Editing Nevada Test and Training Range

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{{Short description|Military training area in Nevada, United States}}
{{For|the United States Air Force unit|Nevada Test and Training Range (military unit)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Nevada Test and Training Range
| ensign = 
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| partof = [[Nellis Air Force Base Complex]]
| location  = [[Nye County, Nevada|Nye]], [[Lincoln County, Nevada|Lincoln]], and [[Clark County, Nevada|Clark]] counties, Nevada
| nearest_town =Las Vegas <!-- used in military test site infobox -->
| country = US
| image = File:Close Air Support training at the Nevada Test and Training Range 110923-F-MQ656-179.jpg
| alt = A close air support training mission at the Nevada Test and Training Range
| caption = An [[A-10 Thunderbolt II]] releases its munitions during a [[close air support]] training mission on September 23, 2011
| type = 
| coordinates = <!-- {{Coord}} --> {{coord|37|31|36|N|116|11|53|W|display=inline,title}}
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| image_map = Wfm area51 map en.png
| image_mapsize = 
| image_map_alt = 
| image_map_caption = "Nellis Air Force Range" and nearby federal lands
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| ownership = [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]<!-- government department such as the MoD or the United States DoD -->
| operator = <!-- where different from ownership such as the RAF or the USAF -->
| controlledby = <!-- such as RAF Bomber Command or the Eighth Air Force -->
| 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 = '''Land:''' {{Convert|<!--2900000|acre-->4531|sqmi|abbr=on}} in 2012<!--99ABW--> <!--"range occupies 2.9 million acres of land"--> <!-- area of site m2, km2 square mile etc --><br>'''Airspace:''' {{convert|5000|sqmi|abbr=on}} restricted{{r|"2012FactSheet"}}, {{Convert|7000|sqmi|abbr=on}} shared (MOA)
| code = <!--facility/installation code, applies to US -->
| built =established September 29, 1940  <!-- {{Start date|YYYY}} -->
| used = <!--{{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-->
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| current_commander = <!-- current commander -->
| past_commanders = <!-- past notable commander(s) -->
| garrison = <!-- such as the 25th Bombardment Group -->
| occupants = 2011: [[Nevada Test and Training Range (military unit)|NTTR military unit]]<br>
2001: [[98th Range Wing]]<br>
{{Specify|date=February 2013}}: [[99th Range Group]]<br>
1948<!--June-->:{{r|"USACE2001"}}<!--pdf 16--> [[Air Training Command|ATC Flying Division]]<br>
{{circa|lk=no|1945}}: [[Fifteenth Air Force]]<br>
1942: [[Fourth Air Force]] detachment<br>
1941:{{r|"York"}} [[Air Force Combat Command|AFCC]] & [[West Coast Air Corps Training Center|WCACTC]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.nellis.af.mil/Units/NTTR/}}
| footnotes =GNIS code 2511961<!-- catchall in case it's needed to preserve something in infobox that doesn't work in new code -->
}}
{{GeoGroup}}

The '''Nevada Test and Training Range''' ('''NTTR''') is one of two military training areas at the [[Nellis Air Force Base Complex]] in [[Nevada]] and used by the [[United States Air Force Warfare Center]] at [[Nellis Air Force Base]]. The NTTR land area includes a "simulated Integrated Air Defense System", several individual ranges with 1200 targets, and 4 remote communication sites.{{r|"2012FactSheet"}} The current NTTR area and the range's former areas have been used for aerial gunnery and bombing, for [[nuclear tests]], as a proving ground and flight test area, for aircraft control and warning, and for Blue Flag, Green Flag, and [[Red Flag exercise]]s.

==Geography==
The Nevada Test and Training Range land area is mostly [[Central Basin and Range ecoregion]] ([[cf.]] southernmost portion in the [[Mojave Desert]]),{{r|"Huntley"}}{{rp|3-1}} and smaller ecoregions (e.g., [[Tonopah Basin]], Tonopah Playa, & Bald Mountain biomes) are within the area of numerous [[basin and range]] landforms of the NTTR.

===Landforms===
{{For|the list of all NTTR landforms|List of landforms of the Nellis & Wildlife 5 Ranges region#Nellis Air Force Range{{!}}Nellis and Wildlife 5 Ranges region}}
The NTTR is at the serpentine section of the [[Great Basin Divide]] in southern Nevada and uses numerous landforms for military operations, e.g., [[Groom Lake]] near the northeast NTTR border is the airstrip for [[Area 51]], the 1955 Site II west of the lake's WWII field. [[Tolicha Peak]] and [[Point Bravo]] are the sites of for electronic combat ranges, and the [[Mercury Valley]] is the eponym for a [[Cold War]] camp that became [[Mercury, Nevada|Mercury]], Nevada. The [[Tonopah Test Range]], within the boundaries of the NTTR (e.g., "Nellis Range 75"<ref name="TTRCASs">{{Cite report |title=Tonopah Test Range...Corrective Action Sites |volume=DOE/NV/25946--1036 |quote=CAS TA-55-002-TAB2 (Bomblet Target Areas) consists of six separate locations [that] include Mid Target, [[BLU-63]] area, [[Strategic Air Command|SAC]] Target, South Antelope Lake, and [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk]] Targets 1 and 2 ... CAS RG-52-007-TAML ([[Davis Gun]] Penetrator Test) consists of Davis Gun testing locations on [[Antelope Lake (Nevada)|Antelope]], [[Brownes Lake|Brownes]], [[Pedro Lake|Pedro]], and [[Main Lake]]s, and [[Antelope Tuff]] 1, Antelope Tuff 2, [[Sidewinder Tuff]], [[Myers Ridge]], and [[Mount Helen (Nevada)|Mt Helen]] (Nellis Range 75). The only location with land use restrictions is Antelope Lake.}}</ref>) includes [[Antelope Lake (Nevada)|Antelope Lake]], Radar Hill, and the "Cactus, Antelope, and [[Silverbow Springs]]".{{r|"Wagner"}}

