Editing Area 51

{{Short description|U.S Air Force facility in southern Nevada, United States}}{{Wikipedia_fork
| import_date = 13 November 2024
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{{About|the U.S. Air Force facility in Nevada}}
{{Redirect|[[Groom Lake]]|other uses |Groom Lake (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name                   = Homey Airport
| ensign                 =
| ensign_size            =
| native_name            =
| partof                 = <!-- for elements within a larger site -->
| location               =
| nearest_town           = [[Rachel, Lincoln County, Nevada]]
| country                = United States
| image = File:Sentinel-Homey.png
| alt                    = A satellite image taken in 2022 captured by Sentinel-2 of ESA showing the base with Groom Lake just to the north-northeast
| caption                = A [[satellite image]] taken in 2022 captured by [[Sentinel-2]] of [[ESA]] showing the base with Groom Lake just to the north-northeast
| image2                 = Air Force Materiel Command shield.svg
| alt2                   =
| caption2               =
| type                   = Development and testing facility
| coordinates            = {{Coord|37|14|0|N|115|48|30|W|region:US-NV_type:airport|display = inline,title}}
| gridref                =
| image_map              =
| image_mapsize          =
| image_map_alt          =
| image_map_caption      =
| pushpin_map            = USA
| pushpin_mapsize        =
| pushpin_map_alt        =
| pushpin_map_caption    = Location in the United States
| pushpin_relief         =
| pushpin_image          =
| pushpin_label          = Homey Airport
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_mark           =
| pushpin_marksize       =
| ownership              = [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]
| operator               = [[United States Air Force]]
| controlledby           = [[Air Force Materiel Command]]
| open_to_public         = <!-- for out of use sites/sites with museums etc -->
| site_other_label       = <!-- for renaming "other facilities" in infobox -->
| site_other             = <!-- for other sorts of facilities radar types etc -->
| site_area              = <!-- area of site m2, km2 square mile etc -->
| code                   = <!--facility/installation code, applies to US -->
| built                  = {{Start date|1955}} (as Paradise Ranch)
| used                   = 1955–present<!--{{End date|1946}} -->
| builder                =
| materials              =
| height                 = <!-- height of tallest part, not above sea level -->
| length                 = <!-- for border fences or other DMZs -->
| fate                   = <!--changed from demolished parameter-->
| condition              = Operational
| battles                =
| events                 = [[Storm Area 51]] (2019)
| current_commander      = <!-- current commander -->
| past_commanders        = <!-- past notable commander(s) -->
| garrison               = [[Air Force Test Center]] (Detachment 3)
| occupants              = <!-- squadrons only -->
| designations           =
| website                =
<!-- begin airfield information -->
| IATA                   =
| ICAO                   = KXTA
| FAA                    = XTA
| elevation              = {{Convert|4494|ft|0}}
| r1-number              = 14L/32R<ref>{{cite book |last=Cherif |first=Mohamed |author-link= |date=30 May 2015 |title=UFOs: Aliens or Extraterrestrials |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0mHIgkjhFF4C&dq=Area+51+runways+14l%2F32r&pg=PA345 |location= |publisher=TheBookEdition|page=345 |isbn=9789938052633 }}
</ref>
| r1-length              = {{Convert|3657|m|0}}
| r1-surface             = [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]]
| r2-number              = 12/30{{Efn|Part of a taxiway can be temporarily used as a runway if announced by [[NOTAM]]<ref name="Jeppesen">{{Cite web |last= |date=2021-01-08 |title=KXTA |url=https://dlr.thexhunters.com/maps/KXTA.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731231525/https://dlr.thexhunters.com/maps/KXTA.pdf |archive-date=2021-07-31 |access-date=2021-08-31 |publisher=[[Jeppesen]]}}</ref>}}
| r2-length              = {{Convert|1652|m|0}}
| r2-surface             = paved
| r3-number              = 09L/27R
| r3-length              = {{Convert|3470|m|0}}
| r3-surface             = [[dry lake]]
| r4-number              = 09R/27L
| r4-length              = {{Convert|3470|m|0}}
| r4-surface             = dry lake
| r5-number              = 03L/21R
| r5-length              = {{Convert|3048|m|0}}
| r5-surface             = dry lake
| r6-number              = 03R/21L
| r6-length              = {{Convert|3048|m|0}}
| r6-surface             = dry lake
| h1-number              =
| h1-length              = <!-- {{Convert| |m|0}} -->
| h1-surface             =
| airfield_other_label   = <!-- for renaming "other facilities" in infobox -->
| airfield_other         = <!-- for other sorts of airfield facilities -->
<!-- end airfield information -->
| footnotes              = '''Sources:''' Jeppesen<ref name="Jeppesen"/>
}}
'''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''' {{Airport codes||KXTA|XTA}}<ref name="Jeppesen"/> or '''Groom Lake''' (after [[Groom Lake (salt flat)|the salt flat]] next to its airfield). Details of its operations are not made public, but the USAF says that it is an open training range,<ref name="McAndrewsWaPo">{{cite news |last1=Brice-Saddler |first1=Michael |title=Half a million people signed up to storm Area 51. What happens if they actually show? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2019/07/13/half-million-people-signed-up-storm-area-what-happens-if-they-actually-show-up/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=12 July 2019 |language=en |access-date=13 July 2019}}</ref> and it is commonly thought to support the development and testing of experimental aircraft and weapons systems.{{sfn|Rich|Janos|1994|p=57}}<ref name="McAndrewsWaPo" /> The USAF and [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] acquired the site in 1955, primarily for flight testing the [[Lockheed U-2]] aircraft.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |title=Area 51 'declassified' in U-2 spy plane history |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23731759 |access-date=25 September 2014 |work=BBC News |date=16 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015153938/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23731759 |archive-date=15 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The intense secrecy surrounding the base has made it the frequent subject of [[conspiracy theories]] and a central component of [[unidentified flying object]] (UFO) folklore.{{sfn|Jacobsen|2012|pp=11–15, 320–321}}<ref name="lacitis20100327"/> It has never been declared a secret base, but all research and occurrences in Area 51 are [[Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information]] (TS/SCI).{{sfn|Jacobsen|2012|pp=65–66, 77–80}} The CIA publicly acknowledged the base's existence on 25 June 2013, following a [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]] (FOIA) request filed in 2005, and declassified documents detailing its history and purpose.<ref name="cia1992"/>

