Tonopah Test Range
USAF Tonopah Test Range | |
---|---|
Open to the public | No |
Site history | |
Built | 1957 |
Garrison information | |
Current commander | Classified |
Past commanders | Brian T. Adkins[1] |
Occupants | 412th Test Wing |
The Tonopah Test Range (TTR, also designated as Area 52) is a highly classified, restricted military installation of the
Like the Groom Lake facility, Tonopah is a site of interest to conspiracy theorists, mostly for its use of experimental and classified aircraft. As such, it is not generally the focus of alien enthusiasts, unlike its neighbor. It is currently used for nuclear weapons stockpile reliability testing, research and development of fusing and firing systems, and testing nuclear weapon delivery systems.[2] The airspace comprises restricted area R-4809 of the Nevada Test and Training Range and is often used for military training.
Description
The Tonopah Test Range
Airfields
One of the primary facilities on the TTR is a large airfield (
Mancamp
About six miles (10 km) north of the airfield is a large housing area called Mancamp. It contains about 50 twin-level dormitories. A recreation center houses a bar, a library, game room, weight room, Olympic size indoor pool, racquetball courts, a two-lane bowling alley, a barbecue pad, and an ATM. There is also an athletic track, tennis courts, and softball fields. Just outside Mancamp a small civilian compound existed, but was mostly dismantled by 2000. Google Earth imagery indicated that Mancamp's streets were renovated sometime between 2003 and 2007.
Sandia National Laboratories
Operations by Sandia are controlled at the TTR Operations Control Center (
History
In the early 20th century, the region was used primarily for mining and some grazing. Early maps from the 1930s indicated a roadway connecting the towns of Caliente and Tonopah via Rachel, which ascended Cedar Pass and crossed through the northern part of the future Tonopah Test Range.[6] In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt directed the establishment of a US Army Air Corps training range in this area. During the 1950s, weapons design research had been conducted largely at the Salton Sea testing base, but haze problems forced the Department of Energy to seek another location.[2] The Tonopah Test Range was withdrawn from public use in 1956, and testing began in 1957 for United States Department of Energy weapons programs. For most of its life, the range was administered by Sandia National Laboratories. In 2008, the National Nuclear Security Administration proposed to move its facilities on the Tonopah Test Range to White Sands Missile Range,[7] a move that local and state politicians say would cost the area jobs and lost revenue.
Constant Peg
From 1979 to 1988, Tonopah hosted a
Stealth
Contamination
It was revealed in 2007 that during the 1980s a contractor had dumped up to 1,000 pounds of
S-300PS SAM testing
The TTR has also been the site of US testing of foreign-made surface-to-air missile systems. Satellite imagery confirms the US secretly acquiring the Russian made
Popular culture
This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2016) |
- Area 52 has been featured in newscasts by television stations such as KLAS.[12]
- Area 52 has also been featured on The History Channel's UFO Hunters,[13] in which it is speculated to facilitate the use of highly advanced aircraft technology, including craft such as flying saucers or UFOs.
- In the television series Stargate Command.
- In an episode of Total Drama World Tour, Area 52 is visited right before the contestants get to Area 51.
- In the coverfor Area 52.
See also
- Aberdeen Proving Ground
- Air Force Flight Test Center
- Dugway Proving Ground
- Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake
- Nevada Test Site
- Area 51
References
- ^ "TTR - Contact Us".
- ^ a b c d e f g Annual Site Environmental Report: Tonopah Test Range, Nevada and Kauai Test Facility, Hawaii, 2003, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 105 pp.
- ^ ttr.sandia.gov
- ^ Abandoned & Little Known Airfields: Central Nevada Archived 2013-08-07 at the Wayback Machine, Paul Freeman, accessed 18 August 2010.
- ^ Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Cedar Pass Airfield, 99 CES/CEVN, Nellis AFB, April 2000, accessed 18 August 2010.
- ^ "Regional Aeronautical Chart 11M, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey". NOAA Historical Charts.
- ^ Plan to close Tonopah Test Range criticized, Las Vegas Review Journal, March 27, 2008.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84603-378-0.
- ^ "Six F-117As Flown in Panama Invasion". Aviation Week & Space Technology. McGraw Hill. March 5, 1990. p. 30.
- ^ CONTAMINATION PROBE: 61 horses died in '88 at test site, Las Vegas Review Journal, Nov. 24, 2007.
- ^ "US Acquired Russian S-300PS SAM System to Test UAVs". Osgeoint.blogspot.com. 11 December 2011.
- ^ Las Vegas Channel 8 News story on Area 52 Archived May 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Video of History Channel's UFO Hunters Area 52 episode Archived October 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine