The air station at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu began as an anti-aircraft training site in World War II. It was soon converted to a missile test site, answering a need for a sea test site for Navy ordnance. Starting in the late 1940s NAS Point Mugu became the development and test center for several new missiles, including the AIM-7 Sparrow, AIM-54 Phoenix, and SSM-N-8 Regulus.

In the 1950s, NAS Point Mugu provided airlift support for nearby NSWC Port Hueneme, which supplied the bulk of the Seabee support for the Navy in the Korean War. In the 1960s NAS Point Mugu was the site of the start of the Navy Marine Mammal Program, before its relocation to Point Loma. In the 1980s Point Mugu was the primary air station supporting President Reagan's travel to his California home.

Testing and airlift support continued through the Cold War and into the 1990s, when base realignment led to the combination of NAS Point Mugu with NSWC Port Hueneme and San Nicolas Island, creating Naval Base Ventura County.

In early 2013, the Navy proposed housing four MQ-C4 Triton unmanned aerial vehicles at Point Mugu air station, adding an estimated 700 personnel and an expansion of base facilities.