Editing Area 51 (section)

==History==

[[File:NevadaTestRange 4808A.png|thumb|Nevada Test Range topographic chart centered on Groom Lake]]

The origin of the name "Area 51" is unclear. It is believed to be from an [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|Atomic Energy Commission]] (AEC) numbering grid, although Area 51 is not part of this system; it is adjacent to Area 15. Another explanation is that 51 was used because it was unlikely that the AEC would use the number.<ref>{{cite news |last=Strickland |first=Jonathan |title=How Area 51 Works |url=http://science.howstuffworks.com/space/aliens-ufos/area-51.htm#mkcpgn=fb6 |newspaper=How Stuff Work |access-date=16 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821042029/http://science.howstuffworks.com/space/aliens-ufos/area-51.htm#mkcpgn=fb6 |archive-date=21 August 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA), the correct names for the facility are Homey Airport (XTA/KXTA) and Groom Lake,<ref>{{cite web |title=Intelligence Officer's Bookshelf |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol.-55-no.-4/intelligence-officer2019s-bookshelf.html#8 |website=CIA.gov |date=11 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203005622/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol.-55-no.-4/intelligence-officer2019s-bookshelf.html#8 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |access-date=15 July 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="FASOverhead">{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/overhead/groom.htm |title=Overhead: Groom Lake – Area 51 |publisher=Federation of American Scientists |access-date=11 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605064724/http://www.fas.org/irp/overhead/groom.htm |archive-date=5 June 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> though the name "Area 51" was used in a CIA document from the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="cia_oxcart_kadena">{{cite web |author=[[Richard Helms|Helms, Richard]] |title="OXCART reconnaissance of North Vietnam", Memo to the Deputy Secretary of Defense from the office of CIA Director Richard Helms, 15 May 1967 |url=http://www.foia.cia.gov/docs/DOC_0001471747/0001471747_0017.gif |website=FOIA.CIA.gov |date=15 May 1967 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015022815/http://www.foia.cia.gov/docs/DOC_0001471747/0001471747_0017.gif |archive-date=15 October 2012 |access-date=15 July 2019 |url-status=dead}} (the full declassified document is [[:Commons:File:Cia oxcart vietnam memo.pdf|mirrored]] at Wikimedia Commons)</ref> The facility has also been referred to as "Dreamland" and "Paradise Ranch",<ref name="rich_groom_1977_p56">{{cite book |title=Skunk Works: A personal memoir of my years at Lockheed |url=https://archive.org/details/skunkworks00benr |url-access=registration |publisher=Little, Brown |author1=Rich, Ben R |author2=Janos, Leo |author1-link=Ben Rich (engineer) |year=1994 |location=Boston |page=[https://archive.org/details/skunkworks00benr/page/56 56] |isbn=978-0-316-74300-6}}</ref> among other nicknames, with the former also being the [[Approach Control|approach control]] [[Aviation call signs|call sign]] for the surrounding area.<ref>{{Cite book |last=99th Air Base Wing |url=https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/nellisafb/publication/nellisafbi11-250/nellisafbi11-250.pdf |title=Nellis Air Force Base Instruction 11-250 |date=2022-06-17 |publisher=[[United States Air Force]] |location=Las Vegas |page=105 |language=en |author-link=99th Air Base Wing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716225145/https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/nellisafb/publication/nellisafbi11-250/nellisafbi11-250.pdf |archive-date=2022-07-16 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Nevada Test and Training Range |url=https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/nellisafb/publication/afi13-212v1_accsup_nttrsup_add_a/afman13-212v1_nttr_add_a.pdf |title=Air Force Manual 13-212 Volume 1 ACC Supplement NTTR Addendum A |date=2020-07-24 |publisher=[[United States Air Force]] |location=Las Vegas |pages=16 |language=en |author-link=Nevada Test and Training Range (military unit) |access-date=2022-07-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220731113004/https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/nellisafb/publication/afi13-212v1_accsup_nttrsup_add_a/afman13-212v1_nttr_add_a.pdf |archive-date=2022-07-31 |url-status=live}}</ref> The USAF public relations has referred to the facility as "an operating location near Groom Dry Lake". The [[special use airspace]] around the field is referred to as Restricted Area 4808 North (R-4808N).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://skyvector.com/?ll=37.014066054376556,-116.14755298456771&chart=17&zoom=2 |title=Flight Planning / Aeronautical Charts |publisher=SkyVector |access-date=11 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203023814/http://skyvector.com/?ll=37.014066054376556,-116.14755298456771&chart=17&zoom=2 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Lead and silver were discovered in the southern part of the [[Groom Range]] in 1864,<ref name="nevada-bureau">{{cite web |url=http://www.nbmg.unr.edu/dox/r44.pdf |title=Mineral resources of the pahranagat range 30' by 60' quadrangle |publisher=University of Nevada-Reno |first=Joseph |last=Tingley |access-date=15 January 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415145449/http://www.nbmg.unr.edu/dox/r44.pdf |archive-date=15 April 2012}}</ref> and the English company ''Groome Lead Mines Limited'' financed the Conception Mines in the 1870s, giving the district its name (nearby mines included Maria, Willow, and White Lake).<ref name="unr-guide-groom-mining">{{cite web |url=http://knowledgecenter.unr.edu/specoll/mss/99-19.html |title=Groom Mining District Collection 99-19 |publisher=Knowledgecenter.unr.edu |access-date=10 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312051621/http://knowledgecenter.unr.edu/specoll/mss/99-19.html |archive-date=12 March 2013}}</ref> J. B. Osborne and partners acquired the controlling interest in Groom in 1876, and Osborne's son acquired it in the 1890s.<ref name="unr-guide-groom-mining"/> Mining continued until 1918, then resumed after World War II until the early 1950s.<ref name="unr-guide-groom-mining"/>

