Nellis Air Force Base Complex

For federal transfers of lands in this complex, e.g., acquisitions, transfers, return of leased land, and FUDS designations, see Nevada Test and Training Range § History.

Nellis Air Force Base Complex
Basin
"Nellis Air Force Range" [sic], Tonopah Bombing Range (FUDS), and other federal lands (the Tonopah Test Range/Area 52, the Red Mountain VORTAC site, and the Regional Training Complex are not demarcated).
Location	basin^[specify] between Quartzite Mountain & the Belted Range 37°32′N 116°12′W

The Nellis Air Force Base Complex[1] (Nellis AFB complex,[2][3] NAFB Complex[1]) is the southern Nevada military region of federal facilities and lands, e.g., currently and formerly used for military and associated testing and training such as Atomic Energy Commission atmospheric nuclear detonations of the Cold War. The largest land area of the complex is the Nevada Test and Training Range, and numerous Formerly Used Defense Sites remain federal lands of the complex. Most of the facilities are controlled by the United States Air Force and/or the Bureau of Land Management, and many of the controlling units are based at Creech and Nellis Air Force Bases (e.g., 98th SRSS for NTTR's southern range). Initiated by a 1939 military reconnaissance for a bombing range,[4] federal acquisition began in 1940, and McCarran Field became the World War II training area's 1st of 3 Nevada World War II Army Airfields (cf. Indian Springs & Tonopah) and 10 auxiliary fields. The area's first military unit was initially headquartered in the Las Vegas Federal Building while the WWII Las Vegas Army Airfield buildings were constructed.

Geography

The complex is primarily within the Great Basin physiographic section, and the White River portion east of the Great Basin Divide is in the Colorado River Watershed. Ecology is primarily Tonopah Basin surrounding elevated areas (Foothills/Uplands & High Valleys/Mid-Slope Woodland & Brushland) and 6 Tonopah Playas in Antelope Lake's valley, Cactus Flat, Groom Lake Valley, southern Railroad Valley, Sand Springs Valley, and the northwest NTTR corner.[5] The southern part of the complex in the Mojave Desert ecoregion is mostly Creosote Bush-Dominated Basins and Arid Footslopes (Jackass Flats is in the Amargosa Desert ecoregion.)[5] The complex includes 2 Salt Deserts—in the Coal Valley which has 3 sites of the "ADA activity area" (110E, 110F, & 110G) and in Dry Lake Valley (site 103 along the Burnt Springs Range).[3] The highest ecoregion is in the Tonopah Bombing Range (FUDS) which includes a Central Nevada Bald Mountains ecoregion[5] in the Kawich Range—the southern Bald Mountains are within the NTTR between the TTR & Wildhorse Management Area. The Logistic Supply Area of the ADA activity area is near the only Wetland ecoregion of the Tonopah Basin—in the Pahrangat Valley near both the Mojave ecotone and the northeast corner of the DNWR.[3]

Traversing the complex is the mid-1800s Utah & New Mexico Territories' dividing line (37th parallel north), and the area was used for the 1900–1921 silver rush (e.g., Tonopah Mining District[6] & Tonopah Manhattan Stage Route)[7] The region of mining claims was grouped into numbered geographic areas (e.g., Area 2, Area 5, Area 11, Area 12, Area 25, Area 27, Area 52) which are used for current names, e.g., "Area 3 Compound"[8] and "Groom Lake Field" ("Area 51" colloq.).[9]^[self-published source] The 1941-9 demarcation between the Tonopah & Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Ranges (Parallel 36°30′ north) is generally along the serpentine Creosote Bush ecotone between the Central Basin and Range ecoregion and "Mojavian flora".[5]

Airspace

The Nellis managed airspace [3]: 4–13  associated with the complex is more than 12,700 sq mi (33,000 km^2),[2] is the responsibility of the "US Air Force Virtual (USAFv), A3", and "is composed of the Desert MOA, with overlying Air Traffic Control Assigned Airspace (ATCAA), Reveille North and South MOA and ATCAA, [and] Restricted Areas":[10]

• Desert MOA: "subdivided into Sally Corridor, Elgin, Caliente, and Coyote training areas."
• Reveille Airspace:[11] North and South MOA
• Restricted Areas (joint use airspace): R-4806 East/West, R-4809 and R-4807 A/B "subdivided as follows: Alamo A, B, & C, Areas 61, 62B & C, 63, 64A, B, C, & D, 65N, 65S, 71N, 71S, 74A, 74B, 74C, 75E, 75W, 76, 76A, Tolicha, Pahute A & B, ECE, ECW, ECS and Cactus EC."
• "R-4808N and portions of R-4808S are non-joint use restricted areas."