===Northern Range===
The ''Northern Range'' includes the [[Tolicha Peak Electronic Combat Range]] (TPECR, e.g., Range 76 targets 76–03, -05, -11, & -14)<ref name="BergerField">{{Cite report |year=2000 |title=Berger Field Site 27 (IMACS Site Form) |quote=<!--16. Location and Access: The site is located adjacent to the northwest corner of Target 76-11, Range 76, Nellis Air Force Range, Nevada. Travel north along US 95 from Beatty {{convert|27|mi}}, then turn right into the Tolicha Peak entrance to Nellis AFR. Proceed {{convert|10.9|mi}} through the security gate to the Tolicha Peak Electronic Combat Range (TPECR), then proceed north through TPECR, then north/northwest along a dirt road (Potato Chip Road) for {{convert|4.8|mi}}, passing the turn-off for the Eastman Airfield Target (Target 76-14), and continue for another {{convert|5.5|mi}} along this same north-trending dirt road (but now named Pena Parkway). Turn left (or west) at Target 76-05, and proceed for {{convert|1.5|mi}} southwest until you enter Target 76-03. Then hike straight south for one mile to the northwest corner of Target 76-11 and the <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Berger Field]] site. -->}} (form is depicted in the 2006 ''Developing Cultural Resources Data Management Tools'' presentation)</ref> and [[Tonopah Electronic Combat Range]] (the [[List of landforms of the Nellis & Wildlife 5 Ranges region#National Wildhorse Management Area|Wildhorse Management Area]] encircled by the Northern Range is not part of the NTTR.){{r|"GlobalSecurity"}}

===Eastman Airfield Target===
The '''Eastman Airfield Target''' (Target 76–14,{{r|"BergerField"}} Korean Airfield, {{Coord|37|22| |N|116|50| |W|display=inline|name=Eastman Airfield Target 76-14|notes={{Citation needed|date=February 2012}} }}) is a Range 76 target {{convert|4.3|mi|km}} northwest of the TPECR. The target has a northeastern taxiway loop, characteristic for the former [[Soviet Air Force]] base at [[Jüterbog Airfield]] in [[East Germany]], and three ramps in front of hangars on the western side of the loop. The other taxiways have a similar layout to Jüterbog, although the runway is about {{convert|400|m|order=flip}} shorter. There are two accompanying [[surface to air missile|SAM]] sites, one {{convert|2.5|km|order=flip}} northwest of the airfield, and one {{convert|5.6|km|order=flip}} northwest just like the original.<ref>{{cite web |title=Altes Lager: Air Base |publisher=Military Airfields Directory |url=http://www.mil-airfields.de/de/altes-lager.htm}}</ref>

===Southern Range===
The '''Southern Range''' includes the [[Point Bravo Electronic Combat Range]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} An area of about {{Convert|<!--816400|acre-->1276|sqmi|abbr=on}} of the Southern Range that was withdrawn from the [[Desert National Wildlife Range]] is co-managed by the [[United States Air Force]] (USAF) and the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]].{{r|"GlobalSecurity"}}

===Nearby facilities===
In addition to [[Nellis Air Force Base|Nellis AFB]], areas outside of the current NTTR land area are used for related activities, e.g., about {{Convert|<!--708621|acres|-->1107|sqmi|abbr=on}} of the former military range land (relinquished 1942, e.g. ranges 46–56,{{r|"Madsen"}} and {{circa|lk=no|1953}}) is under the Nellis "Area A" airspace that is a [[Military Operations Area]] (MOA).{{r|"EO9019"}} The [[Formerly Used Defense Site]] north and northeast of the NTTR with "[[Stone Cabin Valley|Stone Cabin]], [[Hot Creek Valley|Hot Creek]], [[Railroad Valley|Railroad]], [[Tikaboo Valley|Tikaboo]], and [[Sand Spring Valley|Sand Spring]] valleys" is a "former portion of the Tonopah Bombing Range", includes "Permit Required Confined space", and prohibits vehicles in "suspected ordnance impact area[s]" (e.g., "green markings" indicate chemical agents).{{r|"USACE2001"}} Most areas adjacent to the NTTR are managed by the [[Bureau of Land Management]] for limited non-residential use such as grazing.{{r|"USACE2001"}}{{rp|3-1}} Temporary sites, e.g., for [[MIM-104 Patriot|Patriot]] Communications Exercises (about "21 days per exercise"), are in the "[[Air Defense Artillery|ADA]] activity area" east of the NTTR with 13 empty "500 feet by 500 feet" sites for mobile electronic equipment on BLM land in the "[[Sand Springs Valley]], [[Coal Valley (Nevada)|Coal Valley]], [[Delamar Valley]], and [[Dry Lake Valley]]" ("general area" of the Key Pittman [[Wildlife Management Area|WMA]]) and "under MOA airspace".{{r|"Huntley"}}

