Naval Air Station Miramar, located north of San Diego in San Diego County, California, served as the Pacific Fleet’s primary fighter aviation base from the 1950s until 1997, when it was transferred to the Marine Corps as MCAS Miramar. During its Navy period, NAS Miramar was home to Fighter (VF) and Fighter-Attack (VFA) squadrons flying F-8 Crusader, F-4 Phantom II, and F-14 Tomcat aircraft, and was the location of the Naval Fighter Weapons School — the Navy’s advanced fighter tactics training program known as “Top Gun.” Military personnel and civilian employees performing aircraft maintenance at NAS Miramar were exposed to asbestos in aircraft components and in older station infrastructure throughout the Cold War era.

Aircraft Component Asbestos at Miramar

Aviation maintenance personnel at NAS Miramar performed organizational and intermediate maintenance on Navy fighter aircraft with asbestos-containing components:

  • Aircraft brake assemblies on F-8 Crusader, F-4 Phantom II, and F-14 Tomcat aircraft used asbestos friction material in brake puck and lining assemblies serviced by Aviation Structural Mechanics (AM/AME) — releasing asbestos dust during brake removal, inspection, and replacement during landing gear maintenance
  • Engine gaskets and high-temperature components in F-8 J57, F-4 J79, and F-14 TF30/F110 engines used asbestos-containing gaskets on high-temperature exhaust and afterburner sections serviced by Aviation Machinist’s Mates (AD)
  • Aircraft firewall materials in F-4 and F-14 engine nacelles incorporated asbestos cloth and board in firewall construction, disturbed during engine removal and replacement operations at Miramar’s maintenance facilities
  • Tailpipe and exhaust system insulation on fighter aircraft afterburner and tailpipe assemblies used asbestos heat shield blankets and cloth in some configurations, serviced during engine and exhaust system maintenance

Older Station Building Infrastructure

NAS Miramar was established as a military facility in the 1940s, and its older hangars and buildings were constructed with materials of the era:

  • WWII and early postwar hangar construction — older Miramar hangars built in the 1940s and 1950s used asbestos-containing overhead fireproofing on structural steel above the hangar bay work areas
  • Building mechanical systems in older Miramar buildings used asbestos-insulated pipe in base heating and utility distribution systems

Top Gun and Fleet Adversary Squadron Personnel

Personnel assigned to the Naval Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) and later VF/VFA adversary squadrons at Miramar performed aircraft maintenance on high-utilization fighter aircraft operating at high flight rates, generating more frequent brake and engine maintenance cycles — and correspondingly more asbestos component maintenance — than typical fleet squadron operations.

VA Claims for NAS Miramar Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at naval air stations. Veterans who served at NAS Miramar in qualifying ratings before the early 1980s asbestos phase-down and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.