Area 51 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Homey Airport |
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| Near Rachel, Lincoln County, Nevada in United States | |||||||||||||||||
A satellite image taken in 2022 captured by Sentinel-2 of ESA showing the base with Groom Lake just to the north-northeast
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 Homey Airport
Location in the United States
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| Coordinates | 37°14′0″N 115°48′30″W / 37.23333°N 115.80833°W | ||||||||||||||||
| Type | Development and testing facility | ||||||||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||||||||||
| Operator | United States Air Force | ||||||||||||||||
| Controlled by | Air Force Materiel Command | ||||||||||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||||||||
| Built | 1955 (as Paradise Ranch) | ||||||||||||||||
| In use | 1955–present | ||||||||||||||||
| Events | Storm Area 51 (2019) | ||||||||||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||||||||||
| Garrison | Air Force Test Center (Detachment 3) | ||||||||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||||||||
| Identifiers | ICAO: KXTA, FAA LID: XTA | ||||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 4,494 feet (1,370 m) AMSL | ||||||||||||||||
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Area 51 is a very secret United States Air Force (USAF) base in the Nevada Test and Training Range. It is officially called Homey Airport (ICAO: KXTA, FAA LID: XTA) or Groom Lake. This name comes from the salt flat right next to its airfield.
The base is known for its extreme secrecy. The USAF says it is an open training area. But many believe it is used to develop and test experimental aircraft and weapons. The USAF and CIA bought the land in 1955. Their main goal was to test the Lockheed U-2 spy plane.
Because it's so secret, Area 51 is often linked to conspiracy theories and unidentified flying object (UFO) stories. The CIA officially admitted the base existed on June 25, 2013. This happened after a request was made using the Freedom of Information Act. They also released documents about its history and purpose.
Area 51 is in southern Nevada, about 83 miles (134 km) north-northwest of Las Vegas. The nearby town of Rachel is on the "Extraterrestrial Highway". This area is a popular spot for tourists.
Contents
What is the Geography of Area 51?
Where is Area 51 Located?
The original base was a rectangle about 6 by 10 miles (9.7 by 16.1 km). Now, it's part of a larger restricted airspace called the "Groom box". This box measures 23 by 25 miles (37 by 40 km).
The base is connected to the Nevada Test Site (NTS) by paved roads. These roads lead south to Mercury and west to Yucca Flat. A well-kept road, Groom Lake Road, goes northeast from the lake through the Jumbled Hills. This road used to lead to mines, but it has been improved. It passes a security checkpoint, but the restricted area goes even further east. After leaving the restricted area, Groom Lake Road goes down to the Tikaboo Valley. It then meets State Route 375, also known as the "Extraterrestrial Highway", south of Rachel.
Area 51 is next to the Yucca Flat region of the Nevada Test Site. This is where 739 out of 928 nuclear tests by the United States Department of Energy took place. The Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository is about 44 miles (71 km) southwest of Groom Lake.
What is Groom Lake?
Groom Lake is a salt flat in Nevada. It is used for runways at the Nellis Bombing Range Test Site airport (KXTA). This airport is on the north side of the Area 51 USAF military base.
The lake is about 4,409 ft (1,344 m) high. It is about 3.7 miles (6.0 km) long from north to south and 3 miles (4.8 km) wide from east to west. Groom Lake is located in the Groom Lake Valley, which is part of the Tonopah Basin. It is about 25 mi (40 km) south of Rachel, Nevada.
When Did Area 51 Start?
The exact reason for the name "Area 51" is not fully clear. One idea is that it comes from a grid system used by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Area 51 is next to Area 15 on their maps. Another idea is that the number 51 was chosen because the AEC was not likely to use it for anything else.
Early History of Groom Lake
Lead and silver were found in the Groom Range in 1864. An English company, Groome Lead Mines Limited, started mining there in the 1870s. This gave the area its name. Mining continued on and off until the early 1950s.