==History==
"[[tertiary period|Tertiary age]]" lava flows formed 5 erupted groups in the area, and block faulting such as the [[Siebert fault|Siebert]] and Mizpah faults formed the ranges and valleys.{{r|"Spurr"}}{{rp|68}} [[Precambrian]] and [[Paleozoic]] marine sediments form an "almost uniform thickness of 40,000 feet", and surface geology is "typically the [[Cenozoic Era]] continental deposits and some [[Paleogene]] volcanic rocks".{{r|"USACE2001"}}{{rp|3-3}} Located at the southern tip of the [[Great Basin tribes]] area, the eventual range area was crossed by the [[Old Spanish Trail (trade route)]], was south of the [[Pony Express]] route, and was split by the [[37th parallel north]] of the [[New Mexico Territory|1850 New Mexico]] & [[Arizona Territory|1863 Arizona]] territories' northwest corner. In the 1930s the land had been used as an [[Animal Sanctuary]] where the [[Department of the Interior]] made it a wildlife reservation. However, in 1942 during World War II the region restricted it from public access for the War Department to use.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jacobsen|first=Annie|title=Area 51|year=2011|publisher=Little, Brown and Company|location=New York|isbn=978-0-316-13294-7|page=107}}</ref> The original bombing range had been used for the [[Silver mining in Nevada#Tonopah district|1900–1921 silver rush]] (e.g., [[Tonopah Mining District]]<ref name="Spurr">{{Cite book |last=Spurr |first=Josiah Edward |year=1905 |title=Geology of the Tonopah Mining District, Nevada |url=https://archive.org/details/geologyoftonopah00spurrich |format=Internet Archive abstract |publisher=GPO |access-date=February 7, 2013 |quote= <!-- The writer has previously described the Great Basin region as forming part of a great petrographic province, and later it has been shown that this province extends into Mexico, and may reach much farther northeast and southwest.... In April, 1900, James L. Butler ... on Mizpah Hill, he broke off specimens [valued] from $50 to $600 per ton in silver and gold.... until the present season (1904) ... the fronts of many of the Basin ranges are bordered by a continuous apron of debris sloping down into the center of the valley.... The greatest of the earth's oceans [[Pacific Rim|is rimmed by the greatest of the earth's volcanic belts. This "circle of fire", ...]] -->}} U.S. Geological Survey "Professional Paper No. 42" maps included are Plate III (mining claim map, pp. 28–9) & Plate XVI (geologic map with streets and buildings on pp. 116–7).</ref> & Tonopah [[Manhattan, Nevada|Manhattan]] Stage Route),{{r|"GNIS"}} and the region was subdivided into smaller numbered management areas (e.g., [[Area 2 (Nevada National Security Site)|Area 2]], [[Area 5 (Nevada National Security Site)|Area 5]], [[Area 11 (Nevada Test Site)|Area 11]], [[Area 12 (Nevada National Security Site)|Area 12]], [[Area 25 (Nevada National Security Site)|Area 25]], [[Area 27 (Nevada National Security Site)|Area 27]], [[Tonopah Test Range|Area 52]]), which are used for names of some of the range installations (e.g., "Area 3 Compound"{{r|"TTRCASs"}} and "[[Area 51]]" for "Groom Lake Field").

===Tonopah Bombing Range===
{{Redirect|Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range|the nearby WWII base named for the city|Nellis Air Force Base#Las Vegas Army Air Field{{!}}Las Vegas Army Air Field}}
The [[Tonopah General Range|Tonopah Bombing Range]] was designated on federal land "withdrawn ... October 29, 1940, from the public domain"{{r|"Valliant"}} and in June 1941, the "Tonopah Gunnery and Bombing Range" was split at "37 degrees and 30 minutes" latitude into the "'''Tonopah General Range'''" and "'''Las Vegas General Range'''".{{r|"USACE2001"}} On October 28, 1941, "United States v. 1,855,720 Acres of land ..." (US Fifth District) was initiated to [[eminent domain|seize private land]],{{r|"Mullery"}} and in July 1942 the [[Fourth Air Force]] Bombing and Gunnery Range Detachment from "[[Muroc Lake]]" arrived as the 1st unit. Several [[Nevada World War II Army Airfields]] were established, e.g., the August 1942 [[Tonopah Army Air Field]] in the north area and in the south, [[Indian Springs Auxiliary Army Airfield]] and its additional fields, e.g., at [[Area 18 (NTS)|Area 18]] ([[Pahute Mesa Airstrip|Aux. Field#4]]) and [[Area 51]] ([[Area 51|Aux. Field#1]]). In February 1943, Indian Springs AAF was being used for the [[82d Flying Training Wing]] for air-to-air gunnery training, and Indian Springs AAF closed in January 1947.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}}  In June 1947 Tonopah AAF was declared excess along with its 3 auxiliary areas ([[Mizpah Hill|Mizpah]] and [[James L. Butler|Butler]] housing terraces and [http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=132:3:1452348038857405::NO::P3_FID,P3_TITLE:851885%2CColumbia%20Junction%20(historical) Columbia Junction] gasoline unloading station).{{r|"McMullen"}} The Indian Springs main facility{{Specify|Did it reopen in 1948 as a USAF installation or still an Army post, e.g., what was its name since it wasn't an AFB until 1951?|date=February 2013}} re-opened in January 1948 and on June 13, 1949, Air Training Command merged the Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range and the Tonopah Bombing and Gunnery Range.{{r|"Harper"}} On June 28, 1949, the "Gunnery Range of the [[Tonopah Air Force Base]]" had about {{Convert|30|sqmi|abbr=on}}{{r|"Chaffin"}} and after the 1949 [[Las Vegas Air Force Base]] was renamed on April 30, 1950, a [[United States Atomic Energy Commission]] (AEC) committee selected the {{sic|"[[Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range]]"}} for a nuclear test site on December 12, 1950.<ref>{{Cite report |url=http://www.nv.energy.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_705.pdf |title=DOE Fact Sheet |access-date=February 14, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218132345/http://www.nv.energy.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_705.pdf |archive-date=February 18, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The land was ideal for training aerial gunners because the land was far from people and contained dry lake beds, which worked perfectly for target practices.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jacobsen|first=Annie|title=Area 51|year=2011|publisher=Little Brown and Company|location=New York|isbn=978-0-316-13294-7|page=107}}</ref>

