The Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) is one of two military training areas at the
Nellis Air Force Base Complex
The Nellis Air Force Base Complex (Nellis AFB complex, NAFB Complex) is the southern Nevada military region of federal facilities and lands, e.g., currently and formerly used for military and associated testing and training such as Atomic Ener ...
in
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
and used by the
United States Air Force Warfare Center
The United States Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, reports directly to Air Combat Command. The center was founded on September 1, 1966, as the U.S. Air Force Tactical Fighter Weapons Center. It was renamed ...
at
Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloq.) is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in " Military ...
. The NTTR land area includes a "simulated Integrated Air Defense System", several individual ranges with 1200 targets, and 4 remote communication sites. The current NTTR area and the range's former areas have been used for aerial gunnery and bombing, for
nuclear tests
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons' effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected by ...
, as a proving ground and flight test area, for aircraft control and warning, and for Blue Flag, Green Flag, and
Red Flag exercise
Exercise Red Flag (also Red Flag – Nellis) is a two-week advanced aerial combat training exercise held several times a year by the United States Air Force. It aims to offer realistic air-combat training for military pilots and other flight ...
s.
Geography
The Nevada Test and Training Range land area is mostly
Central Basin and Range ecoregion
The Great Basin Desert is part of the Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Range. The desert is a geographical region that largely overlaps the Great Basin shrub steppe defined by the World Wildlife Fund, and the Central Basin a ...
(
cf.
The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that ''cf.'' be used onl ...
southernmost portion in the
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...
), and smaller ecoregions (e.g.,
Tonopah Basin
The Great Basin Desert is part of the Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Range. The desert is a geographical region that largely overlaps the Great Basin shrub steppe defined by the World Wildlife Fund, and the Central Basin a ...
, Tonopah Playa, & Bald Mountain biomes) are within the area of numerous
basin and range
Basin and range topography is characterized by alternating parallel mountain ranges and valleys. It is a result of crustal extension due to mantle upwelling, gravitational collapse, crustal thickening, or relaxation of confining stresses. The e ...
landforms of the NTTR.
Landforms
The NTTR is at the serpentine section of the
Great Basin Divide
The Great Basin Divide in the western United States is the ridgeline that separates the Great Basin from the Pacific Ocean watershed, which completely surrounds it.
The Great Basin is the largest set of contiguous endorheic watersheds of Nor ...
in southern Nevada and uses numerous landforms for military operations, e.g.,
Groom Lake
Area 51 is the common name of a highly classified United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range. A remote detachment administered by Edwards Air Force Base, the facility is officially called Homey Airport ...
near the northeast NTTR border is the airstrip for
Area 51
Area 51 is the common name of a highly classified United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range. A remote detachment administered by Edwards Air Force Base, the facility is officially called Homey Airport ...
, the 1955 Site II west of the lake's WWII field.
Tolicha Peak Tolicha Peak is a summit in the U.S. state of Nevada. The elevation is .
Tolicha is a name derived from the Yokutsan languages
Yokuts, formerly known as Mariposa, is an endangered language spoken in the interior of Northern and Central Califo ...
and
Point Bravo
Point or points may refer to:
Places
* Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland
* Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States
* Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
* Poin ...
are the sites of for electronic combat ranges, and the
Mercury Valley
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Mercury ...
is the eponym for a
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
camp that became
Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
, Nevada. The
Tonopah Test Range
The Tonopah Test Range (TTR, also designated as Area 52) is a highly classified, restricted military installation of the United States Department of Defense, and United States Department of Energy ( nuclear stockpile stewardship) located about ...
, within the boundaries of the NTTR (e.g., "Nellis Range 75"
) includes
Antelope Lake, Radar Hill, and the "Cactus, Antelope, and
Silverbow Springs".
Northern Range
The ''Northern Range'' includes the
Tolicha Peak Electronic Combat Range (TPECR, e.g., Range 76 targets 76–03, -05, -11, & -14)
[ (form is depicted in the 2006 ''Developing Cultural Resources Data Management Tools'' presentation)] and
Tonopah Electronic Combat Range Tonopah may refer to:
* Tonopah, Arizona, a community
* Tonopah, Nevada, a community and eponym of the Boston-Tonopah Mining Company and Tonopah Club
** Tonopah Airport Committee, a community group for acquiring a 1940s airstrip
** Tonopah Times- ...
(the
Wildhorse Management Area encircled by the Northern Range is not part of the NTTR.)