The airfield on the Groom Lake site began service in 1942 as [[Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field]]<ref name="mueller">{{cite book |url=http://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330255/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-026.pdf |title=Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 |publisher=Center for Air Force History, USAF |author=Mueller, Robert |year=1989 |location=Maxwell AFB, Alabama |isbn=0-912799-53-6 |access-date=23 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220183332/http://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330255/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-026.pdf |archive-date=20 December 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> and consisted of two unpaved 5,000-foot (1,524 m) runways.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airfieldsdatabase.com/WW2/WW2%20R27e%20ID-NH.htm |title=WW2 Military Airfields including Auxiliaries and Support fields |publisher=Airfieldsdatabase.com |access-date=10 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608222535/http://www.airfieldsdatabase.com/WW2/WW2%20R27e%20ID-NH.htm |archive-date=8 June 2012}}</ref>

===U-2 program===

{{Main|Lockheed U-2}}
[[File:Area51WatertownNE.jpg|thumb|"The Ranch" with U-2 flight line]]

The [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) established the Groom Lake test facility in April 1955 for Project AQUATONE: the development of the [[Lockheed U-2]] strategic reconnaissance aircraft. Project director [[Richard M. Bissell Jr.]] understood that the flight test and pilot training programs could not be conducted at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] or Lockheed's Palmdale facility, given the extreme secrecy surrounding the project. He conducted a search for a suitable testing site for the U-2 under the same extreme security as the rest of the project.<ref name="Peebles">{{cite book |title=Dark Eagles, Revised Edition |publisher=Presidio Press |author=Peebles, Curtis |year=1999 |location=Novato, CA |isbn=0-89141-696-X}}</ref>{{rp|25}} He notified Lockheed, who sent an inspection team out to Groom Lake. According to Lockheed's U-2 designer [[Kelly Johnson (engineer)|Kelly Johnson]]:<ref name="Peebles"/> {{rp|26}}
{{blockquote|1=We flew over it and within thirty seconds, you knew that was the place{{nbsp}}[...] it was right by a dry lake. Man alive, we looked at that lake, and we all looked at each other. It was another Edwards, so we wheeled around, landed on that lake, taxied up to one end of it. It was a perfect natural landing field{{nbsp}}[...] as smooth as a billiard table without anything being done to it.}}

The lake bed made an ideal strip for testing aircraft, and the Emigrant Valley's mountain ranges and the NTS perimeter protected the site from visitors; it was about {{cvt|100|mi|km}} north of Las Vegas.<ref name="shadow">{{cite book |title=Shadow Flights: America's Secret Air War Against the Soviet Union |publisher=Presidio Press |author=Peebles, Curtis |year=2000 |location=Novato, CA |pages=[https://archive.org/details/shadowflightsame0000peeb/page/141 141–144] |isbn=978-0-89141-700-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/shadowflightsame0000peeb/page/141}}</ref> The CIA asked the AEC to acquire the land, designated "Area 51" on the map, and to add it to the Nevada Test Site.<ref name="cia1992">{{cite book |url=http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB434/ |title=The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance: The U-2 and OXCART Programs, 1954–1974 |publisher=History Staff, Central Intelligence Agency |author1=Pedlow, Gregory W. |author2=Welzenbach, Donald E. |year=1992 |location=Washington DC |access-date=17 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818070925/http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB434/ |archive-date=18 August 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|56–57}}

