Tonopah Test Range facts for kids
Quick facts for kids USAF Tonopah Test Range |
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|---|---|
| Nevada (South) | |
Tonopah airbase and the surrounding test range (composite NASA Landsat-7 image)
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| Coordinates | 37°47′N 116°46′W / 37.78°N 116.77°W |
| Type | Test Range |
| Site information | |
| Owner | United States Department of Energy |
| Controlled by | United States Department of Energy DoE United States Air Force USAF Department Of Defense DoD National Nuclear Security Administration NNSA and other Government Agencies |
| Open to the public |
No |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1957 |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander |
Classified |
| Past commanders |
Brian T. Adkins |
| Occupants |  412th Test Wing |
The Tonopah Test Range (TTR), also known as Area 52, is a secret military base in Nevada. It's used by the United States Department of Defense and the United States Department of Energy. This base helps make sure our country's nuclear weapons are safe and reliable.
Located about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Tonopah, Nevada, it's part of the larger Nellis Range. The TTR covers about 625 square miles (1,620 km²). It's also about 70 miles (113 km) northwest of Area 51, another famous secret facility.
Like Area 51, Tonopah is a place where people are curious about secret aircraft. However, unlike its neighbor, it's not usually linked to alien stories. Today, the TTR is used for testing how reliable nuclear weapons are. It also develops new parts for these weapons and tries out systems that deliver them. The sky above it is a restricted area (R-4809) used for military training.
Exploring the Tonopah Test Range
The Tonopah Test Range is owned by the U.S. Department of Energy. It is managed by Sandia National Laboratories, which operates the range with permission from the Air Force. The range is located in the Great Basin Desert. It features hills like Cactus Peak to the west and Kawich Peak to the east. Near Kawich Peak is Silverbow, one of Nevada's largest mining ghost towns.
The area is home to black sagebrush and creosote bush plants. You can also find many wild horses and burros here. Other animals include the gray fox, pronghorn, coyote, and mule deer. Birds like the sage thrasher, sage grouse, and sage sparrow also live on the range.
Airfields at Tonopah
One of the most important parts of the TTR is a large airfield, called Area 10. It has a 12,000-foot (3,658 m) runway and many hangars. There are also about five smaller, abandoned airfields across the TTR. These were mostly used during World War II.
Only one of these, Mellan Airstrip, was used after the 1960s. It was upgraded with a 5,000-foot (1,524 m) concrete runway. By 2000, it was used for training with C-130 and C-17 military transport planes.
Mancamp: A Home Away From Home
About six miles (10 km) north of the airfield is a large living area called Mancamp. It has about 50 dormitories, a recreation center, and houses. There's also a bar, a library, a game room, a weight room, and an Olympic-sized indoor pool. You can find racquetball courts, a two-lane bowling alley, and an ATM. Outside, there's an athletic track, tennis courts, and softball fields.
Sandia National Laboratories Operations
Operations by Sandia National Laboratories are controlled at the TTR Operations Control Center (Area 3). This center is just southeast of the main airfield. It houses the range safety officer, test director, and engineers. They monitor activities using video, high-speed cameras, and radar tracking. While nuclear weapons have never been exploded on the TTR, a 1963 test called Project Rollercoaster involved the destruction of some weapons. This caused some materials to spread into the soil north of Antelope Lake.
A Look Back: History of the TTR
In the early 1900s, the Tonopah region was mainly used for mining and grazing animals. In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to create a U.S. Army Air Corps training range in this area. By the 1950s, the U.S. Department of Energy needed a new place for weapons design research. The Tonopah Test Range was chosen and closed to the public in 1956. Testing for U.S. Department of Energy weapons programs began in 1957.
For most of its history, Sandia National Laboratories managed the range. In 2008, there was a proposal to move some facilities from Tonopah to White Sands Missile Range. Local and state leaders worried this would cause job losses and reduce income for the area.
Constant Peg: Secret Air Combat Training
From 1979 to 1988, Tonopah hosted a secret program called Constant Peg. This program trained American aircrews to fly and fight against MiG fighter jets. These were the planes used by their rivals during the Cold War. Colonel Gail Peck came up with the idea, and the 4477th Test & Evaluation Squadron, known as the "Red Eagles," ran the program.
Constant Peg was officially declassified on November 15, 2006. At its busiest, the Red Eagles flew 14 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s and 9 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23s. They also used Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17s until 1982, when they were deemed too risky to fly. Between July 1979 and March 1988, nearly 6,000 aircrew members took part in Constant Peg.
Stealth Aircraft Operations
The F-117 stealth jets of the 4450th Tactical Group secretly operated from Tonopah from 1982 to 1989. During this time, the program was still classified. Mancamp was connected to the airfield by shuttle buses. The airfield itself had many daily flights to Nellis Air Force Base using Key Airlines Boeing 727 and/or Boeing 737 planes. There were also daily Janet Boeing 737 flights, likely from McCarran International Airport, for Sandia National Laboratories employees. In early 1991, American Trans Air Boeing 727 aircraft took over the flight service.
Environmental Concerns and Cleanup
In 2007, it was revealed that a contractor had dumped a substance at a pond on the TTR in the 1980s. This substance caused harm to local wildlife, including 61 horses in 1988. The Bureau of Land Management investigated and ordered cleanup actions. In 2007, concerns about the substance affecting groundwater led to an inquiry by Senator Harry Reid with the Department of the Interior. Efforts were made to clean up the area and protect the environment.
Testing Foreign Missile Systems
The TTR has also been used by the U.S. to test foreign-made surface-to-air missile systems. Satellite images confirm that the U.S. secretly got a Russian-made S-300PS missile system. This system is used to test UAVs (drones) and other advanced aircraft. These aircraft, like the MQ-9 Reaper, RQ-170, and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, are based at nearby airbases such as Creech Air Force Base and Nellis Air Force Base. The 53rd Wing Test and Evaluation Group at Nellis directs these aircraft tests.
See also
In Spanish: Campo de pruebas de Tonopah para niños
- Dugway Proving Ground
- Aberdeen Proving Ground
- Air Force Flight Test Center
- Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake
- Nevada Test Site
