The Secrets of Dreamland

Date:  12-28-89  00:40
From:  Michael Corbin
To:    All
Subj:  The Secrets of Dreamland

========================================================
(C) Copyright 1989 ParaNet Information Service
All Rights Reserved unless copyrighted by Author.
========================================================
Reprinted   with  exclusive  permission  to  ParaNet  Information
Service.
PROBING THE SECRETS OF NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE
By Steve Douglass
     If  you  are ever on Highway 6,  just outside of the  little
town  of  Tonopah,  Nevada,  and  you can  brave  the  heat,  the
rattlesnakes,  and the isolation of the desert,  get out of  your
car and wait.  If you are patient enough you just might be amazed
by what you'll see.
     At  first you'll only hear it,  a high-pitched whining sound
in the distance.   Risking eye damage, you squint into the desert
glare trying to locate the source of the sound.   Suddenly you'll
see it.   It's an ominous-looking aircraft, perfectly flat on the
bottom, pyramidal on the top.
     Roaring across the high desert with its twin tail and  swept
back  wings,  it  looks like a large black swallow.   As it  gets
closer,  you'll feel the urge to duck down among the lizards  and
the cacti.   Such action is meaningless,  though,  for if you can
see it, it can see you.  So just stand and watch the Nighthawk go
through its paces.
     Since  the  beginning  of the  year,  the  F-117A  Nighthawk
stealth  fighter  has been engaged in daylight training  missions
from its secret base in Nevada.   Still considered off limits  to
the press and public,  the security forces at the base take a dim
view of prying eyes.  However, once in a while the Nighthawk must
leave its protective nest.
     It  is  on these rare occasions,  when the Nighthawk is  not
surrounded by razor wire, patrolling dogs or security teams, that
is when you might catch the F-117A strutting its stuff.
     The secret Tonopah base is part of the Nellis Air Force Base
military  operations area.   This secret range,  which  covers  a
large  portion  of south central Nevada,  is the home of the  Air
Force's top secret proving grounds.   Edwards Air Force Base  was
once  the premier testing center but now is considered too public
to  test  top secret stealth aircraft.   The F-117  base  on  the
northwest corner of Nellis is remote and removed from all but the
most determined.
     The  F-117A  Nighthawk is the official name of  the  stealth
fighter  bu  those  who  fly it have  nicknamed  it  "The  Wobbly
Goblin."   At  slow  speeds,  the fighter is apparently  hard  to
handle,  hence,  the odd title.  Another term for the aircraft is
"the  sacred airplane" because when people see it for  the  first
time they usually remark "Oh my God!"
     A  total of 49 are thought to be based on the Tonopah range,
also known as Mellon Strip.   The secret base, located in Area 30
on the Nellis range,  consists of 72 nuclear hardened,  specially
built hangers for these secret aircraft.
     The  pilots  who fly the F-117 are members of  a  new  elite
unit, the 445th Tactical Group.  Most of the pilots first flew F-
111 Aardvarks or have Wild Weasel experience.   The special unit,
known  as "Team One-Furtim Vigilans" (vigilant by stealth) became
operational in 1983.
     Becuase of the secret nature of their missions,  the  pilots
are   not   allowed  to  acknowledge  to  civilian  air   traffic
controllers what type of craft they are flying.   If asked,  they
are to say they are an A-7 Corsair.
     Team  One squadron is not the only squadron flying  strange-
looking  aircraft  on  the Tonopah range.   The  447th  test  and
evaluation squadron, the Red Eagles, is based there as well.  The
Red   Eagles  fly  authentic  Soviet   fighters.    Captured   in
Afghanistan and turned over to the U.S.,  Mig 17s, 19s, 21s, 23s,
25s,  27s and Sukhoi Su20 Fighters are flown regularly in Nellis'
Red Flag war games.
     Occuring  almost every eight weeks,  the Red Flag  exercises
are  conducted in much the same way as the Navy's Top Gun  school
is  used  to train USAF pilots in dissimilar air combat  tactics.
What better way to train than against real Soviet  fighters?   To
add  to  the realism,  the Nellis range even is dotted with  real
Soviet  air defense radars and SAMS (surface to air missiles)  to
give training pilots the feel of the real thing.