Area 51 is located in the southern portion of [[Nevada]], {{convert|83|mi|km}} north-northwest of [[Las Vegas]]. The surrounding area is a popular tourist destination, including the small town of [[Rachel, Nevada|Rachel]] on the "[[Nevada State Route 375|Extraterrestrial Highway]]".

==Geography==
===Area 51===
[[File:Area51 Tikaboo Peak 07.2008.jpg|thumb|Area 51 viewed from distant [[Tikaboo Peak]]]]

The original rectangular base of {{convert|6|by|10|mi|km|0}} is now part of the so-called "Groom box", a rectangular area, measuring {{convert|23|by|25|mi|km}}, of restricted airspace. The area is connected to the internal [[Nevada Test Site]] (NTS) road network, with paved roads leading south to [[Mercury, Nevada|Mercury]] and west to [[Yucca Flat]]. Leading northeast from the lake, the wide and well-maintained Groom Lake Road runs through a pass in the Jumbled Hills. The road formerly led to mines in the Groom basin but has been improved since their closure. Its winding course runs past a security checkpoint, but the restricted area around the base extends farther east. After leaving the restricted area, Groom Lake Road descends eastward to the floor of the [[Tikaboo Valley]], passing the dirt-road entrances to several small ranches, before converging with [[Nevada State Route 375|State Route 375, the "Extraterrestrial Highway"]], south of [[Rachel, Nevada|Rachel]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/travel/escapes/13extraterrestrial.html |title=Lonesome Highway to Another World? |access-date=8 July 2007 |author=Regenold, Stephen |date=13 April 2007 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070617100409/http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/travel/escapes/13extraterrestrial.html |archive-date=17 June 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Area 51 shares a border with the Yucca Flat region of the Nevada Test Site, the location of 739 of the 928 nuclear tests conducted by the [[United States Department of Energy]] at NTS.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/publications/historical/DOENV_209_REV15.pdf |title=US Department of Energy. Nevada Operations Office. ''United States Nuclear Tests: July 1945 through September 1992'' (December 2000) |access-date=10 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615231826/http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/publications/historical/DOENV_209_REV15.pdf |archive-date=15 June 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="ndepmap">{{cite web |url=http://ndep.nv.gov/boff/nts-use.jpg |title=Navigation map |publisher=ndep.nv.gov |access-date=4 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216102228/http://ndep.nv.gov/boff/nts-use.jpg |archive-date=16 February 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/facility/nts_fig1.gif |title=Guide |website=fas.org |format=GIF |access-date=4 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106165252/http://fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/facility/nts_fig1.gif |archive-date=6 November 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository]] is southwest of Groom Lake.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/yucca-mountain-neighbors-area-51-area-25-nevada/story?id=19963355 |title=Area 51, 25 Among Yucca Mountain's Nuclear Neighbors |work=abc News |first=Alan |last=Farnham |date=15 August 2013 |access-date=20 December 2020}}</ref>