Johnson named the area "Paradise Ranch" to encourage workers to move to "the new facility in the middle of nowhere", as the CIA later described it, and the name became shortened to "the Ranch".<ref name="cia1992" />{{rp|57}} On 4{{nbsp}}May 1955, a survey team arrived at Groom Lake and laid out a {{convert|5000|ft|m|adj=on}} north–south runway on the southwest corner of the lakebed and designated a site for a base support facility. The Ranch initially consisted of little more than a few shelters, workshops, and trailer homes in which to house its small team.<ref name="shadow" /> A little over three months later, the base consisted of a single paved runway, three hangars, a control tower, and rudimentary accommodations for test personnel. The base's few amenities included a movie theater and volleyball court. There was also a mess hall, several wells, and fuel storage tanks. CIA, Air Force, and Lockheed personnel began arriving by July 1955. The Ranch received its first U-2 delivery on 24 July 1955 from Burbank on a [[C-124 Globemaster II]] cargo plane, accompanied by Lockheed technicians on a [[Douglas DC-3]].<ref name="shadow" /> Regular Military Air Transport Service flights were set up between Area 51 and Lockheed's offices in [[Burbank, California]]. To preserve secrecy, personnel flew to Nevada on Monday mornings and returned to California on Friday evenings.<ref name="cia1992" />{{rp|72}}

===OXCART program===

{{For|testing of a similar aircraft in December 1964|SR-71 Blackbird}}
[[File:Area 51 - diagram.jpg|thumb|A 1966 [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) diagram of Area 51, found in an untitled, declassified paper, showing the runway overrun for OXCART ([[Lockheed A-12]]) and the turnaround areas ''(CIA / CREST RDP90b00184r000100040001-4)''|alt=]]

Project OXCART was established in August 1959 for "antiradar studies, aerodynamic structural tests, and engineering designs" and all later work on the [[Lockheed A-12]].<ref>{{Cite report |title=The U-2's Intended Successor: Project Oxcart, 1956–1968 |date=October 1994}}</ref> This included testing at Groom Lake, which had inadequate facilities consisting of buildings for only 150 people, a {{convert|5000|ft|abbr=on}} asphalt runway, and limited fuel, hangar, and shop space.<ref name="Peebles" />{{rp|58}} Groom Lake had received the name "Area 51"<ref name="Peebles" />{{rp|59}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/area-51s-existence-acknowledged-by-cia-in-declassified-documents/ |title=Area 51's existence acknowledged by CIA in declassified documents |work=CBS News |date=16 August 2013 |access-date=27 November 2020}}</ref> when A-12 test facility construction began in September 1960, including a new {{convert|8500|ft|abbr=on}} runway to replace the existing runway.<ref>"OSA History, chap. 20, pp. 39–40, 43, 51 ... "OXCART Story" pp. 7–9 (S) (cited by "The U-2's Intended Successor")</ref>

Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Company (REECo) began construction of "Project 51" on 1{{nbsp}}October 1960 with double-shift construction schedules. The contractor upgraded base facilities and built a new {{convert|10000|ft|abbr=on}} runway (14/32) diagonally across the southwest corner of the lakebed. They marked an [[Archimedean spiral]] on the dry lake approximately two miles across so that an A-12 pilot approaching the end of the overrun could abort instead of plunging into the sagebrush. Area 51 pilots called it "The Hook". For crosswind landings, they marked two unpaved airstrips (runways 9/27 and 03/21) on the dry lakebed.<ref name="TheOxcartStory">{{cite web |last=McIninch |first=Thomas P. |title=The Oxcart Story |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol15no1/html/v15i1a01p_0001.htm |website=CIA.gov |date=2 July 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004234639/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol15no1/html/v15i1a01p_0001.htm |archive-date=4 October 2013 |access-date=15 July 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

By August 1961, construction of the essential facilities was complete; three surplus Navy hangars were erected on the base's north side while hangar{{nbsp}}7 was new construction. The original U-2 hangars were converted to maintenance and machine shops. Facilities in the main [[cantonment]] area included workshops and buildings for storage and administration, a commissary, a control tower, a fire station, and housing. The Navy also contributed more than 130 surplus Babbitt duplex housing units for long-term occupancy facilities. Older buildings were repaired, and additional facilities were constructed as necessary. A reservoir pond surrounded by trees served as a recreational area one mile north of the base. Other recreational facilities included a gymnasium, a movie theater, and a baseball diamond.<ref name="TheOxcartStory"/> A permanent aircraft fuel tank farm was constructed by early 1962 for the special [[JP-7]] fuel required by the A-12. Seven tanks were constructed, with a total capacity of 1,320,000 gallons.<ref name="Peebles" />{{rp|58}}
[[File:A-12 Schalk Flight, 1962.jpg|thumb|upright|An A-12 (60-6924) takes off from Groom Lake during one of the first test flights, piloted by Louis Schalk, 26 April 1962.|alt=|left]]

