg")
![A P-3 Orion and P-8 Poseidon overlooking PAX River NAS in 2010](/Images/godic/202501/29/P_8_and_P_3_over_Pax_River4922.jpg")
![A T-2C Buckeye, assigned to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at PAX River, used for training experienced pilots in test pilot methods](/Images/godic/202501/29/T-2C_Buckeye_Pax_River4922.jpg")
![Aerial view of NAS Patuxent River in the mid-1940s](/Images/godic/202501/29/NAS_Patuxent_River_NAN4-484922.jpg")
Naval Air Station Patuxent River (IATA: NHK, ICAO: KNHK, FAALID: NHK), also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station located in St. Mary's County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River.
It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, the Atlantic Test Range, and serves as a center for test and evaluation and systems acquisition relating to naval aviation.