The former Oil Burner/Olive Branch route ("OB-10-Hawthorne") for Strategic Air Command low-level bomber flights scored by the Hawthorne Bomb Plot extended from a "point west of Elko, Nevada, running southwest to Mina, Nevada" at flight level "FL130-140"[12] (the TTR sites for "SAC Targets 1 and 2"[13] are at Antelope Lake.)[8]

Wildlife areas

The Nevada Division of Wildlife's Key Pittman Wildlife Management Area has a NOAA weather station, and Wilderness Areas include the "Worthington Mountains, Weepah Springs, Big Rocks, [and] Ash Springs Wildlife Area". Lands for federal protection of natural resources include:[3]

• Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex
  • Desert National Wildlife Refuge: "established to preserve habitat for the desert bighorn sheep, and is managed by the USFWS as a unit of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex".
  • Amargosa Pupfish Station
  • Ash Springs Public Rock Art Site: petroglyphs and semi-circular rock alignments south of Ash Springs and managed by the BLM
  • Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge
  • Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge: migratory bird habitat south of Alamo along U.S. Route 93 in Nevada
• Leviathan Cave Geologic Area:. Leviathon Cave tunnels and chambers for spelunkers and geologists on the east side of the Worthington Mountain Range and administered by the BLM
• White River Narrows Archaeological District: cultural artifacts such as petroglyphs on SR-318 north of Hiko and managed by the BLM
• Railroad Valley Wildlife Management Area[14]

Military operations "when a tortoise is found in harms way" are suspended until it has been removed by an authorized biologist (e.g., dispatched by the Nellis AFB Natural Resources Manager), nesting surveys are conducted prior to military exercises for species protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the BLM & USFS provide protections under the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act.[3]

