PROBING THE SECRETS OF NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE

  

Date:  12-28-89  00:40

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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