===Groom Lake===

[[Groom Lake (salt flat)|Groom Lake]] is a [[Salt pan (geology)|salt flat]]<ref name="LeibyWaPo">{{cite news |last=Leiby |first=Richard |title=Government officially acknowledges existence of Area 51, but not the UFOs |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/government-officially-acknowledges-existence-of-area-51-but-not-the-ufos/2013/08/16/ca4feaec-06be-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=24 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807070834/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/government-officially-acknowledges-existence-of-area-51-but-not-the-ufos/2013/08/16/ca4feaec-06be-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html |archive-date=7 August 2017 |access-date=16 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> in Nevada used for runways of the Nellis Bombing Range Test Site airport (XTA/KXTA) on the north of the Area 51 [[United States Air Force|USAF]] military installation. The lake at {{convert|4409|ft|m|abbr=on}} elevation is approximately {{convert|3+3/4|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} from north to south and {{convert|3|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} from east to west at its widest point.<ref name=GNIS>
{{cite gnis|840824|Groom Lake|access-date=9 November 2010}}</ref> Located within the namesake Groom Lake Valley portion of the [[Tonopah Basin]], the lake is {{convert|25|mi|abbr=on}} south of Rachel, Nevada.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dreamlandresort.com/area51/dreamland_50years.html |title=DREAMLAND: Fifty Years of Secret Flight Testing in NevadaBy Peter W. Merlin |website=dreamlandresort.com |first=Peter |last=Merlin |date=16 October 2010 |access-date=7 January 2021}}</ref>

==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"/>

==Legal status==
===U.S. government's positions on Area 51===
[[File:Usaf on area51.png|right|thumb|upright|A 1998 letter from the USAF replying to a query about Area 51]]
[[File:CIA BYE2369-67 page17.gif|right|thumb|upright|CIA document from 1967 referring to Area 51]]
The United States government has provided minimal information regarding Area 51. The area surrounding the lake is permanently off-limits to both civilian and normal military air traffic. Security clearances are checked regularly; cameras and weaponry are not allowed.<ref name="lacitis20100327">{{cite web |last=Lacitis |first=Erik |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011461015_area51vets28m.html |title=Area 51 vets break silence: Sorry, but no space aliens or UFOs |publisher=Seattle Times Newspaper |date=27 March 2010 |access-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620003544/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011461015_area51vets28m.html |archive-date=20 June 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Even military pilots training in the [[Nevada Test and Training Range|NAFR]] risk disciplinary action if they stray into the exclusionary "box" surrounding Groom's airspace.<ref name="lacitis20100327"/> Surveillance is supplemented using buried motion sensors.<ref name="poulsen">{{cite web |author=Kevin Poulsen |author-link=Kevin Poulsen |date=25 May 2004 |title=Area 51 hackers dig up trouble |url=http://www.securityfocus.com/news/8768 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130074024/http://www.securityfocus.com/news/8768 |archive-date=30 November 2012 |access-date=10 June 2013 |publisher=Securityfocus.com}}</ref> Area 51 is a common destination for [[Janet (airline)|Janet]], a small fleet of passenger aircraft operated on behalf of the Air Force to transport military personnel, primarily from [[Harry Reid International Airport]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dreamlandresort.com/info/janet.html |title=Janet Airline / EG&G / JT3 |website=dreamlandresort.com |date=5 November 2020 |access-date=8 January 2021}}</ref>

The [[United States Geological Survey]] (USGS) topographic map for the area only shows the long-disused [[Groom Mine]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?lat=37.34583&lon=-115.76583&datum=nad27&u=4&layer=DRG25&size=l |title=Groom Mine, NV – N37.34583° W115.76583° |publisher=Topoquest.com |access-date=10 June 2013}}</ref> but USGS aerial photographs of the site in 1959 and 1968 were publicly available.{{r|day20230123}} A civil aviation chart published by the [[Nevada Department of Transportation]] shows a large restricted area, defined as part of the Nellis restricted airspace.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nevadadot.com/uploadedFiles/NDOT/Traveler_Info/Maps/Nevada%20Aviaton%202013-2014%20Front.pdf |title=State of Nevada Aeronautical Chart 2013-2014 |access-date=11 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425161328/http://www.nevadadot.com/uploadedFiles/NDOT/Traveler_Info/Maps/Nevada%20Aviaton%202013-2014%20Front.pdf |archive-date=25 April 2013}}</ref> The [[National Atlas]] shows the area as lying within the Nellis Air Force Base.<ref name="NationalAtlasFederalLands">{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/pdf/fedlands/NV.pdf |title=Map of Federal lands in Nevada |publisher=US Department of the Interior |access-date=10 June 2013 |author=nationalatlas.gov |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910211437/http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/pdf/fedlands/NV.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2013}}</ref> There are higher resolution and newer images available from other satellite imagery providers, including Russian providers and the [[IKONOS]].<ref name="FASOverhead"/> These show the runway markings, base facilities, aircraft, and vehicles.<ref name="FASOverhead"/>

