History Area 51

1 history

1.1 groom lake
1.2 world war ii
1.3 u-2 program
1.4 oxcart program
1.5 d-21 tagboard
1.6 foreign technology evaluation
1.7 have blue/f-117 program
1.8 later operations

history

the origin of area 51 name unclear. accepted comes grid numbering system of area atomic energy commission (aec); while area 51 not part of system, adjacent area 15. explanation 51 used because unlikely aec use number.

groom lake

lead , silver discovered in southern part of groom range in 1864, , english groome lead mines limited company financed conception mines in 1870s, giving district name (nearby mines included maria, willow , white lake). interests in groom acquired j. b. osborne , partners , patented in 1876, , son acquired interests in 1890s. claims incorporated 2 1916 companies mining continuing until 1918 , resuming after world war ii until 1950s.

world war ii

the airfield on groom lake site began service in 1942 indian springs air force auxiliary field, , consisted of 2 unpaved 5000-foot runways aligned ne/sw, nw/se 37°16′35″n 115°45′20″w / 37.27639°n 115.75556°w / 37.27639; -115.75556.

u-2 program


ranch u-2 flight line

the groom lake test facility established in april 1955 central intelligence agency (cia) project aquatone, development of lockheed u-2 strategic reconnaissance aircraft.

as part of project, director, richard m. bissell, jr., understood that, given extreme secrecy enveloping project, flight test , pilot training programs not conducted @ edwards air force base or lockheed s palmdale facility. search suitable testing site u-2 conducted under same extreme security rest of project.

he notified lockheed, sent inspection team out groom lake. according lockheed s u-2 designer kelly johnson:

we flew on , within thirty seconds, knew place ... right dry lake. man alive, looked @ lake, , looked @ each other. edwards, wheeled around, landed on lake, taxied 1 end of it. perfect natural landing field ... smooth billiard table without being done . johnson used compass lay out direction of first runway. place called groom lake .

the lakebed made ideal strip test aircraft, , emigrant valley s mountain ranges , nts perimeter, 100 mi (160 km) north of las vegas, protected test site visitors. cia asked aec acquire land, designated area 51 on map, , add nevada test site.

johnson named area paradise ranch encourage workers move place cia s official history of u-2 project later describe new facility in middle of ; name became shortened ranch . on 4 may 1955, survey team arrived @ groom lake , laid out 5,000-foot (1,500 m), north-south runway on southwest corner of lakebed , designated site base support facility. ranch , known site ii, consisted of little more few shelters, workshops , trailer homes in house small team. in little on 3 months, base consisted of single, paved runway, 3 hangars, control tower, , rudimentary accommodations test personnel. base s few amenities included movie theatre , volleyball court. additionally, there mess hall, several water wells, , fuel storage tanks. july 1955, cia, air force, , lockheed personnel began arriving. ranch received first u-2 delivery on 24 july 1955 burbank on c-124 globemaster ii cargo plane, accompanied lockheed technicians on douglas dc-3. regular military air transport service flights set between area 51 , lockheed s burbank, california offices. preserve secrecy, personnel flew nevada on monday mornings , returned california on friday evenings.

in nov 1959 a-12 mock-up undergoes rcs testing @ groom lake .



the 2nd yf-12a interceptor prototype @ groom lake, nevada (usaf photograph)



an a-12 (60-6924) takes off groom lake during 1 of first test flights, piloted louis schalk, 26 april 1962


oxcart program

project oxcart established in august 1959 antiradar studies, aerodynamic structural tests, , engineering designs [and] later work on lockheed a-12 included testing @ groom lake, before improvements oxcart had inadequate facilities: buildings 150 people, 5,000 ft (1,500 m) asphalt runway, , limited fuel, hangar, , shop space. selected seclusion , climate, groom lake had received new official name area 51 when a-12 test facility construction began in september 1960, including new 8,500 ft (2,600 m) runway replace existing runway (completed 15 november 1960 expansion joints parallel direction of aircraft roll limit vibration.)