The airfield at Groom Lake was first used in 1942. It was called Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field. It had two dirt runways, each 5,000 feet (1,500 m) long.
The U-2 Spy Plane Program
The Groom Lake test site was set up in April 1955 by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This was for Project Aquatone, which was about developing the Lockheed U-2 spy plane.
The project director, Richard M. Bissell, Jr., knew that the U-2's testing and pilot training had to be kept very secret. They couldn't do it at regular air force bases. So, they searched for a hidden testing site.
Lockheed sent a team to Groom Lake. The dry lakebed was perfect for testing aircraft. The mountains and the nearby Nevada Test Site helped keep the area private. The CIA asked the AEC to get the land, which was called "Area 51" on the map.
The area was named "Paradise Ranch" to attract workers. It was later shortened to "the Ranch". By July 1955, the base had a paved runway, three hangars, a control tower, and basic living quarters. It even had a movie theater and a volleyball court. The first U-2 plane arrived on July 24, 1955. To keep things secret, personnel flew to Nevada on Monday mornings and returned to California on Friday evenings.
The OXCART Program and A-12 Aircraft
Project OXCART started in August 1959. It involved testing the Lockheed A-12 aircraft. Before this project, Groom Lake didn't have enough facilities. It only had buildings for 150 people and a 5,000 ft (1,500 m) runway.
Construction for the A-12 test facility began in September 1960. A new 8,500 ft (2,600 m) runway was built. This was finished by November 15, 1960.
Four years of construction for "Project 51" began on October 1, 1960. The base facilities were improved. A new 10,000 ft (3,000 m) runway (14/32) was built diagonally across the lakebed. For crosswind landings, two unpaved airstrips were marked on the dry lakebed.
By August 1961, the main facilities were ready. Three old Navy hangars were put up. A fourth new hangar was also built. The old U-2 hangars were turned into workshops. The base also got a commissary, control tower, fire station, and housing. A pond with trees was made for recreation. There was also a gym, movie theater, and baseball field. A large fuel storage area was built for the special JP-7 fuel needed by the A-12.
To increase secrecy, a small mine in the Groom basin was closed. In January 1962, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made the airspace around Groom Lake more restricted. The lakebed became the center of a 600-square-mile restricted area.
The CIA base received several other aircraft for training and support. These included F-101 Voodoos, T-33 Shooting Star trainers, a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, and a helicopter. Lockheed also provided an F-104 Starfighter as a chase plane.
The first A-12 test aircraft arrived at Groom Lake on February 28, 1962. It made its first flight on April 26, 1962. By then, the base had over 1,000 people. Pilots flying in the nearby Nellis Air Force Range sometimes saw the A-12.
Groom Lake was also where the first Lockheed D-21 drone test flight happened on December 22, 1964. By the end of 1963, nine A-12s were at Area 51. The CIA decided to stop the A-12 program on January 10, 1967.
The D-21 Tagboard Drone Program
After the U-2 spy plane flown by Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union, there were talks about using the A-12 OXCART as an unpiloted drone. The project was called "Q-12", then later renamed "D-21". The code name for the project was "Tagboard".
The first D-21 drone was built by Lockheed in spring 1964. It was shipped to Groom Lake and put back together. It was designed to be carried by a two-seat version of the A-12, called the "M-21". The D-21 would launch from the M-21.
Testing at Groom Lake in 1964 and 1965 had some technical problems. The first successful D-21 launch was on March 5, 1966. The drone flew 120 miles. A second flight in April 1966 was also successful. The drone flew 1,200 miles, reaching Mach 3.3 and 90,000 feet.
However, on July 30, 1966, an accident happened. A D-21 collided with the M-21 launch aircraft after separating. The two crew members ejected. One was rescued, but the other was lost. After this, the program was stopped.
Many D-21s had already been made. Instead of throwing them away, it was suggested they be launched from a B-52H bomber.