In 1998 USAF officially acknowledged the site's existence.<ref name="day20230123">{{Cite web |last=Day |first=Dwayne Allen |date=2023-01-23 |title=Not-so ancient astronauts and Area 51: the Skylab Incident |url=https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4518/1 |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=The Space Review}}</ref> On 25 June 2013, the CIA released an official history of the U-2 and OXCART projects which acknowledged that the U-2 was tested at Area 51, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted in 2005 by Jeffrey T. Richelson of [[George Washington University]]'s [[National Security Archive]]. It contains numerous references to Area 51 and Groom Lake, along with a map of the area.<ref name="cia1992" /> Media reports stated that releasing the CIA history was the first governmental acknowledgement of Area 51's existence;<ref>{{cite news |title=CIA acknowledges its mysterious Area 51 test site for first time |date=17 August 2013 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-area51-cia-idUSBRE97G01120130817 |agency=Reuters Archive |access-date=17 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817013201/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/17/us-usa-area51-cia-idUSBRE97G01120130817 |archive-date=17 August 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Area 51 officially acknowledged, mapped in newly released documents |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/15/us/area-51-documents/index.html |publisher=CNN |access-date=17 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817025040/http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/15/us/area-51-documents/index.html |archive-date=17 August 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="LeibyWaPo" /> rather, it was the first official acknowledgement of specific activity at the site.{{r|day20230123}}

===Environmental lawsuit===

In 1994, five unnamed civilian contractors and the widows of contractors Walter Kasza and Robert Frost sued the Air Force and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. They alleged that they had been present when large quantities of unknown chemicals had been burned in open pits and trenches at Groom. [[Rutgers University]] biochemists analyzed biopsies from the complainants and found high levels of [[Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins|dioxin]], [[dibenzofuran]], and [[trichloroethylene]] in their body fat. The complainants alleged that they had sustained skin, liver, and respiratory injuries due to their work at Groom and that this had contributed to the deaths of Frost and Kasza. The suit sought compensation for the injuries, claiming that the Air Force had illegally handled toxic materials and that the EPA had failed in its duty to enforce the [[Resource Conservation and Recovery Act]] which governs the handling of dangerous materials. They also sought detailed information about the chemicals, hoping that this would facilitate the medical treatment of survivors.<ref name="Lawsuit"/> Congressman [[Lee H. Hamilton]], former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told ''60 Minutes'' reporter [[Lesley Stahl]], "The Air Force is classifying all information about Area 51 in order to protect themselves from a lawsuit."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ufomind.com/area51/articles/1996/60min_960317.html |title=60 Minutes Transcript an Area 51 |website=ufomind.com |date=17 March 1996 |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref>

The government invoked the [[State Secrets Privilege]] and petitioned U.S. District Judge Philip Pro to disallow disclosure of classified documents or examination of secret witnesses, claiming that this would expose classified information and threaten national security.<ref name=lvrj_jun2002>{{cite news |url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2002/Jun-04-Tue-2002/news/18894771.html |title=Federal judges to hear case involving Area 51 |first=Keith |last=Rogers |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214093647/http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2002/Jun-04-Tue-2002/news/18894771.html |archive-date=14 February 2010 |newspaper=Las Vegas Review-Journal |date=4 June 2002 |access-date=10 June 2013}}</ref> Judge Pro rejected the government's argument, so President [[Bill Clinton]] issued a [[Presidential Determination]] exempting what it called "the Air Force's Operating Location Near Groom Lake, Nevada" from environmental disclosure laws. Consequently, Pro dismissed the suit due to lack of evidence. [[Jonathan Turley]], the attorney who was handling the lawsuit, appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on the grounds that the government was abusing its power to classify material. Secretary of the Air Force [[Sheila E. Widnall]] filed a brief which stated that disclosures of the materials present in the air and water near Groom "can reveal military operational capabilities or the nature and scope of classified operations." The Ninth Circuit rejected Turley's appeal<ref>{{cite web |title=Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, Philip M. Pro, District Judge, Presiding. Argued and Submitted June 14, 2002 |url=http://archive.ca9.uscourts.gov/coa/newopinions.nsf/77F9FB6C3552927E88256D05007AE266/$file/0016378.pdf?openelement |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314151234/http://archive.ca9.uscourts.gov/coa/newopinions.nsf/77F9FB6C3552927E88256D05007AE266/$file/0016378.pdf?openelement |archive-date=14 March 2012 |date=14 March 2012}}</ref> and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear it, putting an end to the complainants' case.<ref name="Lawsuit">{{cite web |url=https://www.rcfp.org/high-court-wont-review-state-secrets-privilege-area-51-case/ |title=High court won't review "state secrets" privilege in 'Area 51' case |publisher=RCFP.org |date=16 November 1998 |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref>

