Air Development Squadron 8 (VX-8) & Oceanographic Development Squadron 8 (VXN-8) PROJECT MAGNET

Established as Oceanographic Airborne Survey Unit (OASU) on 1 Jul 1965. Redesignated Air Development Squadron EIGHT (VX-8) on 1 Jul 1967; Oceanographic Development Squadron EIGHT (VXN-8) on 1 Jan 1969. Disestablished on 1 Oct 1993.

PROJECT MAGNET was the USN's long-running program of atmospheric and magnetic field research.

From 1951-1993, under its Project Magnet program, continuously collected vector aeromagnetic survey data to support the U.S. Geospatial-Intelligence Mapping Agency (formerly NIMA) world magnetic modeling and charting program, to include low altitude, high density individual track line surveys, high altitude vector data and regional magnetic anomaly grids.

Initially, missions were flown by P2V Neptune of Airborne Early Warning Training Unit (AEWTULANT), followed by R5D Skymaster and, in 1958, WV-2 Warning Star aircraft, which belonged to Fleet Aircraft Service Squadron 102 (FASRON-102) at NAS Norfolk, VA.

The specially configured “Super Connies” designed specifically for Project Magnet had a Vector Airborne Magnetometer (VAM) to measure the direction and intensity of the earth's magnetic field and an Airborne Neutron Monitor to provide continuous recordings of cosmic ray intensity. In 1962 the specially configured WV-2 were redesignated NC-121K. In 1972-73, the NC-121Ks were replaced by one specially built RP-3D Orion aircraft.

The Project Magnet mission ended in late 1993 with the closure of VXN-8.