four years of project 51 construction began on 1 october 1960 reynolds electrical , engineering company (reeco) double-shift construction schedules. contractor upgraded base facilities , built new 10,000 ft (3,000 m) runway (14/32) diagonally across southwest corner of lakebed. archimedes curve approximately 2 miles across marked on dry lake a-12 pilot approaching end of overrun abort playa instead of plunging aircraft sagebrush. area 51 pilots called hook . crosswind landings 2 unpaved airstrips (runways 9/27 , 03/21) marked on dry lakebed.

by august 1961, construction of essential facilities completed (3 surplus navy hangars erected on base s north side—hangars 4, 5, , 6.) fourth, hangar 7, new construction. original u-2 hangars converted maintenance , machine shops. facilities in main cantonment area included workshops , buildings storage , administration, commissary, control tower, fire station, , housing. navy contributed more 130 surplus babbitt duplex housing units long-term occupancy facilities. older buildings repaired, , additional facilities constructed necessary. reservoir pond, surrounded trees, served recreational area 1 mile north of base. other recreational facilities included gymnasium, movie theatre, , baseball diamond. permanent aircraft fuel tank farm constructed 1962 special jp-7 fuel required a-12. 7 tanks constructed, total capacity of 1,320,000 gallons.

for arrival of oxcart; security enhanced , small civilian mine in groom basin closed. in january 1962, federal aviation administration (faa) expanded restricted airspace in vicinity of groom lake. lakebed became center of 600-square-mile addition restricted area r-4808n.

the cia facility received 8 usaf f-101 voodoos training, 2 t-33 shooting star trainers proficiency flying, c-130 hercules cargo transport, u-3a administrative purposes, helicopter search , rescue, , cessna 180 liaison use; , lockheed provided f-104 starfighter use chase plane.

the first a-12 test aircraft covertly trucked burbank on 26 february 1962, arrived @ groom lake on 28 february, assembled, , made first flight 26 april 1962 when base had on 1,000 personnel. initially, not connected test herded mess hall before each takeoff. dropped disrupted activities , impractical large number of flights. closed airspace above groom lake within nellis air force range airspace, , pilots saw a-12 20–30 times (at least 1 signed secrecy agreement.).

groom site of first lockheed d-21 drone test flight on 22 december 1964 (not launched until 5 march 1966). end of 1963, 9 a-12s @ area 51, assigned cia operated 1129th special activities squadron .

although decided on 10 january 1967 phase out cia a-12 program, a-12s @ groom lake deployed kadena ab, okinawa, project black shield in 1967 (the 9 a-12s stored @ palmdale in june 1968 , 1129th sas inactivated.)

d-21 tagboard


the d-21 mounted on of m-21. note intake cover on drone, used on flights.

following loss of gary powers u-2 on soviet union, there several discussions using a-12 oxcart unpiloted drone aircraft. although kelly johnson had come support idea of drone reconnaissance, opposed development of a-12 drone, contending aircraft large , complex such conversion. however, air force agreed fund study of high-speed, high-altitude drone aircraft in october 1962. air force interest seems have moved cia take action, project designated q-12 . october 1963, drone s design had been finalized. @ same time, q-12 underwent name change. separate other a-12-based projects, renamed d-21 . (the 12 reversed 21 ). tagboard project s code name.

the first d-21 completed in spring of 1964 lockheed. after 4 more months of checkouts , static tests, aircraft shipped groom lake , reassembled. carried two-seat derivative of a-12, designated m-21 . when d-21/m-21 reached launch point, first step blow off d-21 s inlet , exhaust covers. d-21/m-21 @ correct speed , altitude, lco start ramjet , other systems of d-21. d-21 s systems activated , running, , launch aircraft @ correct point, m-21 begin slight pushover, lco push final button, , d-21 come off pylon .