The President annually issues a determination continuing the Groom exception<ref>{{cite web |url=http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_cfr_3v1&docid=3CFRSep19 |title=2000 Presidential Determination |access-date=10 June 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604211107/http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_cfr_3v1&docid=3CFRSep19 |archive-date=4 June 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020918-9.html |title=2002 Presidential Determination |publisher=Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov |date=18 September 2002 |access-date=10 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615103519/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020918-9.html |archive-date=15 June 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/09/20030916-4.html |title=2003 Presidential Determination |publisher=Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov |date=16 September 2003 |access-date=10 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510015728/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/09/20030916-4.html |archive-date=10 May 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> which is the only formal recognition that the government has ever given that Groom Lake is more than simply another part of the Nellis complex. An unclassified memo on the safe handling of [[F-117 Nighthawk]] material was posted on an Air Force web site in 2005. This discussed the same materials for which the complainants had requested information, which the government had claimed was classified. The memo was removed shortly after journalists became aware of it.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/May-21-Sun-2006/news/7488359.html |url-status=dead |title=Warnings for emergency responders kept from Area 51 workers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214093550/http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/May-21-Sun-2006/news/7488359.html |archive-date=14 February 2010 |newspaper=Las Vegas Review-Journal |date=21 May 2006 |access-date=10 June 2013}}</ref>

==Civil aviation identification==

In December 2007, airline pilots noticed that the base had appeared in their aircraft navigation systems' latest [[Jeppesen]] database revision with the [[ICAO]] airport identifier code of KXTA and listed as "Homey Airport".<ref name="aopa-kxta-20080111">{{cite web |last=Marsh |first=Alton K. |url=http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2008/080110area51.html |title=Don't ask, don't tell: Area 51 gets airport identifier – Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association |publisher=Aopa.org |date=10 January 2008 |access-date=10 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512063545/http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2008/080110area51.html |archive-date=12 May 2013}}</ref> The probably inadvertent release of the airport data led to advice by the [[Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association]] (AOPA) that student pilots should be explicitly warned about KXTA, not to consider it as a waypoint or destination for any flight even though it now appears in public navigation databases.<ref name="aopa-kxta-20080111"/>

==Security==
[[File:Area 51 Main Gate.jpg|thumb|The main gate to Area 51, on Groom Road]]

The perimeter of the base is marked out by orange posts and patrolled by guards in white pickup trucks and camouflage fatigues. The guards are popularly referred to as "camo dudes" by enthusiasts.<ref>{{cite news |title=Area 51 |first=Donovan |last=Webster |date=26 June 1994 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/26/magazine/area-51.html}}</ref><ref name="nydailynews06Aug2019"/> The guards will not answer questions about their employers; however, according to the New York ''[[New York Daily News|Daily News]]'', there are indications they are employed through a contractor such as [[AECOM]].<ref name="nydailynews06Aug2019">{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/camo-dudes-patrol-area-51-article-1.2828248 |title=Here's what we know about the 'Cammo Dudes' who patrol Area 51 |website=nydailynews.com |access-date=6 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806150939/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/camo-dudes-patrol-area-51-article-1.2828248 |archive-date=6 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.area51.org/area-51-camo-dudes/ |title=Area 51 Camo Dudes: Lethal Force Authorized – Area 51 |date=9 January 2017 |website=area51.org |access-date=6 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806145715/http://www.area51.org/area-51-camo-dudes/ |archive-date=6 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Signage around the base perimeter advises that deadly force is authorized against [[trespass]]ers.<ref name="Magazines2000">{{cite book |author=Hearst Magazines |title=Popular Mechanics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hdthT2uNftoC&pg=PA142 |date=April 2000 |publisher=Hearst Magazines |pages=142–}}</ref>

Technology is also heavily used to maintain the border of the base; this includes [[Closed-circuit television|surveillance cameras]] and motion detectors. Some of these motion detectors are placed some distance away from the base on public land to notify guards of people approaching.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/28/area_51_charges_dropped/ |title=Area 51 'hacker' charges dropped |website=theregister.co.uk |access-date=6 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806145618/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/28/area_51_charges_dropped/ |archive-date=6 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Wfm x51 area51 warningsign.jpg|thumb|left|Area 51 border and warning sign stating that "photography is prohibited" and that "use of deadly force is authorized"]]

===1974 Skylab photography===
[[Dwayne A. Day]] published "Astronauts and Area 51: the [[Skylab 4|Skylab]] Incident" in ''[[The Space Review]]'' in January 2006. It was based on a memo written in 1974 to CIA director [[William Colby]] by an unknown CIA official. The memo reported that astronauts on board Skylab had inadvertently photographed a certain location:<ref name="Photo" />
{{blockquote|There were specific instructions not to do this. [redacted] was the only location which had such an instruction.}}