Eastman Airfield Target
The Eastman Airfield Target (Target 76–14, Korean Airfield, ) is a Range 76 target northwest of the TPECR. The target has a northeastern taxiway loop, characteristic for the former
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
base at
Jüterbog Airfield in
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
, and three ramps in front of hangars on the western side of the loop. The other taxiways have a similar layout to Jüterbog, although the runway is about shorter. There are two accompanying
SAM sites, one northwest of the airfield, and one northwest just like the original.
Southern Range
The Southern Range includes the
Point Bravo Electronic Combat Range. An area of about of the Southern Range that was withdrawn from the
Desert National Wildlife Range
The Desert National Wildlife Refuge is a protected wildlife refuge, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located north of Las Vegas, Nevada, in northwestern Clark and southwestern Lincoln counties, with much of its land area lying w ...
is co-managed by the USAF and the
USFWS
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
.
Nearby facilities
In addition to
Nellis AFB
Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloq.) is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in " Military Oper ...
, areas outside of the current NTTR land area are used for related activities, e.g., about of the former military range land (relinquished 1942, e.g. ranges 46–56, and ) is under the Nellis "Area A" airspace that is a
Military Operations Area (MOA). The
Formerly Used Defense Site
Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS or FDS) are properties that were owned by, leased to, or otherwise possessed by the United States and under the jurisdiction of the United States Secretary of Defense. The term also refers to the U.S. military pro ...
north and northeast of the NTTR with "
Stone Cabin,
Hot Creek,
Railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
,
Tikaboo, and
Sand Spring valleys" is a "former portion of the Tonopah Bombing Range", includes "Permit Required Confined space", and prohibits vehicles in "suspected ordnance impact area
(e.g., "green markings" indicate chemical agents). Most areas adjacent to the NTTR are managed by the
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...
for limited non-residential use such as grazing. Temporary sites, e.g., for
Patriot
A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism.
Patriot may also refer to:
Political and military groups United States
* Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution
* Patriot m ...
Communications Exercises (about "21 days per exercise"), are in the "
ADA
Ada may refer to:
Places
Africa
* Ada Foah, a town in Ghana
* Ada (Ghana parliament constituency)
* Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria
Asia
* Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, Tur ...
activity area" east of the NTTR with 13 empty "500 feet by 500 feet" sites for mobile electronic equipment on BLM land in the "
Sand Springs Valley
A List of landforms of the Nellis & Wildlife 5 Ranges region.
The following ranges are:
* Desert National Wildlife Range
* National Wildhorse Management Area
* Air Force Test Flight Center – (Area 51 – Groom Lake, Nevada)
* Nellis Ai ...
,
Coal Valley,
Delamar Valley Delamar Valley is one of the central Nevada desert basins and the southern portion of the Dry Lake Watershed, including a low point on the serpentine section of the Great Basin Divide
The Great Basin Divide in the western United States is th ...
, and
Dry Lake Valley
Dry Lake Valley is a Basin and Range
Basin and range topography is characterized by alternating parallel mountain ranges and valleys. It is a result of crustal extension due to mantle upwelling, gravitational collapse, crustal thickening, or ...
" ("general area" of the Key Pittman
WMA) and "under MOA airspace".
History
"
Tertiary age" lava flows formed 5 erupted groups in the area, and block faulting such as the
Siebert and Mizpah faults formed the ranges and valleys.
Precambrian
The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...
and
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon.
The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838
by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...
marine sediments form an "almost uniform thickness of 40,000 feet", and surface geology is "typically the
Cenozoic Era
The Cenozoic ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configura ...
continental deposits and some
Paleogene
The Paleogene ( ; British English, also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period, geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million yea ...
volcanic rocks". Located at the southern tip of the
Great Basin tribes
The Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin are Native Americans of the northern Great Basin, Snake River Plain, and upper Colorado River basin. The "Great Basin" is a cultural classification of indigenous peoples of the Americas and a cultural re ...
area, the eventual range area was crossed by the
Old Spanish Trail (trade route)
The Old Spanish Trail ( es, Viejo Sendero Español) is a historical trade route that connected the northern New Mexico settlements of (or near) Santa Fe, New Mexico with those of Los Angeles, California and southern California. Approximately lon ...
