The tooling used to build the D-21Bs was ordered destroyed. Turley appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on the grounds that the government was abusing its power to classify material. Located within Area 51 of the Nevada Test Site, the base came to be known simply as "Area 51". When you have eliminated the JavaScript , whatever remains must be an empty page. [35], Meanwhile, Tactical Air Command (TAC) decided to set up a group-level organization to guide the F-117A to an initial operating capability. Tony LeVier, the pilot assigned by Johnson to find a suitable location, found several remote spots, but chose Groom Lake because of the mountainous perimeter it furnished a dry lake bed that would provide the ultimate runway. The U-2 began flying at above 60,000 feet and there was an increasing number of UFO sighting reports. CIA declassified map of Groom Lake and Area 51.jpg 957 × 1,199; 163 KB NevadaTestRange 4808A.png 1,205 × 721; 655 KB Wfm area51 map en.png 1,382 × 980; 1.45 MB The failure was traced to a stripped nut on the forward right attachment point on the pylon. At the same time, the Q-12 underwent a name change. In January 1962, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expanded the restricted airspace in the vicinity of Groom Lake, and the lakebed became the center of a 600-square mile addition to restricted area R-4808N. This page shows the elevation/altitude information of Groom Lake, Nevada, USA, including elevation map, topographic map, narometric pressure, longitude and latitude. In southern Nevada, behind the mountains and in the vast desert lay one of the most secretive—and famous—military bases in the world. ), National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena (1956-1980), Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (2007–2012), Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force (current), Mass murder of German POWs after World War II (1940s), Allegations of CIA assistance to Osama bin Laden, Free energy suppression conspiracy theory, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Area_51&oldid=1004863836, Buildings and structures in Lincoln County, Nevada, Installations of the Central Intelligence Agency, Research installations of the United States Air Force, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Burisch's scholarly credentials are the subject of much debate, as he was apparently working as a Las Vegas parole officer in 1989 while also earning a PhD at State University of New York (SUNY). Between 1,500 and 3,000 people showed up at the festivals, while over 150 people made the journey over several miles of rough roads to get near the gates to Area 51. [16] According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the correct names for the facility are Homey Airport (KXTA) and Groom Lake,[17][18] though the name Area 51 was used in a CIA document from the Vietnam War. Below is a map of Federal Lands in Nevada showing there is plenty of space for all sorts of clandestine operations, above ground, underground, human and otherwise. However, the Air Force agreed to fund the study of a high-speed, high-altitude drone aircraft in October 1962. [26]:125, By late summer of 1967, the modification work to both the D-21 (now designated D-21B) and the B-52Hs were complete. Watch the video: Top Secrets OF Area 51 Revealed Here you can see an interactive Open Street map which shows the exact location of Area 51. But they forgot one thing: a DEM. Many sighting reports came to the Air Force's Project Blue Book, which investigated UFO sightings, through air-traffic controllers and letters to the government. The memo was removed shortly after journalists became aware of it. 99-19", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Groom_Lake_(salt_flat)&oldid=1000009387, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 13 January 2021, at 01:58. The number is believed to have originated with a map notation. On 17 January 1981 the Lockheed test team at Area 51 accepted delivery of the first full-scale development (FSD) prototype 79–780, designated YF-117A. At the same time, new developments in reconnaissance satellite technology were nearing operation. On 15 October 1982, Major Alton C. Whitley Jr. became the first USAF 4450th TG pilot to fly the F-117A. At 6:05 am on 18 June 1981 Lockheed Skunk Works test pilot Hal Farley lifted the nose of YF-117A 79–780 off the runway of Area 51. By 1970, the HAVE DRILL program was expanded; a few selected fleet F-4 crews were given the chance to fight the MiGs. Time was running out for the Tagboard. The government denies it has ever been called Area 51. But he inclined leave decision to me (DCI)—I confessed some question over need to protect since: The declassified documents do not disclose the outcome of discussions regarding the Skylab imagery. To preserve secrecy, personnel flew to Nevada on Monday mornings and returned to California on Friday evenings. [61], Technology is also heavily used to maintain the border of the base; this includes surveillance cameras and motion detectors. They were labeled "GTD-21Bs" (GT stood for ground training). The CIA acknowledged the facility, formally called Homey Airport and Groom Lake, for the first time in 2013. [45] The National Atlas shows the area as lying within the Nellis Air Force Base. [5] Even military pilots training in the NAFR risk disciplinary action if they stray into the exclusionary "box" surrounding Groom's airspace. The HAVE DOUGHNUT project officer was Tom Cassidy, a pilot with VX-4, the Navy's Air Development Squadron at Point Mugu. An unclassified memo on the safe handling of F-117 Nighthawk material was posted on an Air Force web site in 2005. The number 51 refers to a 6x10-mile block of land in grid number 51 of the Nevada Test Site, the centre of which is a large air base which the government will not discuss. [59][60] Signage around the base perimeter advises that deadly force is authorized against trespassers. The A-12 had finally been allowed to deploy, and the SR-71 was soon to replace it. However, the fact is that the resumptions of D-21 tests took place against a changing reconnaissance background. On 15 July 1971, Kelly Johnson received a wire canceling the D-21B program. From street and road map to high-resolution satellite imagery of Groom Lake. 39–40, 43, 51 ... "OXCART Story" pp. What could go wrong? Man alive, we looked at that lake, and we all looked at each other. Production FSD airframes from Lockheed were shipped to Area 51 for acceptance testing. An F-4 had defeated the MiG-21; the weakness of the Soviet plane had been found. By late January 1966, more