Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division
A U.S. Navy command that develops, tests, acquires, manages, and supports aviation, surface, and undersea training systems.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, commonly known as NAWCTSD, is a United States Navy Echelon IV command headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It reports to the Commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, or NAWCAD, which is part of Naval Air Systems Command, commonly called NAVAIR. The command is located at Naval Support Activity Orlando in the Central Florida Research Park, near the University of Central Florida. NAWCTSD is the Navy’s principal organization for the research, development, test and evaluation, acquisition, life-cycle program management, and product support of training systems. Its portfolio covers aviation, surface, and undersea warfare training for the U.S. Navy, as well as aviation training systems for the U.S. Marine Corps. The division also works with other military services and federal organizations when training technologies or operational platforms overlap. Examples of this interservice role include support associated with the Air Force CV-22B Osprey and the Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk. The organization’s work encompasses synthetic training devices, simulators, instructional systems, modeling and simulation technologies, and related training programs. These systems are intended to prepare personnel for operational duties while reducing the cost, risk, and logistical burden of conducting every activity with live equipment. The command’s responsibilities extend beyond the delivery of individual devices: it also supports requirements definition, systems engineering, developmental and operational testing, procurement, fielding, modernization, sustainment, and eventual retirement of training capabilities. NAWCTSD traces its institutional lineage to the Navy’s Special Devices Desk, established in 1941 under Commander Luis de Florez. During the Second World War, the organization developed synthetic training devices that used motion pictures for aircraft-gunnery instruction, supported precision-bombing training, and produced terrain-modeling tools for operational planning. After the war, the activity became the Special Devices Center and subsequently passed through several organizational names and structures, including the Naval Training Device Center, Naval Training Equipment Center, and Naval Training Systems Center. The center moved from Long Island to the Orlando area during the 1960s. It later relocated from the former Naval Training Center Orlando to its present facility near the University of Central Florida in 1988. On October 1, 1993, the Naval Training Systems Center became the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division. Although briefly designated the Naval Air Systems Command Training Systems Division in 2003, it subsequently returned to the NAWCTSD name. The command is closely associated with the wider modeling, simulation, and training community in Central Florida. Nearby partnership facilities host organizations from the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Department of Homeland Security, and other public institutions. The physical installation is also notable for its dual command arrangement: the NAWCTSD commanding officer is concurrently the commanding officer of Naval Support Activity Orlando. In the NAWCTSD role, the officer reports through NAWCAD and NAVAIR; in the installation role, the officer reports through Navy installation authorities. NAWCTSD is an institutional and government organization rather than a consumer-facing commercial brand. Its public identity is based on technical authority, mission support, interoperability, and long-term stewardship of military training capabilities. The division remains active as part of NAVAIR and continues to support programs that reach beyond naval aviation through cooperation with other Department of Defense and non-Defense organizations.
History
NAWCTSD’s institutional history begins in April 1941, when Commander Luis de Florez became responsible for a new Special Devices Desk within the Engineering Division of the Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics. De Florez promoted the use of synthetic training devices as a way to improve readiness and supplement live instruction. In June 1941, the desk was expanded into the Special Devices Section. During the Second World War, the section created a range of instructional technologies. These included motion-picture-based devices for aircraft-gunnery training, equipment intended to support precision-bombing instruction, and terrain-modeling kits that helped operational planners reproduce geographic conditions in the field. The activity expanded into the Special Devices Division and, in August 1946, was formally commissioned as the Special Devices Center at Port Washington on Long Island, New York. The organization was subsequently reorganized and renamed several times as the Navy’s training-technology mission developed. In 1956, it became the Naval Training Device Center. During the middle of the 1960s, the center moved from Long Island to Orlando, Florida, operating initially as a tenant activity at the former Orlando Air Force Base. That installation later became Naval Training Center Orlando in 1968. The relocation placed the Navy’s training-systems organization in a region that would become a major center for defense modeling, simulation, and training activity. In 1985, the organization, then known as the Naval Training Equipment Center, was renamed the Naval Training Systems Center. In 1988, it moved from Naval Training Center Orlando to a new facility approximately 15 miles east of the former location and near the University of Central Florida. The main building complex was named for Luis de Florez, reflecting his role in establishing the organization’s early synthetic-training mission. On October 1, 1993, the Naval Training Systems Center became the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division. The change placed the organization within the Naval Air Warfare Center and aligned it with the Navy’s broader aviation-systems acquisition structure. In 2003, the command was temporarily referred to as the Naval Air Systems Command Training Systems Division, or NAVAIR-TSD, before reverting to the NAWCTSD designation. The surrounding installation also changed status. Naval Training Center Orlando closed in 1999 following a Base Realignment and Closure decision. In 2005, the land and principal facilities occupied by the training-systems command were designated Naval Support Activity Orlando. The installation is a relatively small active-duty Navy shore facility, while nearby partnership buildings and adjacent facilities greatly expand the regional military modeling, simulation, and training community. Organizations associated with this wider community have included Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, and veterans-health activities, as well as research and educational partners connected with the University of Central Florida. NAWCTSD’s current mission extends across the complete life cycle of training capabilities. The command conducts or manages research and development, testing and evaluation, acquisition, program management, modernization, and product support for aviation, surface, and undersea training systems. Its primary customers are the Navy and Marine Corps, but it also provides interservice coordination and support when common platforms, technologies, or training requirements create opportunities for cooperation. The command has a dual relationship with Naval Support Activity Orlando. Its commanding officer is also the installation’s commanding officer. In the NAWCTSD command role, the officer operates within the NAVAIR and NAWCAD chain of command. In the installation role, the officer is responsible for installation matters through the Navy’s shore-establishment command structure. This arrangement links the technical mission of the training-systems division with the stewardship of the Orlando naval facility.