, was south of the
Pony Express
The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...
route, and was split by the
37th parallel north
The 37th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 37 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Africa, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean.
At this latitude the Su ...
of the
1850 New Mexico &
1863 Arizona territories' northwest corner. In the 1930s the land had been used as an
Animal Sanctuary
An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. Pattrice Jones, co-founder of VINE Sanctuary defines an animal sanctuary as "a safe-enough place or relationship within the cont ...
where the
Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...
made it a wildlife reservation. However, in 1942 during World War II the region restricted it from public access for the War Department to use. The original bombing range had been used for the
1900–1921 silver rush (e.g.,
Tonopah Mining District
Silver mining in Nevada, a state of the United States, began in 1858 with the discovery of the Comstock Lode, the first major silver-mining district in the United States. Nevada calls itself the "Silver State." Nevada is the nation's second-larges ...
[ U.S. Geological Survey "Professional Paper No. 42" maps included are Plate III (mining claim map, pp. 28–9) & Plate XVI (geologic map with streets and buildings on pp. 116–7).] & Tonopah
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
Stage Route), and the region was subdivided into smaller numbered management areas (e.g.,
Area 2,
Area 5,
Area 11,
Area 12,
Area 25,
Area 27,
Area 52), which are used for names of some of the range installations (e.g., "Area 3 Compound" and "
Area 51
Area 51 is the common name of a highly classified United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range. A remote detachment administered by Edwards Air Force Base, the facility is officially called Homey Airport ...
" for "Groom Lake Field").
Tonopah Bombing Range
The
Tonopah Bombing Range was designated on federal land "withdrawn ... October 29, 1940, from the public domain" and in June 1941, the "Tonopah Gunnery and Bombing Range" was split at "37 degrees and 30 minutes" latitude into the "Tonopah General Range" and "Las Vegas General Range". On October 28, 1941, "United States v. 1,855,720 Acres of land ..." (US Fifth District) was initiated to
seize private land, and in July 1942 the
Fourth Air Force
The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California.
4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Reser ...
Bombing and Gunnery Range Detachment from "
Muroc Lake" arrived as the 1st unit. Several
Nevada World War II Army Airfields were established, e.g., the August 1942
Tonopah Army Air Field Tonopah may refer to:
* Tonopah, Arizona, a community
* Tonopah, Nevada, a community and eponym of the Boston-Tonopah Mining Company and Tonopah Club
** Tonopah Airport Committee, a community group for acquiring a 1940s airstrip
** Tonopah Times- ...
in the north area and in the south,
Indian Springs Auxiliary Army Airfield and its additional fields, e.g., at
Area 18 (
Aux. Field#4) and
Area 51
Area 51 is the common name of a highly classified United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range. A remote detachment administered by Edwards Air Force Base, the facility is officially called Homey Airport ...
(
Aux. Field#1). In February 1943, Indian Springs AAF was being used for the
82d Flying Training Wing
The 82d Training Wing, sometimes written as 82nd Training Wing, (82 TRW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command, Second Air Force. It is stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas where it is also t ...
for air-to-air gunnery training, and Indian Springs AAF closed in January 1947. In June 1947 Tonopah AAF was declared excess along with its 3 auxiliary areas (
Mizpah and
Butler
A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
housing terraces an
Columbia Junctiongasoline unloading station). The Indian Springs main facility re-opened in January 1948 and on June 13, 1949, Air Training Command merged the Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range and the Tonopah Bombing and Gunnery Range. On June 28, 1949, the "Gunnery Range of the
Tonopah Air Force Base
Tonopah Air Force Base (Tonopah Army Air Field in World War II) is a Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) in the USA that was a Tonopah Basin military installation until shortly after it was designated an Air Force Base in 1948. Two of the runways ...
" had about and after the 1949
Las Vegas Air Force Base was renamed on April 30, 1950, an
Atomic Energy Commission committee selected the for a nuclear test site on December 12, 1950. The land was ideal for training aerial gunners because the land was far from people and contained dry lake beds, which worked perfectly for target practices.
Nellis Air Force Gunnery and Bombing Range
A 680-square mile section of the Nellis Air Force Gunnery and Bombing Range was designated the
Nevada Proving Grounds
The Nevada National Security Site (N2S2 or NNSS), known as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a United States Department of Energy (DOE) reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the ...