===Nellis Air Force Gunnery and Bombing Range===<!-- Redirect section anchor -->
A 680-square mile section of the Nellis Air Force Gunnery and Bombing Range was designated the [[Nevada Proving Grounds]] (NPG) on December 18, 1950.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 2011 |title=Miss Atom Bomb |url=http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_1024.pdf |format=NISA Fact Sheet |publisher=[[National Nuclear Security Administration|NNSA]] Nevada Site Office |work=Nevada National Security Site History |access-date=February 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303003053/http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_1024.pdf |archive-date=March 3, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The new NPG included "[[Yucca Flat|Yucca]] and [[Frenchman Flat]]s, [[Pahute Mesa|Paiute]] and [[Rainier Mesa]]s". The [[Truman administration|presidential order]] also established Groom Lake Field ([[colloquialism|colloq.]] "The Pig Farm") at the WWII installation.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} The first NPG nuclear test was for [[Operation Ranger]] on January 27, 1951, and the Indian Springs main facility (renamed an Air Force Base in 1951) supported NPG testing after [[Air Research and Development Command|ARDC]] General Order No. 39 on July 16, 1952.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} The NPG [[:File:Camp Desert Rock.jpg|Camp Desert Rock]] "military support facility" (now the private [[Desert Rock Airport]]) operated September 1951-October 7, 1957 (electricity was from AEC's [[Mercury, Nevada|Camp Mercury]]) and closed June 18, 1964.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Lt Col Danny M |title=Camp Desert Rock, Nevada |publisher={{Specify| url is needed |date=February 2013}} |quote= <!-- Construction of the Nevada Test Site (NTS), originally known as the Nevada Proving Ground (NPG), began in January 1951. Construction of what became known as Camp Desert Rock did not start until September 1951. The camp was named for [[Desert Rock exercises|Exercise Desert Rock]], a series of atmospheric nuclear tests first conducted at NTS in 1951. This site included ... the Camp Desert Rock area.... The Army acquired 23,058 acres for Camp Desert Rock from the Department of the Interior on September 5, 1951.... electricity to all parts of the camp from nearby AEC Camp Mercury -->}}</ref> In 1955 on the southwest corner of Groom Lake, a survey team laid out the 5,000-foot (1,500&nbsp;m) north–south "Site II" runway for [[Project AQUATONE]]. The 1st [[Lockheed U-2]] (Article 341) left the [[Skunk Works]] in a [[C-124 Globemaster II]] cargo plane for the AQUATONE site in July 1955 and first flew on July 29 during a runway test.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Burrows |first=William E. |year=1986 |publisher=[[Berkley Books]] |title=Deep Black: The Startling Truth Behind America's Top-Secret Spy Satellites |isbn=0-425-10879-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/deepblackspacees00burr }}</ref> The [[Tonopah Test Range]] (TTR) land was withdrawn from public use in 1956{{r|"Wagner"}} to replace nuclear test sites at the "[[Salton Sea Test Base]]" and the [[Yucca Flat]] site, and in 1957 [[Sandia Laboratories]] began TTR operations at [[Cactus Flat]].{{r|"Wagner"}}