Security was enhanced for the arrival of OXCART and the small mine was closed in the Groom basin. In January 1962, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expanded the restricted airspace in the vicinity of Groom Lake, and the lakebed became the center of a 600-square mile addition to restricted area R-4808N.<ref name="TheOxcartStory"/> The CIA facility received eight USAF [[F-101 Voodoo]]s for training, two [[T-33 Shooting Star]] trainers for proficiency flying, a [[C-130 Hercules]] for cargo transport, a [[Cessna 310|U-3A]] for administrative purposes, a helicopter for search and rescue, and a [[Cessna 180]] for liaison use, and Lockheed provided an [[F-104 Starfighter]] for use as a chase plane.<ref name="TheOxcartStory"/>

The first A-12 test aircraft was covertly trucked from Burbank on 26 February 1962 and arrived at Groom Lake on 28 February.<ref name="Peebles" />{{rp|60}} It made its first flight 26 April 1962 when the base had over 1,000 personnel.<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|60–62}} The closed airspace above Groom Lake was within the [[Nellis Air Force Range]] airspace, and pilots saw the A-12 20 to 30 times.<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|63–64}} Groom was also the site of the first [[Lockheed D-21]] drone test flight on 22 December 1964.<ref name="Peebles" />{{rp|123}} By the end of 1963, nine A-12s were at Area 51, assigned to the CIA-operated "1129th Special Activities Squadron".<ref name="1129CIA">{{cite web |url=http://www.ais.org/~schnars/aero/ol-det.htm |title=U-2 and SR-71 Units, Bases and Detachments |publisher=Ais.org |year=1995 |access-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507021406/http://www.ais.org/~schnars/aero/ol-det.htm |archive-date=7 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===D-21 Tagboard===

{{Main|Lockheed D-21}}
[[File:M21Ship2-cropped.jpg|thumb|The D-21 mounted on the back of the M-21. Note the intake cover on the drone, which was used on early flights.]]

Following the loss of [[Gary Powers]]' [[Lockheed U-2|U-2]] over the Soviet Union, there were several discussions about using the A-12 OXCART as an unpiloted drone aircraft. Although Kelly Johnson had come to support the idea of drone reconnaissance, he opposed the development of an A-12 drone, contending that the aircraft was too large and complex for such a conversion. However, the Air Force agreed to fund the study of a high-speed, high-altitude drone aircraft in October 1962. The Air Force interest seems to have moved the CIA to take action, the project designated "Q-12". By October 1963, the drone's design had been finalized. At the same time, the Q-12 underwent a name change. To separate it from the other A-12-based projects, it was renamed the "D-21". (The "12" was reversed to "21"). "Tagboard" was the project's code name.<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|121}}

The first D-21 was completed in the spring of 1964 by Lockheed. After four more months of checkouts and static tests, the aircraft was shipped to Groom Lake and reassembled. It was to be carried by a two-seat derivative of the A-12, designated the "M-21". When the D-21/M-21 reached the launch point, the first step would be to blow off the D-21's inlet and exhaust covers. With the D-21/M-21 at the correct speed and altitude, the LCO would start the ramjet and the other systems of the D-21. "With the D-21's systems activated and running, and the launch aircraft at the correct point, the M-21 would begin a slight pushover, the LCO would push a final button, and the D-21 would come off the pylon".<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|122}}

Difficulties were addressed throughout 1964 and 1965 at Groom Lake with various technical issues. Captive flights showed unforeseen aerodynamic difficulties. By late January 1966, more than a year after the first captive flight, everything seemed ready. The first D-21 launch was made on 5{{nbsp}}March 1966 with a successful flight, with the D-21 flying 120 miles with limited fuel. A second D-21 flight was successful in April 1966 with the drone flying 1,200 miles, reaching Mach 3.3 and 90,000 feet. An accident on 30 July 1966 with a fully fueled D-21, on a planned checkout flight, suffered from an [[unstart]] of the drone after its separation, causing it to collide with the M-21 launch aircraft. The two crewmen ejected and landed in the ocean 150 miles offshore. One crew member was picked up by a helicopter, but the other, having survived the aircraft breakup and ejection, drowned when sea water entered his pressure suit. Kelly Johnson personally cancelled the entire program, having had serious doubts about its feasibility from the start. A number of D-21s had already been produced, and rather than scrapping the whole effort, Johnson again proposed to the Air Force that they be launched from a [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52H]] bomber.<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|125}}

