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| Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field | |
|---|---|
| Name | Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field |
| Partof | Nellis Air Force Base |
| Location | Desert Tortoise Valley, Clark County, Nevada |
| Built | 1942 |
| Used | 1942–present |
| Controlledby | United States Air Force |
| Garrison | Air Force Materiel Command |
Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field is a United States military airfield in Nevada that has served as an auxiliary landing field, weapons test site, and training range support facility. Established during World War II, it became integral to Western United States aerial testing, contingency operations, and weapons delivery qualification, supporting major installations such as Nellis Air Force Base, Area 51, and the Nevada Test and Training Range. The facility’s role has intersected with operations by multiple organizations including Air Combat Command, United States Air Force Warfare Center, and contractors from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Originally constructed in 1942 during World War II as an emergency landing strip, the field was connected to early training activities by United States Army Air Forces units and later transferred to United States Air Force control after 1947. During the Cold War the installation supported activities linked to Nuclear testing in the United States, Tonopah Test Range, and flight testing involving platforms such as the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk and McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. In the 1960s and 1970s it hosted operations related to Vietnam War training deployments and was a staging area for personnel bound for Nellis Air Force Base and Edwards Air Force Base testing programs. The post–Cold War era saw expanded use by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds and joint exercises with United States Navy squadrons, while more recent decades have emphasized unmanned systems linked to General Atomics platforms and collaborative tests with Sandia National Laboratories.
The installation features one primary runway, associated taxiways, hangars, a control tower, and instrumentation arrays tailored for telemetry and telemetry recovery; these support flight operations for aircraft such as the A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and unmanned aerial vehicles like the MQ-9 Reaper. Range instrumentation includes radar tracking from vendors used by Air Force Materiel Command and telemetry suites compatible with Missile Defense Agency requirements. Onsite infrastructure has accommodated explosive ordnance storage governed by Defense Logistics Agency protocols and environmental monitoring stations similar to those operated near Yucca Flat. Support facilities historically included transient billeting, maintenance depots, and contractor workshops used by firms such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
The field has hosted tenant units and rotational deployments from 57th Wing elements, detachments of 99th Air Base Wing personnel, and personnel from the 53rd Wing during operational test missions. Contractor organizations providing aviation services have included AeroVironment and flight test teams contracted by Air Force Research Laboratory. The site supports range control operations coordinated with the Nevada Test and Training Range and liaison to Federal Aviation Administration airspace management through the Las Vegas flight information region. It has been used as a forward operating base for contingency sorties and as a recovery site for transient aircraft participating in Red Flag exercises.
The auxiliary field has played a supporting role for missile and weapons testing programs, providing telemetry, impact assessment, and aircraft recovery operations for live‑fire events associated with platforms like the AGM-65 Maverick and tests involving practice munitions from General Dynamics. It has been involved in joint test campaigns with the Missile Defense Agency and assisted validation work for counter‑insurgency munitions evaluated by the Naval Air Systems Command. The proximity to dedicated instrumentation ranges enabled rapid data collection for seeker characterization and warhead effects studies conducted by laboratories including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories.
Over its operational history the field has been the location of aircraft mishaps and recovery operations, involving airframes such as the F-4 Phantom II and A-10 Thunderbolt II during training sorties. Notable incidents required search and rescue coordination with Civil Air Patrol and medical evacuation support that sometimes involved Nellis Air Force Base medical units. Investigations following accidents have referenced procedures from the Air Force Safety Center and led to updates in flight operations and range safety protocols administered by the Nevada Test and Training Range.
Operations at the site have prompted environmental monitoring for soil, groundwater, and unexploded ordnance consistent with programs overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency region offices and state agencies such as the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. Community interaction has included coordination with Clark County, Nevada officials, noise abatement agreements referencing nearby communities including Las Vegas and tribal stakeholders, and outreach to universities like the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for environmental assessment partnerships. Remediation initiatives have sometimes mirrored efforts at other western ranges impacted by ordnance testing near locations such as Tonopah, Nevada.
Planning documents have considered modernizing airfield infrastructure to support emerging platforms including sixth‑generation prototype aircraft and expanded unmanned systems operated by organizations such as United States Space Force elements and industry partners like Northrop Grumman. Periodic studies by Air Combat Command and the Air Force Materiel Command have evaluated cost‑benefit scenarios for continued operation versus consolidation at Nellis Air Force Base or closure modeled on previous base realignment actions overseen by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Any future changes would involve coordination with Department of Defense stakeholders, state authorities, and affected local jurisdictions including Clark County School District for community impact mitigation.
Category:Air force installations of the United States Category:Installations of the United States Air Force in Nevada