From 1956 to 1969–70, the [[Las Vegas Air Force Station]] and [[Tonopah Air Force Station]]s provided [[Reno Air Defense Sector]] radar tracks and in 1957, the "instrumented AEC range at Tonopah" was used by [[Naval Air Station Fallon|NAS Fallon]] and [[Point Mugu]] pilots.{{r|"CNO"}} "A safety experiment ([[Project 57]] No. 1) with ground zero coordinates of N 932646, E 688515 was detonated on April 24, 1957" in "Area 13"<ref name="FFACO" /> at the northeast NTTR boundary. In 1958, the [[Tonopah Test Range Airport]] was planned with a single runway of {{Convert|19000|ft|m|abbr=on}}.{{r|"CNO"}} In 1960, Camp Mercury was a base camp for [[Project 5.5]] that studied nuclear detonation effect on the [[Northrop F-89 Scorpion|Northrop F-89D Scorpion]] (a similar [[Project 6.5]] was for effect of nuclear detonations on the [[Nike Hercules]] missile system).<ref>{{Cite report |title=title tbd |url=http://www.dtra.mil/documents/ntpr/historical/1957%20-%20DNA%206008F%20-%20Shots%20BOLTZMANN%20to%20WILSON%20-%20Operation%20PL.pdf |quote= <!--Project 5.5 ... personnel departed from [[Camp Mercury]] at 0025 hours on shot-day for the MSQ Radar Site{{Where|Northern or Southern range?|date=February 2013}}{{dead link|date=September 2017}} located approximately 30 kilometers southwest of [[ground zero]].... They remained at the station through shot-time and until two hours after the [Project 6.5] shot to man missile and target-tracking radar'' --> |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222172014/http://www.dtra.mil/documents/ntpr/historical/1957%20-%20DNA%206008F%20-%20Shots%20BOLTZMANN%20to%20WILSON%20-%20Operation%20PL.pdf |archive-date=February 22, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}. (An [[Ground-directed bombing#Korean War|AN/MSQ-1A]] was used for tracking aircraft during NUDET testing.)[http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/radiation/dir/mstreet/commeet/meet6/brief6/tab_f/br6f1l.txt]</ref> A 1961 [[Public Land Order]] transferred USAF land to the AEC, and after the 1962 [[RBS Express]] #2 near the [[Hawthorne Naval Ammunition Depot]] was used for [[Radar Bomb Scoring]] of flights over the range, the [[Babbitt, Nevada|Hawthorne Bomb Plot]] radar station operated in [[Babbitt, Nevada|Babbitt]] until {{circa|lk=no|1993}}. [[Operation Roller Coaster]] was a TTR nuclear test series in May and June 1963{{r|"Wagner"}} and in November and December 1965, [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] [[Combat Skyspot]] testing at the range used the only CONUS [[Reeves AN/MSQ-77 Bomb Directing Central|AN/MSQ-77]] developed for the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>{{Cite report |last={{Who|date=July 2012}} |chapter=Chapter II: Personnel |title=1st Combat Evaluation Group (SAC): April-June 1966 |volume=I |chapter-url=http://www.docstoc.com/docs/111974612/1CEVG-Combat-Skyspot-History |chapter-format=DocStoc.com image |access-date=February 12, 2013 |quote=the only [[ground directed bombing]] equipment in the Continental United States [[Reeves AN/MSQ-77 Bomb Directing Central|with a 200 nautical mile capability]]. }} ([http://www.1stcombatevaluationgroup.com/1CEVG_skyspot_history.PDF partial transcription at 1stCombatEvaluationGroup.com)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606171407/http://www.1stcombatevaluationgroup.com/1CEVG_skyspot_history.PDF |date=June 6, 2013 }}</ref> Planning to integrate the range with the [[Fallon Range Training Complex|Fallon]] and [[Utah Test and Training Range|Hill/Wendover/Dugway ranges]] to create the [[Great Basin]]'s "[[Continental Operations Range]]" ended in 1975,<ref>{{Cite book |last={{Full citation needed|date=February 2013}} |title=Combat Zoning |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8ZFCQQabrXEC&q=%22Continental+Operations+Range%22&pg=PA40 |access-date=February 10, 2013|isbn=9780874171877 |year=1993 |publisher=University of Nevada Press }}</ref> the first year for a Nellis range [[Red Flag exercise]].

===Nellis Air Force Range===
The '''Nellis Air Force Range''' (NAFR) was used to bury wreckage of the [[List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1975–1979)#1978|1978 Groom Lake & 1979 NAFR]] [[Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk]] crashes, and additional [[Cold War]] accidents at the range included the [[Lockheed U-2#Variants|1975 NAFR TR-1 crash]],<ref>https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YzJcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yVUNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5447,1924221&dq=nellis+air+force+range&hl=en{{dead link|date=September 2017}}<br>https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wa0tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LYEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1742,4964182&dq=nellis+air+force+range&hl=en{{dead link|date=September 2017}}</ref> the [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F#History|1979 Tonopah MiG-17 crash]] during training versus an [[Northrop F-5]], the [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23#History|1984 Little Skull Mountain MiG-23 crash]], which killed a USAF general,<ref>{{cite news |title=General might have died in Soviet jet|newspaper=[[Telegraph Herald]] |location=Dubuque, Iowa |date=May 3, 1984  |agency=The New York Times News Service |page=2 |via=Google News |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GDtFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5828,221561&dq=nellis+air+force+range&hl=en}}</ref> and the 1986 NAFR crash, which "Air Force sources" identified as an "[[F-19]]" stealth fighter.<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. air force keeping quiet about aircraft |date=July 14, 1986 |newspaper=[[Leader-Post]] |location=Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |agency=Associated Press |page=C8 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=64hWAAAAIBAJ&pg=1331,3259666&dq=nellis+air+force+range&hl=en}}</ref> Circa 1980, NAFR received [[1st Combat Evaluation Group#ESD 806L systems|806L "Range Threat" systems]] for [[electronic warfare]] simulation and from 1983 to 1985, the area of [[South Antelope Lake]] was used for two [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk missile]] targets.<ref>{{Cite report |title=Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan for Corrective Action Unit 408 ... (DOE/NV--1171-Rev. 1) |date=March 2010 |publisher=[[National Nuclear Security Administration]]}}</ref> NAFR range operations transferred to the [[99th Range Group]] at the end of the [[Cold War]] (the range received various [[Radar Bomb Scoring]] electronic systems from [[Strategic Training Range]]s, e.g., Nellis had 5 AN/MSQ-77s by 1994).<ref>{{cite journal |author=Stephen M. Hardy |author2=Zachary A. Lum |title=Simulation Shadowland |journal=Journal of Electronic Defense |date=November 1994 |pages=35–36 |via=Aliens on Earth |url=http://www.ufomind.com/area51/orgs/nellis/nellisew.txt}}</ref> In 1999 the range's land withdrawal{{Quantify|date=February 2013}} was renewed<ref>{{Cite book |date=March 1999 |title=Renewal of the Nellis Air Force Range Land Withdrawal: Legislative Environmental Impact Statement |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2nr_GgAACAAJ |publisher=USAF}}</ref> and the unused portion of the original Tonopah Bombing Range was redesignated a [[Formerly Used Defense Site]].{{r|"USACE2001"}}{{rp|2-1}}
{{External media
|image1=[http://www.ufomind.com/area51/maps/overview/general.jpg map at UFOmind.com]
}}
In 2001, NAFR was renamed the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) and in October 2001, the range group personnel and assets for range operations transferred to the 98th Range Wing.{{r|"2011Factsheet"}} In 2005, Indian Springs AFAF was renamed [[Creech Air Force Base]] and in 2010, the NTS was renamed the [[Nevada National Security Site]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 23, 2010 |title=Nevada nuclear bomb site given new name |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/08/23/Nevada-nuclear-bomb-site-given-new-name/UPI-39551282594195/ |publisher=United Press International |access-date=February 10, 2013}}</ref> The NTTR had four tracts in the [[2010 U.S. Census]].{{r|"2010Census"}} In 2011, the 98th Range Wing was redesignated with the same name as the range (NTTR).{{r|"2012FactSheet"}}