difficulties addressed throughout 1964 , 1965 @ groom lake various technical issues. captive flights showed unforeseen aerodynamic difficulties. late january 1966, more year after first captive flight, seemed ready. first d-21 launch made on 5 march 1966 successful flight, d-21 flying 120 miles limited fuel. second d-12 flight successful in april 1966 drone flying 1,200 miles, reaching mach 3.3 , 90,000 feet. accident on 30 july 1966 fueled d-21, on planned checkout flight suffered non-start of drone after separation, causing collide m-21 launch aircraft. 2 crewmen ejected , landed in ocean 150 miles offshore. 1 crew member picked helicopter, other, having survived aircraft breakup , ejection, drowned when sea water entered pressure suit. kelly johnson cancelled entire program, having had serious doubts start of feasibility. number of d-21s had been produced, , rather scrapping whole effort, johnson again proposed air force launched b-52h bomber.

by late summer of 1967, modification work both d-21 (now designated d-21b) , b-52hs complete. test program resume. test missions flown out of groom lake, actual launches on pacific. first d-21b flown article 501, prototype. first attempt made on 28 september 1967, , ended in complete failure. b-52 flying toward launch point, d-21b fell off pylon. b-52h gave sharp lurch drone fell free. booster fired , quite sight ground . failure traced stripped nut on forward right attachment point on pylon. several more tests made, none of met success. however, fact resumptions of d-21 tests took place against changing reconnaissance background. a-12 had been allowed deploy, , sr-71 replace it. @ same time, new developments in reconnaissance satellite technology nearing operation. point, limited number of satellites available restricted coverage soviet union. new generation of reconnaissance satellites cover targets anywhere in world. satellites resolution comparable of aircraft, without slightest political risk. time running out tagboard.

several more test flights, including 2 on china, made beale afb, california, in 1969 , 1970, varying degrees of success. on 15 july 1971, kelly johnson received wire canceling d-21b program. remaining drones transferred c-5a , placed in dead storage. tooling used build d-21bs ordered destroyed. a-12 oxcart, d-21b tagboard drones remained black airplane, in retirement. existence not suspected until august 1976, when first group placed in storage @ davis-monthan afb military storage , disposition center. second group arrived in 1977. labeled gtd-21bs (gt stood ground training).

davis-monthan open base, public tours of storage area @ time, odd-looking drones spotted , photos began appearing in magazines. speculation d-21bs circulated within aviation circles years, , not until 1982 details of tagboard program released. however, not until 1993 b-52/d-21b program made public. same year, surviving d-21bs released museums.

foreign technology evaluation


have ferry, second of 2 mig-17f fresco s loaned united states israel in 1969.



have doughnut, (mig-21f-13) flown united states navy , air force systems command during 1968 exploitation.

during cold war, 1 of missions carried out united states test , evaluation of captured soviet fighter aircraft. beginning in late 1960s, , several decades, area 51 played host assortment of soviet-built aircraft. under have doughnut, have drill , have ferry programs, first migs flown in united states used evaluate aircraft in performance, technical, , operational capabilities, pitting types against u.s. fighters.

this not new mission, testing of foreign technology usaf began during world war ii. after war, testing of acquired foreign technology performed air technical intelligence center (atic, became influential during korean war), under direct command of air materiel control department. in 1961 atic became foreign technology division (ftd), , reassigned air force systems command. atic personnel sent anywhere foreign aircraft found.

the focus of air force systems command limited use of fighter tool train front line tactical fighter pilots. air force systems command recruited pilots air force flight test center @ edwards air force base, california, graduates various test pilot schools. tactical air command selected pilots ranks of weapons school graduates.

in august 1966, iraqi air force fighter pilot captain munir redfa defected, flying mig-21 israel after being ordered attack iraqi kurd villages napalm. aircraft transferred groom lake within month study. in 1968 air force , navy jointly formed project known have doughnut in air force systems command, tactical air command, , u.s. navy s air test , evaluation squadron 4 (vx-4) flew acquired soviet made aircraft in simulated air combat training. because u.s. possession of soviet mig-21 was, itself, secret, tested @ groom lake. joint air force-navy team assembled series of dogfight tests.

