Nellis Air Force Range

Nellis Air Force Range
Name	Nellis Air Force Range
Location	Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada, United States
Coordinates	36°38′N 115°19′W
Type	Military training range
Built	1940s
Controlled by	United States Air Force

Nellis Air Force Range is a large military airspace and ground training complex associated with Nellis Air Force Base and the Nevada Test and Training Range. It supports live‑fire, aerial maneuver, electronic warfare, and joint training for units from the United States Air Force, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and allied forces such as the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force. The range sits within a complex that has been used for testing and exercises connected to programs like Red Flag (exercise), Green Flag (exercise), and historical testing related to Atomic Energy Commission activities and Cold War-era programs.

History

The range traces origins to pre‑World War II aviation efforts including nearby installations such as Las Vegas Army Airfield and expansions during the World War II mobilization when flight training and ordnance practice increased across Nevada. Postwar development involved coordination with the Atomic Energy Commission during the Trinity (nuclear test) aftermath and later Cold War requirements tied to Strategic Air Command posture and SAC (United States Air Force) dispersal strategies. Throughout the Vietnam War era and into the Gulf War period, the range evolved to accommodate advanced aircraft from programs such as the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and F-22 Raptor, becoming integral to exercises like Red Flag (exercise) and multinational training with participants from NATO members and Pacific partners including the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

Geography and Environment

The complex occupies portions of the Nevada Test and Training Range within the Mojave Desert and Great Basin Desert ecotypes, bordering features like the Nellis Air Force Base installation area, Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, and the Mojave National Preserve. Elevation and terrain vary from playa basins to rocky mountain ridges found in the Spring Mountains and Eleana Range, producing habitats for species protected under Endangered Species Act frameworks informed by agencies such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Climate patterns reflect North American Monsoon seasonality and aridity characteristic of Desert climate, influencing dust management, migratory bird use studies tied to Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and cultural resources surveys related to Native American sites and the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office.

Facilities and Ranges

The range complex encompasses instrumented bombing areas, electronic warfare corridors, air-to-air engagement boxes, and live‑fire gunnery ranges, integrated with ground infrastructure such as the Nevada Test Site logistics network and support facilities at Tactical Training Range complexes. Notable components include instrumented target arrays, telemetry sites used during Project Oxcart era sensor tests, and remote telemetry supported by communications nodes tied to White Sands Missile Range methodologies. Range control elements coordinate with Federal Aviation Administration systems and military air traffic control centers like the Air Combat Command command and control framework to manage complex airspace such as the Military Operations Area and Restricted airspace overlays.

Units and Operations

Primary units operating on the range include wings and squadrons from USAF Warfare Center, 57th Wing, Nevada Air National Guard detachments, and visiting elements from carrier air wings of the United States Navy and Marine aviation groups such as Marine Aircraft Group 11. Operations host airframes like the A-10 Thunderbolt II, B-52 Stratofortress, EA-18G Growler, and allied platforms including the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale during combined exercises. Support is provided by range engineering and ordnance units, explosive ordnance disposal teams from EOD units (United States) and range safety officers coordinated with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency for specialized test events.

Training and Exercises

The range is the primary venue for large-force employment events such as Red Flag (exercise), which integrates air superiority, strike, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic attack participants drawn from Pacific Air Forces, United States European Command, and partner militaries. Other events include Green Flag (exercise) close air support scenarios, joint live‑fire missions with Marine Corps Air Station units, and multinational interoperability trials connected to Coalition warfare doctrines. Training leverages threat replication from aggressor squadrons flying aircraft in the lineage of F-5 Freedom Fighter and modern adversary emulators, while integrated range instrumentation collects data for post‑mission analysis by units such as the Air Force Test Center and interoperability teams from Allied Air Command.

Safety, Security, and Airspace Management

Airspace over the complex is managed through coordination between Air Combat Command, the Federal Aviation Administration, and regional air defense assets including NORAD alert facilities and airborne warning and control systems like the E-3 Sentry. Range safety protocols involve explosive ordnance disposal, environmental compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency, and cultural resource protection overseen by the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office. Security measures include access control related to Department of Defense policies, perimeter monitoring influenced by lessons from incidents such as United States v. Grumman litigation on airspace liability, and contingency coordination with local authorities including Clark County (Nevada) emergency management.

Category:United States Air Force ranges Category:Military installations in Nevada