By late summer of 1967, the modification work to both the D-21 (now designated D-21B) and the B-52Hs was complete. The test program could now resume. The test missions were flown out of Groom Lake, with the actual launches over the Pacific. The first D-21B to be flown was Article 501, the prototype. The first attempt was made on 28 September 1967 and ended in complete failure. As the B-52 was flying toward the launch point, the D-21B fell off the pylon. The B-52H gave a sharp lurch as the drone fell free. The booster fired and was "quite a sight from the ground". The failure was traced to a stripped nut on the forward right attachment point on the pylon. Several more tests were made, none of which met with success. However, the fact is that the resumptions of D-21 tests took place against a changing reconnaissance background. The A-12 had finally been allowed to deploy, and the [[Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird|SR-71]] was soon to replace it. At the same time, new developments in reconnaissance satellite technology were nearing operation. Up to this point, the limited number of satellites available restricted coverage to the Soviet Union. A new generation of reconnaissance satellites could soon cover targets anywhere in the world. The satellites' resolution would be comparable to that of aircraft but without the slightest political risk. Time was running out for the Tagboard.<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|129}}

Several more test flights, including two over China, were made from [[Beale AFB]], California, in 1969 and 1970, to varying degrees of success. On 15 July 1971, Kelly Johnson received a wire canceling the D-21B program. The remaining drones were transferred by a C-5A and placed in dead storage. The tooling used to build the D-21Bs was ordered destroyed. Like the A-12 Oxcart, the D-21B Tagboard drones remained a Black airplane, even in retirement. Their existence was not suspected until August 1976, when the first group was placed in storage at the [[Davis-Monthan AFB]] [[Military Storage and Disposition Center]]. A second group arrived in 1977. They were labeled "GTD-21Bs" (GT stood for ground training).<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|132}}

Davis-Monthan is an open base, with public tours of the storage area at the time, so the odd-looking drones were soon spotted and photos began appearing in magazines. Speculation about the D-21Bs circulated within aviation circles for years, and it was not until 1982 that details of the Tagboard program were released. However, it was not until 1993 that the B-52/D-21B program was made public. That same year, the surviving D-21Bs were released to museums.<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|132–133}}

===Foreign technology evaluation===

{{Main|Tonopah Test Range Airport}}

During the [[Cold War]], one of the missions carried out by the United States was the test and evaluation of captured [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] fighter aircraft. Beginning in the late 1960s, and for several decades, Area 51 played host to an assortment of Soviet-built aircraft.{{cn|date=August 2024}}
[[File:4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron MiG-21 in flight.jpg|thumb|left|[[Have Doughnut|HAVE DOUGHNUT]], a MiG-21F-13 flown by [[United States Navy]] and [[Air Force Systems Command]] during its 1968 exploitation]]

[[Munir Redfa]]{{'}}s defection with a [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21]] from Iraq for Israel's [[Mossad]] in [[Operation Diamond]] led to the [[Have Doughnut|HAVE DOUGHNUT]], [[HAVE DRILL]] and HAVE FERRY programs. The first MiGs flown in the United States were used to evaluate the aircraft in performance, technical, and operational capabilities, pitting the types against U.S. fighters.<ref name="Red Eagles">Steve Davies: "Red Eagles. America's Secret MiGs", Osprey Publishing, 2008</ref>

This was not a new mission, as testing of foreign technology by the USAF began during World War II. After the war, testing of acquired foreign technology was performed by the [[Air Technical Intelligence Center]] (ATIC, which became very influential during the [[Korean War]]), under the direct command of the Air Materiel Control Department. In 1961, ATIC became the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) and was reassigned to [[Air Force Systems Command]]. ATIC personnel were sent anywhere where foreign aircraft could be found. {{cn|date=August 2024}}

The focus of [[Air Force Systems Command]] limited the use of the fighter as a tool with which to train the [[front line]] tactical fighter pilots.<ref name="Red Eagles"/> Air Force Systems Command recruited its pilots from the [[Air Force Flight Test Center]] at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], California, who were usually graduates from various test pilot schools. [[Tactical Air Command]] selected its pilots primarily from the ranks of the [[United States Air Force Weapons School|Weapons School]] graduates.<ref name="Red Eagles"/>

In August 1966, [[Iraqi Air Force]] fighter pilot Captain [[Munir Redfa]] [[List of Cold War pilot defections#Iraq|defected]], flying his [[MiG-21]] to Israel after being ordered to attack Iraqi Kurd villages with napalm. His aircraft was transferred to Groom Lake in late 1967 for study. Israel loaned the MiG-21 to the US Air Force from January 1968 to April 1968.<ref name="jpost/330330">{{cite news |last1=Rosen |first1=Benji |title=Israel loaned Soviet jets to US for testing in 1968 |url=https://www.jpost.com/defense/israel-loaned-soviet-jets-to-us-for-testing-in-1968-330330 |access-date=22 December 2022 |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |date=November 1, 2013}}</ref> In 1968, the US Air Force and Navy jointly formed a project known as [[HAVE DOUGHNUT]] in which Air Force Systems Command, Tactical Air Command, and the U.S. Navy's Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Four (VX-4) flew this acquired Soviet-made aircraft in simulated air combat training.<ref name="Red Eagles"/> As U.S. possession of the Soviet MiG-21 was, itself, secret, it was tested at Groom Lake. A joint Air Force-Navy team was assembled for a series of dogfight tests.<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|219}}
[[File:4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron MiG-17F in flight.jpg|thumb|HAVE FERRY, the second of two [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17|MiG-17F]] "Fresco"s loaned to the United States by Israel in 1969|alt=]]