(NPG) on December 18, 1950. The new NPG included "
Yucca
''Yucca'' is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flo ...
and
Frenchman Flat
Frenchman Flat is a hydrographic basin in the Nevada National Security Site south of Yucca Flat and north of Mercury, Nevada. The flat was used as an American nuclear test site and has a dry lake bed (Frenchman Lake) that was used as a 1950s ...
s,
Paiute
Paiute (; also Piute) refers to three non-contiguous groups of indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. Although their languages are related within the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, these three groups do not form a single set. The term "Pai ...
and
Rainier Mesa
Rainier Mesa is one of four major nuclear test regions within the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). It occupies approximately along the northern edge of the NNSS and corresponds to Area 12.
The Rainier Mesa area consists of both Rainier Mesa ...
s". The
presidential order also established Groom Lake Field (
colloq. "The Pig Farm") at the WWII installation. The first NPG nuclear test was for
Operation Ranger
Operation Ranger was the fourth American nuclear test series. It was conducted in 1951 and was the first series to be carried out at the Nevada Test Site.
All the bombs were dropped by B-50D bombers and exploded in the open air over Frenchma ...
on January 27, 1951, and the Indian Springs main facility (renamed an Air Force Base in 1951) supported NPG testing after
ARDC The abbreviation ARDC may refer to:
*Air Research and Development Command, later renamed the Air Force Systems Command
* Amateur Radio Digital Communications, a mode using IP addresses beginning with 44.x
*American Racing Drivers Club, a midget car ...
General Order No. 39 on July 16, 1952. The NPG
Camp Desert Rock
Desert Rock was the code name of a series of exercises conducted by the US military in conjunction with atmospheric nuclear tests. They were carried out at the Nevada Proving Grounds between 1951 and 1957.
Their purpose was to train troops and g ...
"military support facility" (now the private
Desert Rock Airport
Desert Rock Airport is a private-use airport located three miles (5 km) southwest of the central business district of Mercury, in Nye County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located on the Nevada Test Site and is owned by the United Sta ...
) operated September 1951-October 7, 1957 (electricity was from AEC's
Camp Mercury) and closed June 18, 1964. In 1955 on the southwest corner of Groom Lake, a survey team laid out the 5,000-foot (1,500 m) north–south "Site II" runway for
Project AQUATONE
A project is any undertaking, carried out individually or collaboratively and possibly involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular goal.
An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of even ...
. The 1st
Lockheed U-2
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "''Dragon Lady''", is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day ...
(Article 341) left the
Skunk Works
Skunk Works is an official pseudonym for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (ADP), formerly called Lockheed Advanced Development Projects. It is responsible for a number of aircraft designs, beginning with the Lockheed P-38 Lightn ...
in a
C-124
The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shaky", is an American heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California.
The C-124 was the primary heavy-lift transport for United States Air Force (USAF ...
cargo plane for the AQUATONE site in July 1955 and first flew on July 29 during a runway test. The
Tonopah Test Range
The Tonopah Test Range (TTR, also designated as Area 52) is a highly classified, restricted military installation of the United States Department of Defense, and United States Department of Energy ( nuclear stockpile stewardship) located about ...
(TTR) land was withdrawn from public use in 1956 to replace nuclear test sites at the "
Salton Sea Test Base" and the
Yucca Flat
Yucca Flat is a closed desert drainage basin, one of four major nuclear test regions within the Nevada Test Site (NTS), and is divided into nine test sections: Areas 1 through 4 and 6 through 10. Yucca Flat is located at the eastern edge of NTS, ...
site, and in 1957
Sandia Laboratories
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), also known as Sandia, is one of three research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Headquartered in Kirtland Air Force Bas ...
began TTR operations at
Cactus Flat.
From 1956 to 1969–70, the
Las Vegas Air Force Station
Las Vegas Air Force Station (ADC ID: SM-163, NORAD ID: Z-163) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located west-northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. It was closed by the Air Force in 1969 and turned over t ...
and
Tonopah Air Force Station
Tonopah Air Force Station (ADC ID: SM-164, NORAD ID: Z-164) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located south of Tonopah, Nevada. It was closed in 1970.
History
Tonopah Air Force Station was initia ...
s provided
Reno Air Defense Sector
The Reno Air Defense Sector (ReADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 28th Air Division, being stationed at Stead Air Force Base, Nevada.