By late summer 1967, the D-21 (now called D-21B) and B-52Hs were ready. Test flights resumed from Groom Lake, with launches over the Pacific Ocean. The first attempt on September 28, 1967, failed when the D-21B fell off the pylon. More tests were done, but none were fully successful.
The D-21 program was canceled on July 15, 1971. The remaining drones were stored. Their existence was not known to the public until August 1976. They were labeled "GTD-21Bs" (GT meant ground training). In 1982, details of the Tagboard program were released. In 1993, the B-52/D-21B program was made public, and the surviving D-21Bs were sent to museums.
Testing Foreign Aircraft
During the Cold War, the United States tested captured Soviet fighter jets. From the late 1960s, Area 51 was home to many Soviet-built aircraft. Under programs like HAVE DOUGHNUT, HAVE DRILL, and HAVE FERRY, the first MiGs flown in the U.S. were used to see how they performed against U.S. fighters.
In August 1966, an Iraqi Air Force pilot, Captain Munir Redfa, flew his MiG-21 to Israel. His plane was sent to Groom Lake within a month for study. In 1968, the U.S. Air Force and Navy started a project called Have Doughnut. They used this MiG-21 for mock air combat training. Because owning a Soviet MiG-21 was a secret, it was tested at Groom Lake.
Tests showed that the F-4 and MiG-21 were evenly matched. But air combat was also about pilot skill. When experienced Navy or Air Force pilots flew the MiG-21, the fights were often a draw. However, one Navy pilot, Marland W. "Doc" Townsend, consistently outmaneuvered the MiG-21 in his F-4. Another pilot, Tom Cassidy, then flew the MiG-21 against Townsend's F-4. Cassidy was able to get on the F-4's tail by flying the MiG-21 to its limits. They learned that the MiG-21 turned better at lower speeds. The F-4 needed to keep its speed up. This showed that the MiG-21 was a strong opponent, and U.S. pilots needed better training.
In August 1968, two Syrian pilots landed their MiG-17Fs in Israel by mistake. These MiG-17s were also sent to Area 51. Tests showed the MiG-17 had a simple control system. The F-4's powerful engines could quickly escape the MiG-17's guns. The F-4 needed to stay about one and a half miles away from the MiG-17. At that distance, the F-4's missiles could reach the MiG, but the MiG's guns could not.
The information from these tests helped create the Top Gun school at NAS Miramar. By 1970, the Have Drill program allowed some F-4 crews to fight the MiGs. The most important lesson was that no Navy pilot in the project defeated the MiG-17 in their first fight. The airspace above Groom Lake was closed during these tests. It was marked in red on maps and became known as "Red Square".
During the rest of the Vietnam War, the Navy's kill ratio improved greatly, largely due to Top Gun. In May 1973, the Have Idea project took over these programs and moved to the Tonopah Test Range Airport. Testing of foreign aircraft continued there for many years.
Area 51 also tested Soviet radar systems under a program called HAVE GLIB. A complex of real and fake Soviet-style radar systems was built near "Slater Lake", northwest of the main base.
In 1979, the CIA handed over control of Area 51 to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB.
The F-117 Stealth Fighter Program
The Lockheed Have Blue prototype stealth fighter first flew at Groom Lake in December 1977. This was a smaller test model for the F-117 Nighthawk.
In 1978, the Air Force hired Lockheed to develop the F-117. The first full-scale prototype, YF-117A 79–780, arrived at Area 51 on January 17, 1981. It made its first flight on June 18, 1981.
A group called the 4450th Tactical Group was formed to manage the F-117A. This group was based at Area 51. They also used A-7D Corsair II planes to train pilots.
The first F-117A squadron was the 4450th Tactical Squadron, based at Area 51. The 4451st Tactical Squadron used A-7D planes for training and chase testing. On October 15, 1982, Major Alton C. Whitley, Jr. became the first USAF pilot to fly the F-117A.