- 2005
Naval Support Activity Orlando designated
[1]The physical facility and property hosting NAWCTSD were designated as Naval Support Activity Orlando, creating the installation structure that remains associated with the command.
- 2003
Temporary NAVAIR-TSD designation
[1]The command was briefly referred to as the Naval Air Systems Command Training Systems Division before returning to the NAWCTSD name.
- 1999
Naval Training Center Orlando closed
[1]The former Naval Training Center Orlando closed pursuant to a Base Realignment and Closure decision, leaving the newer Orlando facility as the command’s principal home.
- 1993
NAWCTSD established
[1]On October 1, the Naval Training Systems Center became the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division.
- 1988
Moved to its present Orlando-area facility
[1]The center moved from Naval Training Center Orlando to its current site near the University of Central Florida. The main complex was named for Luis de Florez.
- 1985
Renamed Naval Training Systems Center
[1]The organization then known as the Naval Training Equipment Center became the Naval Training Systems Center.
- 1960
Relocation to Orlando area begins
[1]Over a three-year period in the mid-1960s, the center moved from Long Island to the Orlando area and operated at the former Orlando Air Force Base.
- 1956
Renamed Naval Training Device Center
[1]The center adopted the Naval Training Device Center name as its mission became more directly associated with Navy training equipment.
- 1946
Special Devices Center commissioned
[1]After wartime growth, the organization was commissioned as the Special Devices Center at Port Washington, Long Island, New York.
- 1941
Special Devices Desk established
[1]The Navy created the Special Devices Desk within the Bureau of Aeronautics Engineering Division, with Commander Luis de Florez leading the effort to develop synthetic training devices.
Products and positioning
A U.S. government technical and acquisition center specializing in military modeling, simulation, training-system development, testing, procurement, and life-cycle support.
Military training systems
Aviation training systems
NAWCTSD develops, tests, acquires, and supports aviation training systems for the U.S. Navy and aviation training systems for the U.S. Marine Corps. The portfolio includes systems and devices used to prepare aircrews and aviation personnel for operational duties, as well as related instructional and support capabilities.
Simulation and training equipment
Synthetic training devices
Synthetic training devices are a central part of the organization’s historical and continuing mission. They reproduce selected operational conditions through mechanical, visual, computational, or other means so that personnel can practice procedures and decision-making without relying exclusively on live aircraft, ships, submarines, or weapons systems.
Modeling and simulation
Modeling and simulation systems
The division supports modeling and simulation capabilities used for military instruction, operational preparation, systems evaluation, and interoperability. Its work is connected to the broader Central Florida defense modeling, simulation, and training ecosystem and can involve cooperation across military services and federal agencies.
Naval training systems
Surface and undersea training systems
In addition to aviation, NAWCTSD manages training technologies for surface and undersea naval missions. These capabilities form part of the Navy’s broader training-system portfolio and are supported through requirements development, testing, acquisition, modernization, and life-cycle product support.
Brand decisions
2005
Establishment of Naval Support Activity OrlandoStrategyBackground
Following the closure of the former Naval Training Center Orlando, the Navy formalized the status of the remaining Orlando facility.
Action taken
The land and principal buildings hosting NAWCTSD were designated Naval Support Activity Orlando.
Aftermath
The designation created a distinct Navy shore installation and supported continued concentration of defense modeling, simulation, and training organizations in the Orlando area.
2003
Temporary change to NAVAIR-TSD designationStrategyBackground
The command’s organizational identity was briefly adjusted to emphasize its relationship with Naval Air Systems Command.
Action taken
The division was temporarily called the Naval Air Systems Command Training Systems Division, or NAVAIR-TSD.
Aftermath
The command later reverted to the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division name.
1993
Reorganization as a Naval Air Warfare Center divisionStrategyBackground
The Navy reorganized its training-systems center as part of the Naval Air Warfare Center structure.
Action taken
On October 1, 1993, the Naval Training Systems Center was redesignated the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division.
Aftermath
The redesignation aligned the command with the Navy’s aviation-systems acquisition and engineering organization while preserving a mission covering broader naval and interservice training needs.
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