Operation Ranger

Series of 1950s US nuclear tests Operation RangerRanger Able, 1 kiloton.InformationCountryUnited StatesTest siteNTS Areas 5, 11, Frenchman FlatPeriod1951Number of tests5Test typefree air dropMax. yield22 kilotonnes of TNT (92 TJ)Test series chronology← Operation SandstoneOperation Greenhouse → 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 of the 4925th Atomic Test Group, exploded in the open air over Frenchman Flat (Area 5). These tests centered on the practicality of developing a second generation of nuclear weapons using smaller amounts of valuable nuclear materials. They were planned under the name Operation Faust. The exact locations of the tests are unknown, as they were all air drops. However, the planned ground zero was set at 36°49′32″N 115°57′54″W / 36.82556°N 115.96500°W / 36.82556; -115.96500 for all except the Fox shot, which was "500 feet [150 m] west and 300 feet [91 m] south" in order to minimize damage to the control point. Footage of the Buster-Jangle Baker test is often mislabeled as belon