=== Area 51 Facebook Raid ===
{{Main|Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us}}
In June 2019, a joke [[Facebook]] event was created rallying the public to storm the training range on September 20 that year. Over two million people responded as "going" to the event, with another 1.5 million "interested".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-ideas/weird-and-wacky/storm-area-51-alien-tourists-prompt-nevada-emergency-crowd-planning/news-story/52ea93a62a27fb75a1858bf4a8ed8e98|title=Area 51, Tourist Planning|date=August 22, 2019|work=News.com|access-date=August 22, 2019}}</ref> The county commission chairman estimated that approximately 40,000 people would turn up on 20 September.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.660citynews.com/2019/08/20/area-51-county-officials-draft-emergency-plan-for-big-crowds/|title=Area 51, Nevada Emergency|date=August 22, 2019|work=660 News|access-date=August 22, 2019}}</ref>

On July 10, speaking with ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews said officials were aware of the event, and issued a warning saying that the area was "an open training range for the U.S. Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces", adding: "The U.S. Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets".<ref name="McAndrewsWaPo">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2019/07/13/half-million-people-signed-up-storm-area-what-happens-if-they-actually-show-up/ |title=Half a million people signed up to storm Area 51. What happens if they actually show? |first=Michael |last=Brice-Saddler |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> A public information officer at [[Nellis Air Force Base]] told [[KNPR]] that "any attempt to illegally access the area is highly discouraged".<ref name=":4">{{cite web|url=https://knpr.org/knpr/2019-07/bring-it-biz-owners-welcome-million-person-march-area-51|title=Bring It! Biz Owners Welcome Million-Person March To Area 51 |website=Nevada Public Radio|language=en|access-date=2019-07-21}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist |colwidth=33em|refs=

<ref name="2010Census">{{cite web |format=spreadsheet text |year=2010 |title=Download the 2010 Census Tract to Military Area |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/centract_military.txt |access-date=February 9, 2013 |quote=<!--
* STATEFP,COUNTYFP,TRACTCE,POPDEC,HOUSING,MTFCC,DISPLAYNAME,SUMAREA,TOTALAREA,PCT_TRACT_COVERED
: ...
: 32,003,005902,1433,567,K2110,Nevada Test and Training Range ,1465337815,5651469816,25.93
: 32,003,006001,4289,2157,K2110,Nellis AFB ,4923819,9766803,50.41
: ...
: 32,003,007500,6314,1105,K2110,Nevada Test and Training Range ,34521,1768430667,0
: 32,003,007800,2757,933,K2110,Nellis AFB ,55795809,138353485,40.33
: ...
: 32,017,950200,2661,1219,K2110,Nevada Test and Training Range ,3160371105,18028461037,17.53
: ...
: 32,023,980500,0,0,K2110,Tonopah Test Range ,8516311,10843014928,0.08
: 32,023,980500,0,0,K2110,Nevada Test and Training Range ,7334373420,10843014928,67.64--> |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202111944/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/centract_military.txt |archive-date=February 2, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;also available [http://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/Files/tigerweb_acs11_military_us.html as a graphic table with NTTR lat/lon:]{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} +37.3067987 -116.1698524</ref>

<ref name="2011Factsheet">{{Cite report |date=March 10, 2011 |title=Nevada Test and Training Range |url=http://www.afhra.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=9856 |format=AFHRA Fact Sheet |publisher=[[Air Force Historical Research Agency]] |access-date=February 6, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220102021/http://www.afhra.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=9856 |archive-date=February 20, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
<ref name="2012FactSheet">{{Cite report |date=July 12, 2012 |title=Nevada Test and Training Range |url=http://www.nellis.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=18506 |format=99th ABW Fact Sheet |publisher=[[99th Air Base Wing]] Public Affairs |access-date=February 9, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217021903/http://www.nellis.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=18506 |archive-date=February 17, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

<!-- unused <ref name="DOE/NV-1046">National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office, ''Plutonium Dispersal Tests at the Nevada Test Site'', April 2010, [http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_1046.pdf DOE/NV-1046] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927020910/http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/factsheets/DOENV_1046.pdf |date=September 27, 2011 }}</ref> unused -->

<!-- unused <ref name="DOE/NV-209">U.S. Department of Energy / Nevada Operations Office, ''United States Nuclear Tests - July 1945 through September 1992'', December 2000, [http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/publications/historical/DOENV_209_REV15.pdf DOE/NV-209 Rev 15] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012160826/http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/publications/historical/DOENV_209_REV15.pdf |date=October 12, 2006 }}</ref> unused -->