comparisons between f-4 , mig-21 indicated that, on surface, evenly matched. air combat not technology. in final analysis, skill of man in cockpit. have doughnut tests showed strongly. when navy or air force pilots flew mig-21, results draw; f-4 win fights, mig-21 win others. there no clear advantages. problem not planes, pilots flying them. pilots not fly either plane limits. 1 of navy pilots marland w. doc townsend, commander of vf-121, f-4 training squadron @ nas miramar. engineer , korean war veteran , had flown every navy aircraft. when flew against mig-21, outmaneuver every time. air force pilots not go vertical in mig-21. have doughnut project officer tom cassidy, pilot vx-4, navy s air development squadron @ point mugu. had been watching townsend waxed air force mig-21 pilots. cassidy climbed mig-21 , went against townsend s f-4. time result far different. cassidy willing fight in vertical, flying plane point buffeting, above stall. cassidy able on f-4 s tail. after flight, realized mig-21 turned better f-4 @ lower speeds. key f-4 keep speed up. had happened in sky above groom lake remarkable. f-4 had defeated mig-21; weakness of soviet plane had been found. further test flights confirmed learned. clear mig-21 formidable enemy. united states pilots have fly better had been beat it. require special school teach advanced air combat techniques.

on 12 august 1968, 2 syrian air force lieutenants, walid adham , radfan rifai, took off in pair of mig-17fs on training mission. lost way and, believing on lebanon, landed @ beset landing field in northern israel. (one version has led astray arabic-speaking israeli). prior end of 1968 these mig-17s transferred israeli stocks , added area 51 test fleet. aircraft given usaf designations , fake serial numbers identified in dod standard flight logs. in earlier program, small group of air force , navy pilots conducted mock dogfights mig-17s. selected instructors navy s top gun school @ nas miramar, california, chosen fly against migs familiarization purposes. soon, mig-17 s shortcomings became clear. had extremely simple, crude, control system lacked power-boosted controls of american aircraft. f-4 s twin engines powerful accelerate out of range of mig-17 s guns in thirty seconds. important f-4 keep distance mig-17. long f-4 1 , half miles mig-17, outside reach of soviet fighter s guns, mig within reach of f-4 s missiles.

the data have doughnut , have drill tests provided newly formed top gun school @ nas miramar. 1970, have drill program expanded; few selected fleet f-4 crews given chance fight migs. important result of project have drill no navy pilot flew in project defeated mig-17 fresco in first engagement. have drill dogfights invitation only. other pilots based @ nellis air force base not know u.s.-operated migs. prevent sightings, airspace above groom lake range closed. on aeronautical maps, exercise area marked in red ink. forbidden zone became known red square .

during remainder of vietnam war, navy kill ratio climbed 8.33 1. in contrast, air force rate improved 2.83 1. reason difference top gun. navy had revitalized air combat training, while air force had stayed stagnant. of navy mig kills top gun graduates.

in may 1973, project have idea formed took on older have doughnut, have ferry , have drill projects , project transferred tonopah test range airport. @ tonopah testing of foreign technology aircraft continued , expanded throughout 1970s , 1980s.

area 51 hosted foreign materiel evaluation program called have glib. involved testing soviet tracking , missile control radar systems. complex of actual , replica soviet-type threat systems began grow around slater lake , mile northwest of main base, along acquired soviet barlock search radar placed @ tonopah air force station. arranged simulate soviet-style air defense complex.

the air force began funding improvements area 51 in 1977 under project score event. in 1979, cia transferred jurisdiction of area 51 site air force flight test center @ edwards afb, california. mr. sam mitchell, last cia commander of area 51, relinquished command usaf lt. col. larry d. mcclain.

have blue/f-117 program


underside view of have blue



f-117 flying on mountains

the lockheed have blue prototype stealth fighter (a smaller proof-of-concept model of f-117 nighthawk) first flew @ groom in december 1977.

in 1978, air force awarded full-scale development contract f-117 lockheed corporation s advanced development projects. on 17 january 1981 lockheed test team @ area 51 accepted delivery of first full scale development (fsd) prototype 79–780, designated yf-117a. @ 6:05 am on 18 june 1981 lockheed skunk works test pilot hal farley lifted nose of yf-117a 79–780 off runway of area 51.

meanwhile, tactical air command (tac) decided set group-level organization guide f-117a initial operating capability. organization became 4450th tactical group (initially designated unit ), officially activated on 15 october 1979 @ nellis afb, nevada, although group physically located @ area 51. 4450th tg operated a-7d corsair ii surrogate trainer f-117a, , these operations continued until 15 october 1982 under guise of avionics test mission.