     There  is yet another secret base located in the  middle  of
Nellis.   Groom Lake, in an area called Dreamland, is known to be
the  test  base  of the mysterious Aurora and  the  F-19  stealth
fighter.   The  Aurora,  the  stealth replacement for  the  SR-71
Blackbird  and  the F-19,  the stealth replacement for  the  F-15
Eagle, is said to be flying from the Watertown Strip.
     Teh Air Force has reportedly been testing the two top secret
aircraft in Dreamland, Area 51, since 1980.  (The SR-71 Blackbird
was test flown in complete secrecy.)  Other aircraft likely to be
test  flown from Dreamland in the near future are prototypes  for
the  ATF  (Advanced Tactical  Fighter),  the  Phalanx  Dragon,  a
stealth  helicopter killer,  and the A-12 (Navy Advanced Tactical
Aircraft), a replacement for the A-6 intruder.
     Although the bulk of stealth aircraft operations seem to  be
centered  around  Nevada,  it is said that stealth aircraft  have
been seen at other bases as well.   Last April the USAF said  the
F-117A  would be used at bases nationwide to help integrate  thge
stealth  technology  within the rest of the Air Force  inventory.
The F-117A has been seen flying near Yuma,  Arizona;  Edwards AFB
in Calfiornia, and Kadena AFB in Okinawa.
     Recently  it was rumored that F-117s are being stationed  at
the  recently opened Roswell Air Force Base in New  Mexico.   The
Roswell strip was constructed originally for heavy bombers during
WWII and Vietnam but closed in the late sixties.  Residents of th
area  report  that strange aircraft are once again slying out  of
the base.  The White Sands missile range  is not far from Roswell
and the F-117A may be using the range to test the stealth  cruise
missile, General Dynamics AGM-129.
     Another  black  aircraft program by General  Dynamics  known
only  as  Project 100 is even more secret ahtn all other  stealth
programs.   Little  is known about the project except that it  is
thought  to be test flying out of Holliman AFB  near  Alamagordo,
New  Mexico,  and only at night.   A military radio net has  been
heard  on various frequencies in the Holloman area (see frequency
list) and it may be the testing of the Project 100 aircraft.
                           MONITORING
     Trying to monitor the secret air force is nearly as hard  as
catching  a  glimpse  of  them.   Best bets are the  HF  and  UHF
frequencies of the flight test bases and aircraft  manufacturers.
Also,  a  good place to monitor would be SAC and TAC frequencies.
Another good place to listen is air traffic control centers  near
test areas.
     So get cracking,  heat up your set,  and maybe you'll be the
first to monitor the top secret Aurora and F-19!
                           FREQUENCIES
              HOLLOMAN AFB, ALAMAGORDO, NEW MEXICO
Approach                 324.3 MHz UHF
Departure                255.9 MHz UHF
              Holloman flight test net/White Sands
Primary                  260.8 MHz UHF
Secondary                264.9 MHz UHF
                 Other UHF frequencies monitored
397.9, 353.6, 364.2, 376.1, 189.4, and 251.1
HF link                  9.023 MHz USB
SATCOM links mentioned 262.925 MHz uplink; 297.525 downlink
Call  signs  heard:    Sierra  Papa,   Sierra  Pete,  Ringmaster,
Battlestaff, Guardian Papa, Dark Star, Dark Star Oscar
                  ROSWELL AIR FIELD, NEW MEXICO
Approach                 239.6 MHz UHF
Tower                    272.7 MHz UHF
                          Military Net
Primary                  305.6 MHz UHF
Secondary                397.9 MHz UHF
                   Other frequencies monitored
259.2, 305.6, 348.7
                       NELLIS AFB, NEVADA
Approach                 279.7 MHz UHF
Tower                    324.3 MHz UHF
Ground control           275.8 MHz UHF
Clearance Delivery       289.4 MHz UHF
ATIS                     270.1 MHz UHF
                 Nellis Military Operations Area
Dreamland base           255.8 MHz UHF
Sally corridor           343.0 MHz UHF
Groom Lake approach      361.3 MHz UHF
Watertown Strip approach 297.65 MHz UHF
                     EDWARDS AFB, CALIFORNIA
Tower                    269.9 MHz UHF
Edwards command post
           (Conform)     304.0 MHz UHF
Edwards VHF ground
            control      121.8 Mhz UHF
Edwards approach         318.1 MHz UHF
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