The name of the location was obscured,{{efn|In the declassified documents, the name ''Area 51'' is redacted in all but two instances (probably mistakes).{{sfn|Jacobsen|2012|p=xvi}}}} but the context led Day to believe that the subject was Groom Lake. Day wrote that "the CIA considered no other spot on Earth to be as sensitive as Groom Lake". Even within the agency's [[National Photographic Interpretation Center]] that handled classified reconnaissance satellite photographs, images of the site were removed from film rolls and stored separately as not all [[photo interpreter]]s had [[security clearance]] for the information.<ref name="Photo">{{cite news |url=http://www.thespacereview.com/article/531/1 |last=Day |first=Dwayne A. |title=Astronauts and Area 51: the Skylab Incident |author-link=Dwayne A. Day |publisher=[[The Space Review]] (online) |date=9 January 2006 |access-date=2 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060316181549/http://www.thespacereview.com/article/531/1 |archive-date=16 March 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/09/20030916-4.html |title=Presidential Determination No. 2003–39 |publisher=Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov |date=16 September 2003 |access-date=10 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510015728/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/09/20030916-4.html |archive-date=10 May 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> The memo details debate between federal agencies regarding whether the images should be classified, with [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] agencies arguing that it should and [[NASA]] and the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] arguing that it should not be classified. The memo itself questions the legality of retroactively classifying unclassified images.<ref name="Photo" />

The memo includes handwritten remarks,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thespacereview.com/archive/531.pdf |title=CIA memo to DCI Colby |publisher=Hosted by The Space Review |access-date=2 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060326030802/http://www.thespacereview.com/archive/531.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> apparently by [[Director of Central Intelligence]] Colby:

{{blockquote|[Secretary of State [[Dean Rusk|Rusk]]] did raise it—said State Dept. people felt strongly. But he inclined leave decision to me (DCI)—I confessed some question over need to protect since:
# [[Soviet Union|USSR]] has it from own sats
# What really does it reveal?
# If exposed, don't we just say classified USAF work is done there?}}

The declassified documents do not disclose the outcome of discussions regarding the Skylab imagery. The debate proved moot, as the photograph appeared in the Federal Government's Archive of Satellite Imagery along with the remaining Skylab photographs.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1010/1 |last=Day |first=Dwayne A. |title=Secret Apollo |author-link=Dwayne A. Day |publisher=The Space Review (online) |date=26 November 2007 |access-date=16 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090712145524/http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1010/1 |archive-date=12 July 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===2019 shooting incident===
On 28 January 2019, an unidentified man drove through a security checkpoint near [[Mercury, Nevada]], in an apparent attempt to enter the base. After an {{convert|8|mi|km|abbr=off|sp=us|adj=on}} vehicle pursuit by base security, the man exited his vehicle carrying a "cylindrical object" and was shot dead by [[Nevada National Security Site|NNSS]] security officers and sheriff's deputies after refusing to obey requests to halt. There were no other injuries reported.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/1154069/area-51-raid-event-facebook-where-is-area-51-aliens-ufo-2019 |title=Area 51 warning: Man shot dead for trying to enter military base |work=Express |last=Martin |first=Sean |date=July 16, 2019 |access-date=August 11, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717060935/https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/1154069/area-51-raid-event-facebook-where-is-area-51-aliens-ufo-2019 |archive-date=17 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/shootings/chase-at-nevada-national-security-site-ends-with-man-shot-dead-1584482/ |title=Chase at Nevada National Security Site ends with man shot dead |work=Las Vegas Review-Journal |last=Shoro |first=Mike |date=January 28, 2019 |access-date=August 11, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129212815/https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/shootings/chase-at-nevada-national-security-site-ends-with-man-shot-dead-1584482/ |archive-date=29 January 2019}}</ref>

==UFO and other conspiracy theories==

[[File:Protest Sign at Raid Area 51.jpg|thumb|During the [[Storm Area 51|2019 Raid of Area 51]], protestors and UFO conspiracy theorists gathered at the back gate of Area 51.]]

Area 51 has become a focus of modern conspiracy theories due to its secretive nature and connection to classified aircraft research.{{sfn|Jacobsen|2012|pp=65–66, 77–80}} Theories include:
* The storage, examination, and reverse engineering of crashed alien spacecraft, including material supposedly recovered at [[Roswell UFO incident|Roswell]], the study of their occupants, and the manufacture of aircraft based on alien technology
* Meetings or joint undertakings with extraterrestrials
* The development of exotic [[Directed-energy weapon|energy weapons]] for the [[Strategic Defense Initiative]] (SDI) or other weapons programs
* The development of weather control
* The development of time travel and teleportation technology
* The development of exotic propulsion systems related to the [[Aurora (aircraft)|Aurora Program]]
* Activities related to the conspiracy theory of a [[New World Order (conspiracy theory)|one-world government]]

[[File:TV camera area 51.JPG|thumb|left|A closed-circuit TV camera watches over the perimeter of Area 51.]]