Area 51 was great for testing, but not for a full operational group. So, a new secret base was built for the F-117: Tonopah Test Range Airport. From October 1979, the Tonopah Airport was rebuilt and expanded. Its runway was made longer, and new hangars and facilities were added.
By early 1982, more YF-117A planes were operating from the "Southend" of the base, also called "Baja Groom Lake". The testing team there called themselves the "Baja Scorpions". Testing of these secret prototypes continued at Area 51 until mid-1981. Then, testing moved to the first production F-117 stealth fighters.
The F-117s were moved to and from Area 51 by C-5 cargo planes at night to keep them secret. This meant the planes had to be taken apart, loaded, flown, unloaded, and reassembled all in the dark. Area 51 also did radar testing and F-117 weapons testing. It was where the first F-117 pilots were trained.
Another secret group, "the Whalers", worked on the Tacit Blue project. This was a test aircraft with special shapes and materials to avoid radar. It never went into production, but it helped develop many stealth technologies used in other aircraft, like the B-2 bomber. Tacit Blue first flew on February 5, 1982.
Production F-117s were sent to Area 51 for final checks. After testing, they were sent to the 4450th TG at Tonopah.
The 4450th TG moved from Groom Lake to Tonopah starting on May 17, 1982. The move was finished in early 1983. The last new F-117A was delivered in 1990. Some testing, especially radar checks, continued at Area 51 throughout the F-117's operational life.
Recent Operations
Since the F-117 became active in 1983, operations at Groom Lake have continued. The base and its runways have been expanded. In 1995, the government made the restricted area around the base larger. This included nearby mountains that people used to climb to see the base. On October 22, 2015, a judge gave land belonging to a Nevada family to the Air Force. This was to expand Area 51 for security and safety reasons.
What is Area 51's Legal Status?
Environmental Concerns
In 1994, some former workers and widows sued the Air Force and the Environmental Protection Agency. They claimed that large amounts of unknown chemicals were burned in open pits at Groom Lake. They said this caused health problems and even deaths. They wanted information about the chemicals to help survivors.
The government argued that sharing this information would reveal classified secrets and threaten national security. President Bill Clinton then issued an order that exempted "the Air Force's Operating Location Near Groom Lake, Nevada" from environmental disclosure laws. Because of this, the lawsuit was dismissed due to lack of evidence.
The President still issues an order each year to keep Groom Lake exempt from these laws. This is the only official government statement that Groom Lake is more than just another part of the Nellis complex.
How is Area 51 Identified in Aviation?
In December 2007, airline pilots noticed that the base appeared in their navigation systems. It had the ICAO airport code KXTA and was listed as "Homey Airport". This was likely an accidental release of information. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) warned student pilots not to use KXTA as a destination.
How is Area 51 Kept Secret?
The base's edge is marked by orange posts. Guards patrol in white pickup trucks and camouflage uniforms. People often call them "camo dudes". These guards do not answer questions about who they work for. Signs around the base warn that deadly force can be used against anyone who trespasses.
Technology is also used to protect the base. This includes surveillance cameras and motion detectors. Some motion detectors are placed far from the base on public land. They alert guards if anyone is approaching.
Skylab Photography in 1974
In January 2006, Dwayne A. Day wrote about the "Skylab Incident". This was based on a 1974 memo to CIA director William Colby. The memo talked about a secret location, which Day believed was Groom Lake. The CIA thought no other place on Earth was as sensitive as Groom Lake. Even within the CIA, images of the site were removed from film rolls and stored separately. This was because not all photo interpreters had the right security clearance.
The memo discussed whether the images should be classified. The Department of Defense wanted them classified, but NASA and the State Department did not. The memo even questioned if it was legal to classify images that were already unclassified.
The declassified documents don't say how the discussion ended. But the photograph later appeared in the government's archive of satellite images.
Why Are There UFO and Other Conspiracy Theories About Area 51?