flying squadrons of 4450th tg 4450th tactical squadron (initially designated unit ) activated on 11 june 1981, , 4451st tactical squadron (initially designated p unit ) on 15 january 1983. 4450th ts, stationed @ area 51, first f-117a squadron, while 4451st ts stationed @ nellis afb , equipped a-7d corsair iis painted in dark motif, tail coded lv . lockheed test pilots put yf-117 through paces. a-7ds used pilot training before f-117a s had been delivered lockheed area 51, later a-7d s used f-117a chase testing , other weapon tests @ nellis range.

15 october 1982 important program because on date major alton c. whitley, jr. became first usaf 4450th tg pilot fly f-117a.

although ideal testing, area 51 not suitable location operational group, new covert base had established f-117 operations. tonopah test range airport selected operations of first usaf f-117 unit, 4450th tactical group (tg). october 1979, tonopah airport base reconstructed , expanded. 6,000 ft runway lengthened 10,000 ft. taxiways, concrete apron, large maintenance hangar, , propane storage tank added.

by 1982, 4 more yf-117a airplanes operating out of southern end of base, known southend or baja groom lake . after finding large scorpion in offices, testing team (designated r unit ) adopted mascot , dubbed baja scorpions . testing of series of ultra-secret prototypes continued @ area 51 until mid-1981, when testing transitioned initial production of f-117 stealth fighters. f-117s moved , area 51 c-5 under cloak of darkness, in order maintain program security. meant aircraft had defueled, disassembled, cradled, , loaded aboard c-5 @ night, flown lockheed, , unloaded @ night before real work begin. of course, meant reverse actions had occur @ end of depot work before aircraft reassembled, flight-tested, , redelivered, again under cover of darkness. in addition flight-testing, groom performed radar profiling, f-117 weapons testing, , location training of first group of frontline usaf f-117 pilots.

while baja scorpions working on f-117, there group @ work in secrecy, known whalers working on tacit blue. fly-by-wire technology demonstration aircraft curved surfaces , composite material, evade radar, prototype, , never went production. nevertheless, strange-looking aircraft responsible many of stealth technology advances used on several other aircraft designs, , had direct influence on b-2; first flight of tacit blue being performed on february 5, 1982, northrop grumman test pilot, richard g. thomas.

production fsd airframes lockheed shipped area 51 acceptance testing. baja scorpions tested aircraft functional check flights , l.o. verification, operational airplanes transferred 4450th tg.

on 17 may 1982, move of 4450th tg groom lake tonopah initiated, final components of move completed in 1983. production fsd airframes lockheed shipped area 51 acceptance testing. baja scorpions tested aircraft functional check flights , l.o. verification, operational airplanes transferred 4450th tg @ tonopah.

the r-unit inactivated on 30 may 1989. upon inactivation, unit reformed detachment 1, 57th fighter weapons wing (fww). in 1990 last f-117a (843) delivered lockheed. after completion of acceptance flights @ area 51 of last new f-117a aircraft, flight test squadron continued flight test duties of refurbished aircraft after modifications lockheed. in february/march 1992 test unit moved area 51 usaf palmdale plant 42 , integrated air force systems command 6510th test squadron. testing, rcs verification , other classified activity still conducted @ area 51 throughout operational lifetime of f-117. inactivated (2008) 410th flight test squadron traces roots, if not formal lineage 4450th tg r-unit.

later operations

f-22 during red flag exercise groom lake in background (march 2013)

since f-117 became operational in 1983, operations @ groom lake have continued. base , associated runway system expanded, including expansion of housing , support facilities. in 1995, federal government expanded exclusionary area around base include nearby mountains had hitherto afforded decent overlook of base, prohibiting access 3,972 acres (16.07 km) of land formerly administered bureau of land management. on october 22, 2015 federal judge signed order giving land belonged nevada family since 1870s united states air force expanding area 51. according judge, land overlooked base taken address security , safety concerns connected training , testing.