Public lands managed by the federal government in southern Nevada by size

Area FUDS #	Location (landforms, etc.)	Facilities/sites	Agency	Years	Size
Nevada Test and Training Range—shares ~1,276 sq mi (3,300 km^2) of the Southern Range with the DNWR	Northern Range: Southern Range: southern Tikaboo Valley, Dogbone Dry Lake in Range 62,[15]	Northern: Tolich Peak ECR, Tonopah ECR Southern: Point Bravo ECR, Dogbone Lake G&BR,[15] Groom Lake Field in Area 51	USAF	1942–present	4,531 sq mi (11,740 km^2)
Nevada National Security Site •includes Camp Desert Rock FUDS of 23,058 acres (9,331 ha)[16]   J09NV0276	Frenchman Flat, Jackass Flats, Yucca Flat, Rainer & Pahute Mesas,	10 heliports, 2 "wild horse units ... Unit 252 [&] Unit 253",[1] Pahute Mesa Airstrip (Area 18), Desert Rock Airport (Area 20), "Yucca Lake UAV testing facility", "Yucca Mountain Underground Facility",[15] Big Explosives Experimental Facility (Area 4), Criticality Experiments Facility (Area 6), former Base Camp Mercury	DOE	1951–present	~1,355 sq mi (3,510 km^2)
Desert National Wildlife Refuge land east of the NTTR		FUDS: Former NAFR Areas B-G,[17] e.g., Area F of 47,481.50 acres (19,215.08 ha)[18]	USFWS	1936–present	1,248 sq mi (3,230 km^2)
Tonopah Bombing Range (FUDS)* J09NV1114	Stone Cabin, Hot Creek, Railroad, Tikaboo, and Sand Springs valleys ("60 miles east of Tonopah")	USFWS National Wildlife Refuge of ~22.25 sq mi (57.6 km^2) at the Kawich Range, Rachel community (Sand Springs Valley), Area 51 viewing areas (Tonopah Uplands along Tikaboo Valley)	BLM[19]	1942–19xx (FUDS: 1999)	~311,040 acres (125,870 ha)[20]
Tonopah Rifle Range J09NV0970 Tonopah Army Airfield Practice Bombing Ranges* J09NV1112[21]	"Sand Spring [sic]-Tikaboo Valleys"[22]			1941-tbd
Area A J09NV1103	north and northeast of NTTR	former ranges 46-56 "returned to public domain" by 1941 EO9019 and 1957 EO10355	BLM		~1,107 sq mi (2,870 km^2)[23]
Tonopah Test Range	"Cactus and Gold Flats, Kawich Valley, Goldfield Hills, and the Stonewall Mountains",[1] Cactus Flat, Antelope Lake Valley	Tonopah Test Range Airport (Cactus Flat), Operations Control Center (Area 3), Area 10 airfield/strip, Mellan Airstrip (37°41′16″N 116°37′50″W),	DOE	1957–present	~280 sq mi (730 km^2)[1]
Humboldt National Forest	"Total Acreage" includes "217,086" acres not federally-owned[24]				2,618,165 acres (1,059,534 ha)[24]
Wildhorse Management Area	bordered on 3 sides by the NTTR Northern Range and on the north, Tonopah Bombing Range (FUDS)		BLM[1]
Nellis Air Force Base	Las Vegas Valley (northeast corner) adjacent to North Las Vegas	Area I: Airport, "Nellis Control", Suter Hall Area II: former Lake Mead Base J09NV0442 Area III: Armory, family housing	USAF	1941-6, 1947–present	17.7 sq mi (46 km^2)
Nellis Small Arms Range Complex	Las Vegas Valley & Mojave Arid Footslopes of Sheep Mountain, "north of the main base of Nellis AFB" and adjacent to "World War II Gunnery Range (FUDS)" on west and north	active area: 6,957 acres (2,815 ha) inactive (MRA MU732): 6.2 sq mi (16 km^2)	USAF tbd	1941–present 1941-65[2]	17.1 sq mi (44 km^2)
Tonopah Air Force Base J09NV0969			BLM	1942–195x	7,228.23 acres (2,925.16 ha)[19]
Creech Air Force Base	adjacent to Indian Springs, Nevada and FUDS J09NV0399 (Indian Springs AFAF land designated a FUDS by 2002)[25]	Joint Unmanned Aerial Systems Center of Excellence UAV-Logistic and Training Facility	USAF	1942-5, 1948–present	2,300 acres (930 ha)[18]
Patriot "Radar/Communications activity area" ("ADA activity area"), part of eastern DNWR	Coal V (sites 110E*, F*, G), Delamar V (102, 108), Dry Lake V (103), Pahranagat V (LSA), Sand Springs V (112C, E, F, G, H, I), Six Mile Flat (109),	Logistics Support Area (LSA) at Alamo Airfield & 13 sites each 500 ft × 500 ft (150 m × 150 m) *in "wild horse Herd Management Areas (HMA)[3]	BLM[3]: 1–1	2008–present	74.1 acres (30.0 ha)[3]+
Las Vegas Air Force Station J09NV0445 Lathrop Wells radar site Red Mountain VORTAC site FAA radar facility (former Tonopah AFS) Former GATR & Soviet radar site	Portion is leased to Nellis AFB^[citation needed] west of Indian Springs near Boulder City, Nevada 38°03′06″N 117°13′32″W in Esmeralda Co. 38°08′37″N 117°11′57″W "near the former" TAFS	Former Phoenix ADS radar site Former Phoenix ADS radar site Former Phoenix ADS radar site 2 radar platforms at former Reno ADS site Former Reno ADS site	FAA FAA USAF	1956-69 1956-70
Regional Training Complex (Silver Flag Alpha facility)	~15 miles south of Indian Springs on US95[26]	12 small arms ranges, MOUT village, bare base tent city, maneuver area
Tonopah (TPH) VORTAC	38°01′50.321″N 117°02′00.627″W[27] near Nye County's Tonopah Airport (38°03′37″N 117°05′12″W)		FAA
Hawthorne Bomb Plot	Babbitt, Nevada (Mineral County)	former "USAF Radar Station" for RBS	USAF US Navy	1962–1985 1993
Delamar Dry Lake Test Annex J09NV0023	Delamar Valley
Sunrise Mountain Machine Gun Range   J09NV0639
"North Las Vegas Station" near Nellis AFB "Key Pittman WMA station"	4.19 in (106 mm) average precipcipitation/year 7.94 in (202 mm) "	Climatology monitoring sites (weather stations)[3]: 3–1	NOAA	1951–present 1964–present

History

The original 1940 area named Tonopah Bombing Range was split during WWII and 1 of the 2 subdivisions was named Tonopah Bombing and Gunnery Range in 1947. In 1999 a different area was named a FUDS with the original name--"Tonopah Bombing Range" (J09NV1114)—and the different FUDS J09NV1112 was given a new name --"Tonopah Army Airfield Practice Bombing Ranges"—by 1999.[21]