History
ReADS was established in February 1959 assumi ...
radar tracks and in 1957, the "instrumented AEC range at Tonopah" was used by
NAS Fallon
Naval Air Station Fallon or NAS Fallon is the United States Navy's premier air-to-air and air-to-ground training facility. It is located southeast of the city of Fallon, east of Reno in western Nevada. Since 1996, it has been home to the U.S. Na ...
and
Point Mugu
Point Mugu (, Chumash: ''Muwu'') is a cape or promontory within Point Mugu State Park on the Pacific Coast in Ventura County, near the city of Port Hueneme and the city of Oxnard. The name is believed to be derived from the Chumash Indian term ...
pilots. "A safety experiment (
Project 57
Project 57 was an open-air nuclear test conducted by the United States at the Nellis Air Force Range in 1957, following Operation Redwing, and preceding Operation Plumbbob. The test area, also known as Area 13, was a by block of land a ...
No. 1) with ground zero coordinates of N 932646, E 688515 was detonated on April 24, 1957" in "Area 13"
at the northeast NTTR boundary. In 1958, the
Tonopah Test Range Airport
Tonopah Test Range Airport , at the Tonopah Test Range (Senior Trend project site PS-66) is southeast of Tonopah, Nevada and northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a major airfield with a runway, instrument approach facilities, and nighttime i ...
was planned with a single runway of . In 1960, Camp Mercury was a base camp for
Project 5.5
A project is any undertaking, carried out individually or collaboratively and possibly involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular goal.
An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of even ...
that studied nuclear detonation effect on the
Northrop F-89D Scorpion
The Northrop F-89 Scorpion was an American all-weather, twin-engined interceptor aircraft built during the 1950s, the first jet-powered aircraft designed for that role from the outset to enter service. Though its straight wings limited its pe ...
(a similar
Project 6.5 was for effect of nuclear detonations on the
Nike Hercules
The Nike Hercules, initially designated SAM-A-25 and later MIM-14, was a surface-to-air missile (SAM) used by U.S. and NATO armed forces for medium- and high-altitude long-range air defense. It was normally armed with the W31 nuclear warhead, bu ...
missile system). A 1961
Public Land Order transferred USAF land to the AEC, and after the 1962
RBS Express
RBS Express railroad trains were 3 mobile United States Air Force radar stations for 1CEVG Radar Bomb Scoring (RBS) of Strategic Air Command bomber crews beginning in March 1961. Electronic equipment included the "MSQ-39, TLQ-11, MPS-9, and the ...
#2 near the
Hawthorne Naval Ammunition Depot
Hawthorne Army Depot (HWAD) is a U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command ammunition storage depot located near the town of Hawthorne, Nevada, Hawthorne in western Nevada in the United States. It is directly south of Walker Lake (Nevada), Walker Lake. ...
was used for
Radar Bomb Scoring
Radar Bomb Scoring is a combat aviation ground support operation used to evaluate Cold War aircrews' effectiveness with simulated unguided bomb drops near radar stations of the United States Navy, the USAF Strategic Air Command, and Army Project ...
of flights over the range, the
Hawthorne Bomb Plot radar station operated in
Babbitt
Babbitt may refer to:
Fiction
*Babbitt (novel), ''Babbitt'' (novel), a 1922 novel by Sinclair Lewis
**Babbitt (1924 film), ''Babbitt'' (1924 film), a 1924 silent film based on the novel
**Babbitt (1934 film), ''Babbitt'' (1934 film), a 1934 film ...
until .
Operation Roller Coaster
Operation Roller Coaster was a series of four nuclear tests conducted jointly by the United States and the United Kingdom in 1963, at the Nevada Test Site. The tests did not involve the detonation of any nuclear weapons. Instead, their purpose ...
was a TTR nuclear test series in May and June 1963 and in November and December 1965,
B-52
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
Combat Skyspot
Combat Skyspot was the ground-directed bombing (GDB) operation of the Vietnam War by the United States Air Force using Bomb Directing Centrals and by the United States Marine Corps using Course Directing Centrals (" MSQ-77 and TPQ-10 ground ra ...
testing at the range used the only CONUS
AN/MSQ-77 developed for the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. Planning to integrate the range with the
Fallon and
Hill/Wendover/Dugway ranges to create the
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...