Many of the hypotheses concern underground facilities at Groom or at [[Papoose Lake]] (also known as "S-4 location"), {{convert|8.5|mi|km}} south, and include claims of a transcontinental underground railroad system, a disappearing airstrip nicknamed the "Cheshire Airstrip", after [[Lewis Carroll]]'s [[Cheshire cat]], which briefly appears when water is sprayed onto its camouflaged asphalt, and engineering based on alien technology.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.serve.com/mahood/nellis/area19/cheshire.htm |title=The Cheshire Airstrip |first=Tom |last=Mahood |date=October 1996 |access-date=2 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060316110233/http://www.serve.com/mahood/nellis/area19/cheshire.htm |archive-date=16 March 2006}}</ref>

In the mid-1950s, civilian aircraft flew under 20,000 feet while military aircraft flew up to 40,000 feet. The U-2 began flying above 60,000 feet and there was an increasing number of UFO sighting reports. Sightings occurred most often during early evening hours, when airline pilots flying west saw the U-2's silver wings reflect the setting sun, giving the aircraft a "fiery" appearance. Many sighting reports came to the Air Force's [[Project Blue Book]], which investigated UFO sightings, through air-traffic controllers and letters to the government. The project checked U-2 and later [[OXCART]] flight records to eliminate the majority of UFO reports that it received during the late 1950s and 1960s, although it could not reveal to the letter writers the truth behind what they saw.<ref name="cia1992" />{{rp|72–73}} Similarly, veterans of experimental projects such as OXCART at Area 51 agree that their work inadvertently prompted many of the UFO sightings and other rumors:{{sfn|Jacobsen|2012|pp=204–208}}
{{blockquote|The shape of OXCART was unprecedented, with its wide, disk-like fuselage designed to carry vast quantities of fuel. Commercial pilots cruising over Nevada at dusk would look up and see the bottom of OXCART whiz by at 2,000-plus mph. The aircraft's titanium body, moving as fast as a bullet, would reflect the sun's rays in a way that could make anyone think, ''UFO''.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news |last=Jacobsen |first=Annie |url=http://www.latimes.com/la-mag-april052009-backstory,0,786384.story |title=The Road to Area 51 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=5 April 2009 |access-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121215002/http://www.latimes.com/la-mag-april052009-backstory,0,786384.story |archive-date=21 January 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

They believe that the rumors helped maintain secrecy over Area 51's actual operations.<ref name="lacitis20100327"/> The veterans deny the existence of a vast underground railroad system,<ref name=autogenerated1 /> although many of Area 51's operations did occur underground.{{sfn|Jacobsen|2012|pp=364–366}}

[[File:Lincoln County Deputies at Area 51 Back Gate.jpg|thumb|Lincoln County deputies guard the back gate of Area 51 during the 2019 raid.]]