Notes

1. Wagner, Katrina, ed. (September 2004). 2003 Annual Site Environmental Report, Tonopah Test Range (PDF) (Report). Sandia National Laboratories. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
2. Comprehensive Site Evaluation Phase II (PDF) (Report). June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-03-03. Retrieved 2013-06-08. The Las Vegas Valley (the Valley) is a bowl-shaped basin surrounded by rugged mountain ranges. The entire hydrographic basin is 1,600 square miles. The western edge of the Valley is approximately 5 miles west of Lake Mead, which is an impoundment on the Colorado River. The Valley occupies a structural basin in the Basin and Range Province of the northern Mojave Desert, and most shallow groundwater and all surface flows are transported to Lake Mead via the Las Vegas Wash.... The total land area occupied by Nellis AFB and its restricted ranges is more than 5,000 square miles. An additional 7,700 square miles of airspace north and east of the restricted ranges also are available for military flight operations.... Table 2-1 Former Ranges and Impact Areas.... The Small Arms Range Ordnance Ejection Site OT-39, now known as OT-37, located in the active portion of the Nellis Small Arms Range ... MU732 is currently inactive and considered a closed range but is accessed by authorized installation personnel, authorized contractors and visitors, and trespassers. (small arms annex areas on p. 5-1)
3. Huntley, Chris, Proj. Mgr. (August 2008). ...Patriot Communications Exercises in Lincoln County, Nevada (PDF) (Report). Vol. AFD-081006-078. Aspen Environmental Group. p. 5-2. Archived from the original (Final Environmental Assessment) on 2013-03-04. Retrieved 2013-02-06. Plant communities in this region are characterized by Mojave Desert Scrub and Great Basin Desert Scrub biomes (Brown, 1994).... Great Basin Desert Scrub evolved from both cold-temperate and warm-temperate vegetation and is characterized by communities dominated by sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), shadscale (A. confertifolia), or winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata) (Brown, 1994). Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima), greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus), black sage (A. nova), and rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus spp.) are also common and are often co-dominant or present in many Great Basin plant communities.^[p. 3-5] ... The baseline Nellis AFB complex emission summary for the Nellis area and the NTTR, which includes Lincoln County, is given in Table 5-2.
4. Futrell, Robert F. (July 1947). Development of AAF Base Facilities in the United States: 1939–1945 (Report). Vol. ARS-69: US Air Force Historical Study No 69 (Copy No. 2). Air Historical Office.
5. Bryce, S.A., Woods, A.J., Morefield, J.D., Omernik, J.M., McKay, T.R., Brackley, G.K., Hall, R.K., Higgins, D.K., McMorran, D.C., Vargas, K.E., Petersen, E.B., Zamudio, D.C., and Comstock, J.A., 2003, Ecoregions of Nevada (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs): Reston, Virginia, U.S. Geological Survey (map scale 1:1,350,000).
6. Spurr, Josiah Edward (1905). Geology of the Tonopah Mining District, Nevada (Internet Archive abstract). GPO. Retrieved 2013-02-07. 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 is rimmed by the greatest of the earth's volcanic belts. This "circle of fire,"...-- Included U.S. Geological Survey "Professional Paper No. 42" maps are Plate III (pp. 28-9 mining claim map) & Plate XVI (pp. 116-7 geologic map with streets and buildings).
7. "Tonopah Manhattan Stage Route (864176)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
8. Tonopah Test Range...Corrective Action Sites (Report). Vol. DOE/NV/25946--1036. CAS TA-55-002-TAB2 (Bomblet Target Areas) consists of six separate locations [that] include Mid Target, BLU-63 area, SAC Target, South Antelope Lake, and Tomahawk Targets 1 and 2 ... CAS RG-52-007-TAML (Davis Gun Penetrator Test) consists of Davis Gun testing locations on Antelope, Brownes, Pedro, and Main Lakes, and Antelope Tuff 1, Antelope Tuff 2, Sidewinder Tuff, Myers Ridge, and Mt Helen (Nellis Range 75). The only location with land use restrictions is Antelope Lake. (for SAC Targets 1 and 2, see DOE/NV--1409)
9. Pearse, Steve (August 22, 2011). Set Your Phaser to Stun. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 9781465343369. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
10. Control and Use Procedures for Nevada Test and Training Range Complex (Letter of Agreement)
11. USAF (U.S. Air Force). USAF, 2002. Final Environmental Assessment: Changes in Reveille Airspace at NTTR. Table 3.2-1.
12. ^[dead link‍]Proposed IAO/DTE Resource Availability (PDF) (Report). c. 1970. Retrieved 2013-04-18. OB-10-Hawthorne: A point west of Elko, Nevada, running southwest to Nuna, Nevada FL130-140)^[permanent dead link‍]
13. Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 408: Bomblet Target Area Tonopah Test Range (TTR), Nevada (PDF) (Report). Vol. DOE/NV--1409. Nevada Environmental Restoration Project. September 2010. Retrieved 2013-05-19. SAC I & II Targets contained forty-five (45) 100m x 100m grids.... The boundary for the SAC Target locations encompassed an area of approximately 72 acres
14. "Railroad Valley Wildlife Management Area (862837)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
15. "Military Air Chart of the Nellis Ranges". BibliotecaPleyades.net. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
16. Fall 2012 On Point Camp Desert Rock, Nevada: "Immediately after Operation Plumbbob's Galileo shot on 7 October 1957, the camp reverted to standby status, with a small caretaker staff remaining at the post. After the suspension of aboveground testing in 1957, the camp ceased operation as an Army subinstallation effective 18 June 1964. Many of the camp's structures were moved to other parts of the NTS. The AEC resurfaced and enlarged the Desert Rock airstrip in 1969, extending the runway to a length of 7,500 feet. Although this airstrip was originally built to serve the NTS, it is currently an emergency landing site for any aircraft. Later additions included a National Weather Service facility and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Surface Radiation (SURFRAD) station."
17. Silkebakken, Don; Kelley, Laura (Project Managers) (February 2010). Programmatic Work Plan for Southwest IMA Region (Report). FUDS Military Munitions Response Program (Revision No. 2, "Revised Final" version ed.). Parsons.
18. "Creech Air Force Base". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2013-06-16. In 1976, the USAF relinquished primary control of what is now Area F to the Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This land is now part of the Desert National Wildlife Reserve.
19. Archives Search Report: Findings (Tonopah Bombing Range) (Report). The general location of the site lies within relatively flat area, with numerous intermittent drains running through the site area and dry lakes. Several mountain ranges (Reveille and Kawich) and valleys (Stone Cabin, Hot Creek, Railroad, Tikaboo, and Sand Spring) are identified throughout the site area. Located to the south and southwest of the site location is Tonopah Test Range^[page 4-13] The site has the Kawech Range on the west, the Timpahute Range and the Worthington Mountains on the east, the Belted and Papoose Ranges to the south, and the Reveille Range to the northwest [and] is part of the Sand Spring-Tikaboo Valleys ... the Tonopah Army Air Force Bombing Range site drains down from the mountains towards valley floor. [sic] ... On 14 January 1941, by virtue of Executive Order Number 8636, the War Department withdrew an additional 7,338.23 acres in Nevada for use as an aviation base.^[p. 5-1] ... Currently, the majority of the original Tonopah Bombing Range property is owned by the Bureau of Land Management and is open to the public.^[p. 5-2]
20. Site Survey Summary Sheet: Tonopah Bombing Range (part of Aug 2001 Archives Search Report). Techlaw, Inc. September 1999. approximately 311,040 acres, more or less
    Kocher, Gregg (14 May 2001). Site Safety and Health Plan (part of Aug 2001 Archives Search Report). U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.
21. Inventory Project Report: Tonopah Army Airfield Practice Bombing Ranges (DERP - FUDS SiteNo. J09NV1112). United States Army Corps of Engineers. March 1999.
22. Final Inventory Project Report, Tonopah Bombing Range (Report). Project Number - J09NV1114. USACE Sacramento District. September 1999. Squadron Histories K-SQ-Test-4201 -HI Tonopah Test Range, 1976 ... Training Histories 224.95 1 -1 West Coast Air Corps Training Center, October 1941 ... (with map) of Las Vegas AAF and includes Tonopah range
23. Executive Order 9019, 1942^[full citation needed] NOTE: EO9019 returned ~937,730 acres (1,465.20 sq mi) of the Las Vegas General Range to the Department of the Interior and by 1953, ~154,584 acres (241.538 sq mi) 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).... 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 webpage)
24. http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/lar/LAR2011/LAR2011_Book_A5.pdf ^[bare URL PDF]
25. Satus of Installations With Response Completed (PDF) (Report). Defense Environmental Restoration Program (OSD). Table C-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
26. "99th Ground Combat Training Squadron - "Silver Flag Alpha"". Nellis AFB public affairs. July 12, 2012. Archived from the original (fact sheet) on March 3, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
27. "TPH: Tonopah VORTAC Navigation Facility | MyAviationInfo.com". www.myaviationinfo.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2022.