's "
Continental Operations Range
Continental may refer to:
Places
* Continent, the major landmasses of Earth
* Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US
* Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US
Arts and entertainment
* ''Continental'' (al ...
" ended in 1975, the 1st year for a Nellis range
Red Flag exercise
Exercise Red Flag (also Red Flag – Nellis) is a two-week advanced aerial combat training exercise held several times a year by the United States Air Force. It aims to offer realistic air-combat training for military pilots and other flight ...
.
Nellis Air Force Range
The Nellis Air Force Range (NAFR) was used to bury wreckage of the
1978 Groom Lake & 1979 NAFR Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a retired American single-seat, twin-engine stealth attack aircraft developed by Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works division and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). It was the first operational air ...
crashes, and additional
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
accidents at the range included the
1975 NAFR TR-1 crash, the
1979 Tonopah MiG-17 crash during training versus an
Northrop F-5
The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models, the original F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter variants and t ...
, the
1984 Little Skull Mountain MiG-23 crash, which killed a USAF general, and the 1986 NAFR crash, which "Air Force sources" identified as an "
F-19
F-19 is the designation for a hypothetical US fighter aircraft that has never been officially acknowledged, and has engendered much speculation that it might refer to a type of aircraft whose existence is still classified.
History
Since the uni ...
" stealth fighter. Circa 1980, NAFR received
806L "Range Threat" systems for
electronic warfare
Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...
simulation and from 1983 to 1985, the area of
South Antelope Lake was used for two
Tomahawk missile
The Tomahawk () Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship and submarine-based land-attack operations.
Under contract fr ...
targets. NAFR range operations transferred to the
99th Range Group
The 99th Range Group is an inactive United States Air Force (USAF) unit. It was last stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada, where it was responsible for the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR).
1945 RBS unit
After the Colorado Springs Tent Camp ga ...
at the end of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
(the range received various
Radar Bomb Scoring
Radar Bomb Scoring is a combat aviation ground support operation used to evaluate Cold War aircrews' effectiveness with simulated unguided bomb drops near radar stations of the United States Navy, the USAF Strategic Air Command, and Army Project ...
electronic systems from
Strategic Training Ranges, e.g., Nellis had 5 AN/MSQ-77s by 1994). In 1999 the range's land withdrawal was renewed and the unused portion of the original Tonopah Bombing Range was redesignated a
Formerly Used Defense Site
Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS or FDS) are properties that were owned by, leased to, or otherwise possessed by the United States and under the jurisdiction of the United States Secretary of Defense. The term also refers to the U.S. military pro ...
.
In 2001, NAFR was renamed the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) and in October 2001, the range group personnel and assets for range operations transferred to the 98th Range Wing. In 2005, Indian Springs AFAF was renamed
Creech Air Force Base
Creech Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) command and control facility in Clark County, Nevada used "to engage in daily Overseas Contingency Operations …of remotely piloted aircraft systems which fly missions across the globe." ...
and in 2010, the NTS was renamed the
Nevada National Security Site
The Nevada National Security Site (N2S2 or NNSS), known as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a United States Department of Energy (DOE) reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the ...
. The NTTR had four tracts in the
2010 U.S. Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
. In 2011, the 98th Range Wing was redesignated with the same name as the range (NTTR).
Area 51 Facebook Raid
In June 2019, a joke
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
event was created rallying the public to storm the training range on September 20 that year, saying "Let's see them aliens". Over two million people responded as "going" to the event, with another 1.5 million "interested". The county commission chairman estimated that approximately 40,000 people would turn up on 20 September.
On July 10, speaking with ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews said officials were aware of the event, and issued a warning saying that the area was "an open training range for the U.S. Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces", adding: "The U.S. Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets".
A public information officer at
Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloq.) is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in " Military ...
told
KNPR
KNPR (88.9 FM, "News 88.9") is a non-commercial radio station located in Las Vegas, Nevada. KNPR airs news/talk programming syndicated by National Public Radio (NPR). KNPR broadcasts in HD.
History
KNPR signed on for the first time on Marc ...
that "any attempt to illegally access the area is highly discouraged".
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://www.nellis.af.mil/Units/NTTR/
Installations of the United States Air Force in Nevada
Proving grounds
Formerly Used Defense Sites in Nevada
History of Nye County, Nevada
Military installations established in 1940
1940 establishments in Nevada