than a year after the first captive flight, everything seemed ready. [26]:220–221, On 12 August 1968, two Syrian air force lieutenants, Walid Adham and Radfan Rifai, took off in a pair of MiG-17Fs on a training mission. [37] From October 1979, the Tonopah Airport base was reconstructed and expanded. [32], Following the loss of Gary Powers' U-2 over the Soviet Union, there were several discussions about using the A-12 OXCART as an unpiloted drone aircraft. Area 51 has become a focus of modern conspiracy theories due to its secretive nature and connection to classified aircraft research. [68], In the mid-1950s, civilian aircraft flew under 20,000 feet while military aircraft flew under 40,000 feet. When he flew against the MiG-21, he would outmaneuver it every time. The forbidden zone became known as "Red Square". It is used for runways of the Nellis Bombing Range Test Site airport (KXTA). [26]:60 It made its first flight 26 April 1962 when the base had over 1,000 personnel. #1 Groom Lake salt flat Unclassified Updated: 2020-05-12 Groom Lake is a dry lake, also described as a salt flat, in Nevada. They lost their way and, believing they were over Lebanon, landed at the Betzet Landing Field in northern Israel. 20, pp. ATIC personnel were sent anywhere where foreign aircraft could be found. verification, the operational airplanes were then transferred to the 4450th TG. It was important for the F-4 to keep its distance from the MiG-17. America's Secret MiGs", Osprey Publishing, 2008, Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information, State Route 375, the "Extraterrestrial Highway", List of United States Air Force installations, "Half a million people signed up to storm Area 51. This discussed the same materials for which the complainants had requested information, which the government had claimed was classified. [27] A little over three months later, the base consisted of a single paved runway, three hangars, a control tower, and rudimentary accommodations for test personnel. Secretary of the Air Force Sheila E. Widnall filed a brief which stated that disclosures of the materials present in the air and water near Groom "can reveal military operational capabilities or the nature and scope of classified operations." If exposed, don't we just say classified USAF work is done there? [57] The probably inadvertent release of the airport data led to advice by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) that student pilots should be explicitly warned about KXTA, not to consider it as a waypoint or destination for any flight even though it now appears in public navigation databases. A new generation of reconnaissance satellites could soon cover targets anywhere in the world. The road formerly led to mines in the Groom basin, but has been improved since their closure. [33], The Air Force began funding improvements to Area 51 in 1977 under project SCORE EVENT. Emigrant Valley Valley, 2 miles north. We flew over it and within thirty seconds, you knew that was the place ... it was right by a dry lake. The test program could now resume. [26]:60–62 The closed airspace above Groom Lake was within the Nellis Air Force Range airspace, and pilots saw the A-12 20 to 30 times. [18] These show the runway markings, base facilities, aircraft, and vehicles. [7][47][48][13], In 1994, five unnamed civilian contractors and the widows of contractors Walter Kasza and Robert Frost sued the Air Force and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. [23], The airfield on the Groom Lake site began service in 1942 as Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field[24] and consisted of two unpaved 5,000-foot (1,524 m) runways. Beginning in the late 1960s, and for several decades, Area 51 played host to an assortment of Soviet-built aircraft. [31] A permanent aircraft fuel tank farm was constructed by early 1962 for the special JP-7 fuel required by the A-12. The lake at 4,409 ft (1,344 m)[14] elevation is approximately 3.7 miles (6.0 km) from north to south and 3 miles (4.8 km) from east to west at its widest point. [33], In August 1966, Iraqi Air Force fighter pilot Captain Munir Redfa defected, flying his MiG-21 to Israel after being ordered to attack Iraqi Kurd villages with napalm. [23] J. To separate it from the other A-12-based projects, it was renamed the "D-21". Maphill is more than just a map … It contains numerous references to Area 51 and Groom Lake, along with a map of the area. Several more tests were made, none of which met with success. 7–9 (S) (cited by "The U-2's Intended Successor"), Steve Davies: "Red Eagles. This involved testing Soviet tracking and missile control radar systems. Day argues that "the CIA considered no other spot on Earth to be as sensitive as Groom Lake". The storage, examination, and reverse engineering of crashed alien spacecraft, including material supposedly recovered at, Meetings or joint undertakings with extraterrestrials, The development of time travel and teleportation technology, The development of exotic propulsion systems related to the, Activities related to a shadowy one world government or the, This page was last edited on 4 February 2021, at 19:52. There were no clear advantages. [28] This included testing at Groom Lake, which had inadequate facilities consisting of buildings for only 150 people, a 5,000 ft (1,500 m) asphalt runway, and limited fuel, hangar, and shop space. Nevertheless, this strange-looking aircraft was responsible for many of the stealth technology advances that were used on several other aircraft designs, and had a direct influence on the B-2; with first flight of Tacit Blue being performed on 5 February 1982, by Northrop Grumman test pilot, Richard G. The Air Force interest seems to have moved the CIA to take action, the project designated "Q-12". Groom Lake is a dry lake, also described as a salt flat, in Nevada. [63][65] The memo details debate between federal agencies regarding whether the images should be classified, with Department of Defense agencies arguing that it should and NASA and the State Department arguing that it should not be classified. [26]:129, Several more test flights, including two over China, were made from Beale AFB, California, in 1969 and 1970, to varying degrees of success. After leaving the restricted area, Groom Lake Road descends eastward to the floor of the Tikaboo Valley, passing the dirt-road entrances to several small ranches, before converging with State Route 375, the "Extraterrestrial Highway", south of Rachel. This would require a special school to teach advanced air combat techniques. 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