<ref name="EO9019">{{Citation |year=1942 |title=Executive Order 9019}}{{Full citation needed|date=February 2013}} <!-- '''NOTE''': EO9019 returned about {{Convert|937730|acre|sqmi}} of the Las Vegas General Range to the [[Department of the Interior]] and by 1953, about {{Convert|154584|acre|sqmi}} of the former Tonopah General Range were relinquished. "These two tracts of land comprise Area A, approximately 708,621 acres ... in Lincoln and Nye Counties north and northeast of the present-day boundaries of the Nellis Air Force Range ... the majority of the area is used for wildlife conservation and is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) [and] The remainder of the land is owned by various private landowners.... The majority of Area A is still used today as a [[Military Operations Area]] (MOA) for flyovers by the pilots from Nellis Air Force Base ... and is not part of ... Nellis Air Force Range." --> (GlobalSecurity.org)</ref>

<ref name="FFACO">{{Cite report |date=<!-- "took effect on May 10, 1996": quote about FFACO date from Wagner p. 3-2--> |title=FFACO Facility Descriptions & Maps: Federal Facility Agreement & Consent Order |url=http://ndep.nv.gov/boff/ffco1.htm |publisher=Nevada DEP Bureau of Federal Facilities |access-date=February 10, 2013 |quote=<!-- Public Land Order 2568 (December 19, 1961), and under the authority of Executive Order 10355 on May 26, 1952, approximately 318,000 acres of the Nellis Air Force Range was transferred from the Air Force to the AEC -->|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606051915/http://ndep.nv.gov/boff/ffco1.htm |archive-date=June 6, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

<ref name="GlobalSecurity">{{Cite web |date=<!-- before October 2001 when 98th RG replaced 99th RG --> |title=Nellis Range Complex: Nellis Air Force Range (NAFR) |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/nellis-range.htm |publisher=[[Global Security]] |access-date=February 1, 2013 |quote= <!-- Detachment 1 of the 99th Range Squadron is responsible for supporting all ACC activities at [[Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field]] and the Southern Ranges of the NAFR.... Detachment 2 of the 99th Range Squadron is responsible for, and directs, all ACC activities at [[Tonopah Test Range Airport|Tonopah Test Range Airfield]] and the Northern Ranges.... Approximately 816,400 acres of the NAFR have been withdrawn from the Desert National Wildlife Range (DNWR). The Air Force and USFWS jointly manage this area. -->}} <!-- '''NOTE''': Plate No. 1 of the ASR shows the smaller DNWR area after the withdrawal --> (pdf p. 154).</ref>

<ref name="GNIS">
{{Cite gnis |2511961 |Nevada Test and Training Range (2511961) |quote=373136N 1161153W |access-date=February 12, 2013}}<br>
{{Cite gnis |2090215 |Tonopah Air Force Station (2090215)      |access-date=February 7, 2013}}<br>
{{Cite gnis |864133  |Tonopah Airport (864133)                 |access-date=February 7, 2013}}<br>
{{Cite gnis |2096585 |Tonopah Army Air Field (2096585)         |access-date=February 7, 2013}}<br>
{{Cite gnis |844361  |Tonopah Beacon (844361)                  |access-date=February 7, 2013}}<br>
{{Cite gnis |tbd     |Tonopah Manhattan Stage Route (tbd)      |access-date=February 7, 2013}}<br>
{{Cite gnis |tbd     |Tonopah Stage Route (tbd)                |access-date=February 7, 2013}}
</ref>

<ref name="Huntley">{{cite report |last=Huntley |first=Chris, Proj. Mgr. |date=August 2008 |title=... Patriot Communications Exercises in Lincoln County, Nevada |url=http://www.nellis.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-080404-038.pdf |format=Final Environmental Assessment |publisher=Aspen Environmental Group |access-date=February 6, 2013 |quote=<!-- Proposed Action: Obtain a 15-year Communications Use Lease (CUL) ... to support ground-based Radar/Communications exercises. The sites are located in an area encompassing approximately 2.5 million acres of public lands in the [[Sand Springs Valley]], Coal Valley, [[Delamar Valley]], and [[Dry Lake Valley]] under [[Military Operations Area|MOA airspace]].... thirteen (13) 5.7 acre sites totaling approximately 74.1 acres located in Lincoln County... (Use of location 112C will not be approved at this time.) ... the Key Pittman WMA is ... in the general area of the proposed sites.... associated with the creation of an Integrated Air Defense System (IADS) using Patriot radar communications ... the NTTR does not possess the required resources to train both ground and air systems against a full-spectrum battlefield environment. In March 2005, the BLM granted the USAF a temporary CUL for eight sites in the [[Delamar Valley]] area to conduct Red Flag Exercises [using] ground-to-air, air-to-air, and air-to-ground combat scenarios ... US Army Patriot and Avenger Batteries and Sentinel Radar Systems were used ... Landing Strip pdf 143--> |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304014049/http://www.nellis.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-080404-038.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2013 |df=mdy-all}} [just N of [[Rachel, Nevada]]]</ref>

<ref name="USACE2001">{{cite report |author=[author(s) not identified] |date=December 2002 |title=Findings: Tonopah Bombing Range (Archives Search Report--ASR) |series=Project Number - J09NV1114 |publisher=[[United States Army Corps of Engineers|U1SACE]] St. Louis District |quote=This site is located approximately 60 miles east of Tonopah, adjacent to the current Nellis Air Force Range.}}</ref>

