Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 335:
Description
U.S. Navy BUWEP Jacket, Winter Flying Suit (J-WFS), Size 40 Long, MIL-S-18342B (WEP), by Aviators Equipment Corp. under contract DSA-1-1122-63-C, bearing the embroidered chest insignia of the U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Unit, Cape Canaveral, Florida. This is an original Vietnam War-era U.S. Navy winter flying jacket, known to collectors as the "WEP" jacket for the Bureau of Naval Weapons (BUWEP) designation stitched into its size label. The jacket offered here retains a bright and securely stitched embroidered chest patch for the U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU), its blue field, gold border, and anchor-and-missile device instantly identifying an assignment to this specialized Cape Canaveral command. No separate published biography accompanies the jacket; its story is carried entirely in the contract markings, size label, and unit patch, which together anchor it firmly to a specific command and period. Established in the 1950s at Cape Canaveral, the Naval Ordnance Test Unit supported the Navy’s fleet ballistic missile program, providing range, tracking, and logistical support as the Polaris system and its successors, Poseidon and Trident, moved from design into operational testing aboard fleet ballistic missile submarines. Naval aviation personnel attached to NOTU flew support, tracking, and range-safety missions tied to these launches, and the sage-olive nylon J-WFS jacket – engineered with a deliberately short waist to interface with high-rise anti-exposure flight trousers – was standard cold-weather flight gear for aircrew of this era, seeing wide service with Navy and Marine Corps aviators through the Vietnam War years even as its use extended well beyond that theater into stateside test and range commands like NOTU. The jacket is constructed of sage/olive nylon twill with a bi-swing pleated action back for freedom of movement, a smooth-running Conmar zipper fitted with its original woven pull tape, and ribbed knit collar and cuffs that remain supple and largely free of moth damage. Two large button-flap chest cargo pockets dominate the front, with a slim pencil/utility pocket set into the left sleeve; the interior retains its button attachment tabs for connection to matching flight trousers, along with an elasticized fabric waistband. The black woven size label at the neck is crisp and fully legible, reading BUWEP – U.S. NAVY, JACKET, WINTER FLYING SUIT, SIZE 40 LONG, SPEC. MIL-S-18342B (WEP), AVIATORS EQUIPMENT CORP., DSA-1-1122-63-C. The NOTU patch, worked in blue, gold, orange, black, and cream thread, remains vivid and securely stitched to the left chest. Condition is very good for a vintage flight garment of this type. The nylon shell shows light overall surface wrinkling with minor scattered scuffs, along with a few faint dark spots on the upper back that do not significantly detract from display. The lower interior hem shows slight seam pulling near the elastic waistband, and the lining is otherwise clean throughout. The zipper action, pull tape, and knit trim remain fully functional with only minimal wear consistent with age and storage. A scarce and highly displayable example of Vietnam-era naval flight gear, its Cape Canaveral ordnance test unit patch tying it directly to the Navy’s Cold War ballistic missile testing program.
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