[[Bob Lazar]] claimed in 1989 that he had worked at Area 51's "Sector Four (S-4)", said to be located underground inside the [[Papoose Range]] near Papoose Lake. He claimed that he was contracted to work with alien spacecraft that the government had in its possession.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Knapp|first1=George|author1-link=George Knapp (television journalist)|title=Bob Lazar describes alien technology housed at secret S-4 base in Nevada |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UjqFaQq_7I |website=youtube.com |publisher=[[KLAS-TV]] |language=en |format=video |date=November 10, 1989}}</ref> Similarly, the 1996 documentary ''Dreamland'' directed by [[Bruce Burgess]] included an interview with a 71-year-old mechanical engineer who claimed to be a former employee at Area 51 during the 1950s. His claims included that he had worked on a "flying disc simulator" which had been based on a disc originating from a crashed extraterrestrial craft and was used to train pilots. He also claimed to have worked with an extraterrestrial being named "J-Rod" and described as a "telepathic translator".<ref>''Dreamland'', Transmedia and Dandelion Production for Sky Television (1996).</ref> In 2004, Dan Burisch (pseudonym of Dan Crain) claimed to have worked on cloning alien viruses at Area 51, also alongside the alien named "J-Rod". Burisch's scholarly credentials are the subject of much debate, as he was apparently working as a Las Vegas parole officer in 1989 while also earning a PhD at [[State University of New York]] (SUNY).<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.csicop.org/si/2004-11/ |publisher=Committee for Skeptical Inquiry |journal=Skeptical Inquirer |volume=28 |issue=6 |date=November–December 2004 |first=Robert |last=Sheaffer |title=Tunguska 1, Roswell 0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313001822/http://www.csicop.org/si/2004-11/ |archive-date=13 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In July 2019, more than 2,000,000 people responded to a [[Storm Area 51|joke proposal to storm Area 51]] which appeared in an anonymous Facebook post.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/1-7-million-want-to-raid-area-51-to-see-them-aliens/ |title=1.7 million want to raid Area 51 to 'see them aliens' |first=Daniel |last=van Boom |date=18 July 2019 |access-date=23 July 2019 |publisher=[[CNET News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/16/storm-area-51-internet-meme-facebook-event |title=1.5 million people have signed up to storm Area 51. What could go wrong? |first=Adrienne |last=Matei |newspaper=The Guardian |date=17 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/storm-area-51-when-where-aliens-military-base-raid-facebook-event-a9005546.html |title=Storm Area 51: Are Alien-hunters Really Planning to 'Raid' the Secret U.S. Military Base? |first=Andrew |last=Griffin |newspaper=The Independent |date=17 July 2019}}</ref> The event, scheduled for 20 September 2019, was billed as "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us", an attempt to "see them aliens".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/16/storm-area-51-internet-meme-facebook-event |title=1.3 million people have signed up to storm Area 51. What could go wrong? |last=Matei |first=Adrienne |date=16 July 2019 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=2019-07-16 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://m.facebook.com/events/area-51/storm-area-51-they-cant-stop-all-of-us/448435052621047/ |title=Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us |website=m.facebook.com |access-date=2019-07-25}}</ref> Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews said the government "would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces".<ref name="McAndrewsWaPo"/> Two music festivals in rural Nevada, AlienStock and Storm Area 51 Basecamp, were subsequently organized to capitalize on the popularity of the original Facebook event. Between 1,500 and 3,000 people showed up at the festivals, while over 150 people made the journey over several miles of rough roads to get near the gates to Area 51.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-area51/in-nevada-desert-area-51-raid-lures-festive-ufo-hunters-three-arrested-idUSKBN1W51H6 |title=Area 51 raid lures festive UFO hunters to Nevada desert; five arrested |last=Richwine |first=Lisa |date=September 20, 2019 |work=Reuters |access-date=September 22, 2019}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Zialcita |first=Paolo |title='Storm Area 51' Fails To Materialize |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/09/20/762897934/storm-area-51-fails-to-materialize |website=NPR |access-date=September 21, 2019 |date=September 20, 2019}}</ref> Seven people were reportedly arrested at the event.<ref name=":0" />

== In popular culture ==
Because of Area 51's prominence in relation to aliens and conspiracy theories, it has often been used as a setting and theme in popular culture, especially in [[science fiction]] works involving aliens.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ward |first=Alex |date=2019-09-19 |title=Area 51 and aliens: the myth, the meme, and the strange reality, explained |url=https://www.vox.com/2019/9/19/20857221/storm-area-51-aliens-ufos-meme-myth-lore-history-bob-lazar-explained |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Tonopah Test Range|Area 52]]
* [[Black operation]]
* [[Black project]]
* [[Black site]]
* [[List of United States Air Force installations]]
* [[Special access program]]

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==Citations==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{Refbegin}}
* Darlington, David (1998). ''[[Area 51: The Dreamland Chronicles]]''. New York: Henry Holt. {{ISBN|978-0-8050-6040-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Jacobsen |first=Annie |author-link=Annie Jacobsen |orig-year=2011 |year=2012 |title=[[Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base]] |location=New York |publisher=Back Bay Books |isbn=978-0-316-13294-7}}
* Patton, Phil (1998). ''Dreamland: Travels Inside the Secret World of Roswell and Area 51''. New York: Villard/Random House {{ISBN|978-0-375-75385-5}}
* {{cite book |last1=Rich |first1=Ben R. |author-link=Ben Rich (engineer) |last2=Janos |first2=Leo |year=1994 |title=Skunk Works: A personal memoir of my years at Lockheed |location=Boston |publisher=Little, Brown |isbn=978-0-316-74300-6}}
* [[Lesley Stahl|Stahl, Lesley]] "Area 51 / Catch 22" ''[[60 Minutes]]'' [[CBS Television]] 17 March 1996, a US TV news magazine's segment about the environmental lawsuit.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{geoGroup}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Area 51}}
* [https://skyvector.com/?ll=37.27599241681214,-115.80154026998743&chart=17&zoom=5 Las Vegas sectional aeronautical chart, centered on Groom Lake] (Federal Aviation Administration – SkyVector.com)

{{UFOs}}
{{Conspiracy theories}}
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[[Category:Area 51| ]]
[[Category:1942 establishments in Nevada]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Lincoln County, Nevada]]
[[Category:Installations of the Central Intelligence Agency]]
[[Category:Military installations in Nevada]]
[[Category:Military UFO conspiracy theories in the United States]]
[[Category:United States Air Force installations]]
[[Category:Secret places in the United States]]