Area 51 is a big part of modern conspiracy theories because it's so secret and linked to classified aircraft research. Some theories include:
- The base stores and studies crashed alien spacecraft, possibly from the Roswell event. People believe they study alien beings and build aircraft using alien technology.
- There are meetings or joint projects with aliens.
- The base develops special energy weapons or other secret weapons.
- They are working on weather control.
- They are developing time travel and teleportation technology.
- They are working on special propulsion systems for the Aurora Program.
- Activities related to a one-world government conspiracy.
Many theories suggest there are underground facilities at Groom Lake or Papoose Lake, about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) south. Some even claim there's an underground railroad system across the country. Another idea is a "Cheshire Airstrip" that disappears when water is sprayed on its camouflaged surface.
In the 1950s, regular planes flew below 20,000 feet, while military planes flew up to 40,000 feet. But the U-2 started flying above 60,000 feet. This led to more UFO sightings. People often saw the U-2's silver wings reflecting the setting sun, making it look "fiery". Many sightings were reported to the Air Force's Project Blue Book, which investigated UFOs. The project used U-2 and later OXCART flight records to explain most UFO reports. But they couldn't tell the public the truth about what they saw.
Some believe that the UFO rumors actually helped keep Area 51's real operations secret. Veterans deny there's a huge underground railroad system, but many of Area 51's operations did happen underground.
In 1989, Bob Lazar claimed he worked at Area 51's "Sector Four (S-4)". He said it was underground near Papoose Lake. He claimed he worked with alien spacecraft that the government had. In 1996, a documentary called Dreamland featured an interview with a former Area 51 employee. He claimed he worked on a "flying disc simulator" based on a crashed alien craft. He also claimed to have worked with an alien named "J-Rod". In 2004, Dan Burisch also claimed to have worked on cloning alien viruses at Area 51 with "J-Rod".
In July 2019, over 2,000,000 people responded to a joke proposal to storm Area 51 on Facebook. The event was planned for September 20, 2019, to "see them aliens". The Air Force warned people not to try to enter the area. Two music festivals, AlienStock and Storm Area 51 Basecamp, were organized. Between 1,500 and 3,000 people attended the festivals. Over 150 people went near the gates of Area 51. Seven people were arrested.
Area 51 in Popular Culture
Area 51 often appears in books, movies, and TV shows. It is usually shown as a place for aliens, time travel, and secret plots. It is often linked to the Roswell UFO incident.
- In the 1996 movie Independence Day, the U.S. military uses alien technology from Roswell at Area 51 to fight an alien invasion. In the 2016 sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, Area 51 becomes the Space Defense Headquarters.
- The "Hangar 51" warehouse in the Indiana Jones films stores the Ark of the Covenant and an alien body from Roswell.
- In the TV series Stargate SG-1, Area 51 is a research and testing facility for advanced weapons and spacecraft made with alien technology. It also does advanced medical research. The show says that before the Stargate was activated, rumors of aliens at Area 51 were not true.
- The TV series Seven Days is set inside Area 51. The base has a secret NSA time travel operation using alien technology from Roswell.
- The 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has a secret military base called "Area 69". Some missions in the game are connected to it.
- The 2005 video game Area 51 is set at the base. It mentions the Roswell and moon landing hoax theories.
- Bob Mayer's Area 51 novel series is set at the base. It suggests that Operation Highjump was a cover-up for finding flying saucers buried under Antarctica's ice.
- The final mission of the 2000 video game Deus Ex is set in Area 51. In the game, powerful surveillance systems are located there. The player's actions decide the future.
- The Las Vegas 51s are a professional baseball team.
- Episode 7 of season 6 of the TV series Archer ("Nellis") is set in Area 51. Characters Pam and Krieger meet aliens there.
- The second episode of Sonic X features Area 99, which is a secret military base.
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See also
In Spanish: Área 51 para niños