Comparisons between the F-4 and the MiG-21 indicated that, on the surface, they were evenly matched. The HAVE DOUGHNUT tests showed the skill of the man in the cockpit was what made the difference. When the Navy or Air Force pilots flew the MiG-21, the results were a draw; the F-4 would win some fights, the MiG-21 would win others. There were no clear advantages. The problem was not with the planes, but with the pilots flying them. The pilots would not fly either plane to its limits. One of the Navy pilots was Marland W. "Doc" Townsend, then commander of [[VF-121]], the F-4 training squadron at [[NAS Miramar]]. He was an engineer and a Korean War veteran and had flown almost every Navy aircraft. When he flew against the MiG-21, he would outmaneuver it every time. The Air Force pilots would not go vertical in the MiG-21. The HAVE DOUGHNUT project officer was Tom Cassidy, a pilot with [[VX-4]], the Navy's Air Development Squadron at [[Naval Air Station Point Mugu|Point Mugu]]. He had been watching as Townsend "waxed" the Air Force MiG-21 pilots. Cassidy climbed into the MiG-21 and went up against Townsend's F-4. This time the result was far different. Cassidy was willing to fight in the vertical, flying the plane to the point where it was buffeting, just above the stall. Cassidy was able to get on the F-4's tail. After the flight, they realized the MiG-21 turned better than the F-4 at lower speeds. The key was for the F-4 to keep its speed up. An F-4 had defeated the MiG-21; the weakness of the Soviet plane had been found. Further test flights confirmed what was learned. It was also clear that the MiG-21 was a formidable enemy. United States pilots would have to fly much better than they had been to beat it. This would require a special school to teach advanced air combat techniques.<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|220–221}}

On 12 August 1968, two Syrian air force lieutenants, Walid Adham and Radfan Rifai, took off in a pair of [[MiG-17]]Fs on a training mission. They lost their way and, believing they were over Lebanon, landed at the [[Betzet]] Landing Field in northern Israel. (One version has it that they were led astray by an Arabic-speaking Israeli).<ref name="Peebles"/> Prior to the end of 1968 these MiG-17s were transferred from Israeli stocks and added to the Area 51 test fleet. The aircraft were given USAF designations and fake serial numbers so that they could be identified in DOD standard flight logs. As in the earlier program, a small group of Air Force and Navy pilots conducted mock dogfights with the MiG-17s. Selected instructors from the Navy's Top Gun school at [[NAS Miramar]], California, were chosen to fly against the MiGs for familiarization purposes. Very soon, the MiG-17's shortcomings became clear. It had an extremely simple, even crude, control system that lacked the power-boosted controls of American aircraft. The F-4's twin engines were so powerful it could accelerate out of range of the MiG-17's guns in thirty seconds. It was important for the F-4 to keep its distance from the MiG-17. As long as the F-4 was one and a half miles from the MiG-17, it was outside the reach of the Soviet fighter's guns, but the MiG was within reach of the F-4's missiles.<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|222–225}}

The data from the HAVE DOUGHNUT and HAVE DRILL tests were provided to the newly formed [[United States Navy Fighter Weapons School|Top Gun]] school at [[NAS Miramar]]. By 1970, the HAVE DRILL program was expanded; a few selected fleet F-4 crews were given the chance to fight the MiGs. The most important result of Project HAVE DRILL is that no Navy pilot who flew in the project defeated the MiG-17 Fresco in the first engagement. The HAVE DRILL dogfights were by invitation only. The other pilots based at Nellis Air Force Base were not to know about the U.S.-operated MiGs. To prevent any sightings, the airspace above the Groom Lake range was closed. On aeronautical maps, the exercise area was marked in red ink. The forbidden zone became known as "Red Square".<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|226}}

During the remainder of the [[Vietnam War]], the Navy kill ratio climbed to 8.33 to 1. In contrast, the Air Force rate improved only slightly to 2.83 to 1. The reason for this difference was Top Gun. The Navy had revitalized its air combat training, while the Air Force had stayed stagnant. Most of the Navy MiG kills were by Top Gun graduates.<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|231}}