<!--ASR pdf 40--><ref name="Chaffin">{{cite letter |author1=Lt Col A. D. Chaffin Jr |date=June 28, 1949 |title=Gunnery Range, Tonopah Air Force Base |publisher=USACE San Francisco District <!--|access-date=February 4, 2013--> |quote=The Gunnery Range of the [[Tonopah Air Force Base]] is approximately fifteen miles East of the City of Tonopah, Nevada, and is bounded on the South by U.S. Highway No. 8. The Gunnery Range consists of approximately thirty square miles and is all open flat desert}} {{Specify|which valley?|date=February 2013}}</ref>

<!--cited by 7th Ind. on ASR pdf 43--><ref name="Harper">{{cite news |last=Harper, Robert Wells|date= June 13, 1949 |title=General Order No. 25 |publisher=Headquarters, [[Air Training Command]]}} (preceded by "Office, Director of Military Personnel" indorsement on June 1, 1949: "This headquarters approves the redesignation of the combined Ranges, Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range and Tonopah Bombing and Gunnery Range as the Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range.")</ref>
     <!--ASR pdf 109--><ref name="Madsen">{{cite report |last=Madsen |first=Col. Peter T. |date=September 21, 1999 |title=Findings of Fact |volume=Findings and Determination of Eligibility...DERP-FUDS SITE NO. J09NV1114 |publisher=[[Defense Environmental Restoration Program]] |quote=Executive Order No. 9019 was executed on January 12, 1942, to redefine the boundaries of the Tonopah Bombing and Gunnery Range. As a result of this Executive Order, lands included in Townships 1 and 2 North, Ranges 46 through 54 East and Townships 1 through 7 South, Ranges 54 through 56 East were returned to the public domain.... Executive Order No, 10355 executed in 1957 returned an additional 155,645 acres of land to the Bureau of Land Management}}</ref>
     <!--ASR pdf 71--><ref name="McMullen">{{Cite letter |last=McMullen |first=Maj Gen Clements |date=June 13, 1947 |title=Excess Declaration, Tonopah Army Air Field |quote=Pursuant to the authority contained in PAF Regulation 85-3,... this command has no longer a military need for Tonopah Amy Air Field and its auxiliary facilities,... Tonopah Army Air Field contains 21,912.09 acres of land, government-owed, transferred.to the War Department, from the Department of Interior, There are two (2) asphalt concrete runways 8910' long, 150' wide ... auxiliary facilities are declared excess: (1) Mizpah Housing Terrace (2) Butler Housing Terrace (3) Columbia Junction (gasoline unloading station) ... for retention: (1) Tonopah Bombing and Gunnery Range}}</ref>
     <!--ASR pdf 80--><ref name="CNO">{{cite letter |date=January 30, 1958 |title=Subj: West Coast Weapons Training Requirements |publisher=Office of the Chief of Naval Operations <!--|access-date=February 4, 2013--> |quote=A part (known as Tonopah) of the Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range, was made available to the Navy in February of 1957.... the NAMTC at Pt. Mugu uses the instrumented AEC range at Tonopah.... acreage made available to the Navy was 1,791,891.69. Of this, 369,280 acres is under permit to the AEC and 213,443 acres is outside of Restricted Area 271.... constructing a minimum staging base at Tonopah [with] Single runway (19,000') ... Fallon...Target B-16...B-19...B-20...B-21 ... }}</ref>
     <!--ASR pdf 86--><ref name="Valliant">{{cite letter |last=Valliant |first=Col R. D. |date=November 4, 1940 |title=Tonopah Bombing Range, Nevada |location=[[Presidio of San Francisco]] |publisher=Office of the Quartermaster General, [[Ninth Corps Area]] <!--|access-date=February 4, 2013--> |quote=Tonopah Bombing Range, Nevada. This reservation comprises approximately 3,560,000.00 acres and was withdrawn by Executive Order No, 8578 dated October 29, 1940, from the public domain.}}</ref>
     <!--ASR pdf 88--><ref name="York">{{cite report |last=York Jr |first=Lt. Col. John Y. |date=June 27, 1941 |title=Subject: Tonopah Gunnery and Bombing Range: Memorandum for the Chief of Air Staff |publisher=Air Corps |quote=The Air Force Combat Command be assigned jurisdiction of' the Tonopah Range area north of 37° 30', and this area designated as the Tonopah General Range. 2. The [[West Coast Air Corps Training Center|West Coast Training Center]] be assigned exclusive jurisdiction of the Tonopah Range area south of 37° 30', and this area designated as the "Las Vegas General Range".}}</ref>
     <!--ASR pdf 110--><ref name="Mullery">{{cite report |last=Mullery |first=Bill |date=February 2013 |title=Tonopah Bombing Range (Project Summary Sheet) |volume=DERP-FUDS OE Project No. J09NV111401 |quote=The former target area is now public property administered by the Bureau of Land Management.}}</ref>
<ref name="Wagner">{{cite report |editor=Wagner, Katrina |date=September 2004 |title=2003 Annual Site Environmental Report, Tonopah Test Range |publisher=Sandia National Laboratories}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.nellis.af.mil/Units/NTTR/}}

[[Category:Area 51]]
[[Category:United States Air Force installations]]
[[Category:Proving grounds]]
[[Category:Formerly Used Defense Sites in Nevada]]
[[Category:History of Nye County, Nevada]]
[[Category:Military installations established in 1940]]
[[Category:1940 establishments in Nevada]]