In May 1973, Project HAVE IDEA was formed, which took over from the older HAVE DOUGHNUT, HAVE FERRY and HAVE DRILL projects, and the project was transferred to the [[Tonopah Test Range Airport]]. At Tonopah, testing of foreign technology aircraft continued and expanded throughout the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Red Eagles"/>

Area 51 also hosted another foreign materiel evaluation program called HAVE GLIB. This involved testing Soviet tracking and missile control radar systems. A complex of actual and replica Soviet-type threat systems began to grow around "Slater Lake", a mile northwest of the main base, along with an acquired Soviet "Barlock" search radar placed at [[Tonopah Air Force Station]]. They were arranged to simulate a Soviet-style air defense complex.<ref name="Red Eagles"/>

The Air Force began funding improvements to Area 51 in 1977 under project SCORE EVENT. In 1979, the CIA transferred jurisdiction of the Area 51 site to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California. Sam Mitchell, the last CIA commander of Area 51, relinquished command to USAF Lt. Col. Larry D. McClain.<ref name="Red Eagles"/>

In 2017, a USAF aircraft crashed at the site, killing the pilot, Lt. Colonel Eric "Doc" Schultz. The USAF refused to release further information regarding the crash. In 2022, unconfirmed reports emerged that the crash involved an [[Sukhoi Su-27|SU-27]] that was part of the classified Foreign Materials Exploitation program. The reports claimed that the aircraft suffered a technical issue that resulted in both crew members ejecting from the aircraft, resulting in the death of Schultz.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 7, 2022 |title=Area 51 Test Pilot Died During Heroic Su-27 Flight: Report |url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/area-51-test-pilots-mysterious-death-happened-heroically-flying-an-su-27-report |website=The Drive}}</ref>

===Have Blue/F-117 program===

{{Main|Lockheed Have Blue|Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk|Tonopah Test Range Airport}}

The [[Lockheed Have Blue]] prototype stealth fighter (a smaller proof-of-concept model of the [[F-117 Nighthawk]]) first flew at Groom in December 1977.{{sfn|Rich|Janos|1994|pp=56–60}}
[[File:Have Blue bottom view.jpg|thumb|left|Underside view of ''Have Blue'']]

In 1978, the Air Force awarded a full-scale development contract for the F-117 to Lockheed Corporation's Advanced Development Projects. On 17 January 1981 the Lockheed test team at Area 51 accepted delivery of the first full-scale development (FSD) prototype ''79–780'', designated YF-117A. At 6:05&nbsp;am on 18 June 1981 Lockheed Skunk Works test pilot Hal Farley lifted the nose of YF-117A ''79–780'' off the runway of Area 51.<ref name="F117hist">{{cite web |url=http://www.usafpatches.com/pubs/stealth.pdf |title=Info |website=www.usafpatches.com |access-date=6 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106164327/http://www.usafpatches.com/pubs/stealth.pdf |archive-date=6 November 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Meanwhile, [[Tactical Air Command]] (TAC) decided to set up a group-level organization to guide the F-117A to an initial operating capability. That organization became the 4450th Tactical Group (Initially designated "A Unit"), which officially activated on 15 October 1979 at [[Nellis AFB]], Nevada, although the group was physically located at Area 51. The 4450th TG also operated the A-7D Corsair II as a surrogate trainer for the F-117A, and these operations continued until 15 October 1982 under the guise of an avionics test mission.<ref name="F117hist"/>

Flying squadrons of the 4450th TG were the 4450th Tactical Squadron (Initially designated "I Unit") activated on 11 June 1981, and 4451st Tactical Squadron (Initially designated "P Unit") on 15 January 1983. The 4450th TS, stationed at Area 51, was the first F-117A squadron, while the 4451st TS was stationed at Nellis AFB and was equipped with [[A-7D Corsair II]]s painted in a dark motif, tail coded "LV". Lockheed test pilots put the YF-117 through its early paces. A-7Ds were used for pilot training before any F-117As had been delivered by Lockheed to Area 51, later the A-7D's were used for F-117A chase testing and other weapon tests at the Nellis Range. On 15 October 1982, Major Alton C. Whitley Jr. became the first USAF 4450th TG pilot to fly the F-117A.<ref name="F117hist"/>

Although ideal for testing, Area 51 was not a suitable location for an operational group, so a new covert base had to be established for F-117 operations.<ref name="F117Area51">{{cite web |url=http://www.f-117a.com/Area51.html |title=Area 51 Test Site |publisher=F-117A |date=14 July 2003 |access-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022172405/http://www.f-117a.com/Area51.html |archive-date=22 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Tonopah Test Range Airport]] was selected for operations of the first USAF F-117 unit, the [[4450th Tactical Group]] (TG).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.f-117a.com/4450th.html |title=4450th TG |publisher=F-117A |date=1 April 2002 |access-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022172332/http://www.f-117a.com/4450th.html |archive-date=22 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> From October 1979, the Tonopah Airport base was reconstructed and expanded. The 6,000-foot runway was lengthened to 10,000 feet. Taxiways, a concrete apron, a large maintenance hangar, and a propane storage tank were added.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.f-117a.com/Tonopah.html |title=Tonopah Test Range (TTR) |publisher=F-117A |date=14 July 2003 |access-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022171214/http://www.f-117a.com/Tonopah.html |archive-date=22 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

By early 1982, four more YF-117As were operating at the base.<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|162}} After finding a large scorpion in their offices, the testing team (Designated "R Unit") adopted it as their mascot and dubbed themselves the "Baja Scorpions".<ref name="BScorpions"/> Testing of a series of ultra-secret prototypes continued at Area 51 until mid-1981 when testing transitioned to the initial production of F-117 stealth fighters. The F-117s were moved to and from Area 51 by C-5 during darkness to maintain security. The aircraft were defueled, disassembled, cradled, and then loaded aboard the C-5 at night, flown to Lockheed, and unloaded at night before reassembly and flight testing. Groom performed radar profiling, F-117 weapons testing, and training of the first group of frontline USAF F-117 pilots.<ref name="Peebles" />{{rp|161}}

While the "Baja Scorpions" were working on the F-117, there was also another group at work in secrecy, known as "the Whalers" working on Tacit Blue. A [[fly-by-wire]] technology demonstration aircraft with curved surfaces and composite material, to evade radar, was a prototype, and never went into production. Nevertheless, this strange-looking aircraft was responsible for many of the [[stealth technology]] advances that were used on several other aircraft designs, and had a direct influence on the B-2; with the first flight of [[Tacit Blue]] being performed on 5{{nbsp}}February 1982, by [[Northrop Grumman Corporation|Northrop Grumman]] test pilot, [[Richard G. Thomas]].<ref name="Peebles" />{{rp|249–250}}

Production FSD airframes from Lockheed were shipped to Area 51 for acceptance testing. As the Baja Scorpions tested the aircraft with functional check flights and L.O. verification, the operational airplanes were then transferred to the 4450th TG.<ref name="BScorpions">{{cite web |url=http://www.f-117a.com/Baja.html |title=JTF "Baja Scorpions" of Groom Lake |publisher=F-117A |date=14 July 2003 |access-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604035142/http://www.f-117a.com/Baja.html |archive-date=4 June 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:F-117 Nighthawk Front.jpg|thumb|F-117 flying over mountains|alt=|left]]

On 17 May 1982, the move of the 4450th TG from Groom Lake to Tonopah was initiated, with the final components of the move completed in early 1983. Production FSD airframes from Lockheed were shipped to Area 51 for acceptance testing. As the Baja Scorpions tested the aircraft with functional check flights and L.O. verification, the operational airplanes were then transferred to the 4450th TG at Tonopah.<ref name="BScorpions"/>

The R-Unit was inactivated on 30 May 1989. Upon inactivation, the unit was reformed as Detachment 1, [[57th Fighter Weapons Wing]] (FWW). In 1990, the last F-117A (''843'') was delivered from Lockheed. After completion of acceptance flights at Area 51 of this last new F-117A aircraft, the flight test squadron continued flight test duties of refurbished aircraft after modifications by Lockheed. In February/March 1992 the test unit moved from Area 51 to the USAF Palmdale [[Plant 42]] and was integrated with the [[Air Force Systems Command]] [[6510th Test Squadron]]. Some testing, especially RCS verification and other classified activity was still conducted at Area 51 throughout the operational lifetime of the F-117. The recently inactivated (2008) [[410th Flight Test Squadron]] traces its roots, if not its formal lineage to the 4450th TG R-unit.<ref name="BScorpions"/>

===Later operations===
[[File:F22 Area51.jpg|thumb|F-22 during a [[Red Flag exercise]] with Groom Lake in the background (March 2013)]]
Since the F-117 became operational in 1983, operations at Groom Lake have continued. The base and its associated runway system were expanded, including the expansion of housing and support facilities.<ref name="FASOverhead"/><ref name="space_com_expand">{{cite web |url=http://www.space.com/news/area51_exclusive_00421.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010926202205/http://www.space.com/news/area51_exclusive_00421.html |archive-date=26 September 2001 |title=Images of Top-Secret U.S. Air Base Show Growth |publisher=space.com |author=Mary Motta |date=22 April 2000}}</ref> In 1995, the federal government expanded the exclusionary area around the base to include nearby mountains that had hitherto afforded the only decent overlook of the base, prohibiting access to {{convert|3972|acre|km2}} of land formerly administered by the [[Bureau of Land Management]].<ref name="FASOverhead"/>