Area 51 shares a border with the Yucca Flat region of the Nevada Test Site (NTS), the location of 739 of the 928 nuclear tests conducted by the United States Department of Energy at NTS. The Yucca Mountain nuclear storage facility is approximately 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Groom Lake.

The designation "Area 51" appears on older maps of the NTS but not newer ones, yet the same naming scheme is used for other parts of the Nevada Test Site.

The area is connected to the internal NTS road network, with paved roads leading south to Mercury and west to Yucca Flat. Leading northeast from the lake, the wide and well-maintained Groom Lake Road runs through a pass in the Jumbled Hills. The road formerly led to mines in the Groom basin, but has been improved since their closure. Its winding course runs past a security checkpoint, but the restricted area around the base extends further east. 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.

"Janet" Planes

Most commuters to Area 51 travel on unmarked Boeing 737s or 727s. Planes depart from the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas (located right across the street from the Luxor Hotel and Casino). Defense contractor EG&G owns the terminal. Each plane uses the word "Janet" followed by three digits as a call sign to the airport's control tower.

The airspace above Area 51 is known as R-4808 and is restricted to all commercial and military flights not originating from the base itself (except the Janet commuters, of course). Area 51 is believed to be part of either Edwards Air Force Base in California or the Nellis Air Force Range in Nevada, even though pilots from those bases are forbidden to fly in Area 51's airspace. In fact, pilots who fly into one of the buffer zones surrounding R-4808 reportedly face punishment from their commanders, though it's reported as fairly lenient. Whenever a pilot flies through a buffer zone, the training exercise immediately ends and the pilot is ordered back to base. Knowingly flying into R-4808 is a much more serious offense, and pilots can face a court martial, dishonorable discharge and time in prison as a result.

The military classifies Area 51 as a Military Operating Area (MOA). The borders of Area 51 are not fenced, but are marked with orange poles and warning signs. The signs tell you that photography isn't allowed and that trespassing on the property will result in a fine. The signs also offer this sobering note: Security is authorized to use deadly force on people who insist on trespassing. Rumors circulate among conspiracy theorists over how many unfortunate truth seekers have died as a result of tromping around the grounds of Area 51, though most believe that trespassers are dealt with in a much less violent manner.

Pairs of men who don't appear to be in the military patrol the perimeter. These guards are likely civilians hired from firms like Wackenhut or EG&G. Observers call them "cammo dudes," because they often wear desert camouflage. The cammo dudes usually drive around in four-wheel-drive vehicles, keeping an eye on anyone near the borders of Area 51. Supposedly, their instructions are to avoid contact with intruders, if possible, and act merely as both an observer and deterrent. If someone seems suspicious, the cammo dudes will call in the local sheriff to deal with him. Once in a while, the cammo dudes have confronted trespassers, allegedly seizing any film or other recording devices and intimidating the trespassers. Sometimes, helicopters provide additional support. There are rumors that the helicopter pilots occasionally use illegal tactics like hovering very low over trespassers to harass them.

Other security measures include sensors planted around the perimeter of the base. These sensors detect movement, and some believe they can even discern the difference between an animal and a human being. Since Area 51 is effectively a wildlife preserve, it was important to create warning devices that could not easily be tripped by a passing animal. One theory held by observers is that the sensors can detect the scent of the passing creature (the sensors detect an ammonia signature). While that has yet to be substantiated, it's certain that there are buried sensors all around Area 51. One Rachel resident named Chuck Clark discovered several of the sensors, and at one point the Air Force accused him of interfering with signal devices and ordered him to either return a missing sensor or pay a fine -- Clark reportedly complied..

Command

Area 51 is a desolate piece of land in the southwestern part of Lincoln County in southern Nevada, located in the southern edge of a large dry salt flat called Groom Lake.   It lies within the Nevada Test and Training Range and is owned by the United States Department of Defense and the United States Air Force.   Area 51 contains an airfield whose primary purpose is believed to be the operation and analysis of enemy aircraft and weapons systems, and secret development and testing of new military aircraft.   Although the facilities at Nellis Air Force Base are managed by the 99th Air Base Wing, the Groom facility appears to be run as an adjunct   of the Air Force Flight Test center at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, around 160 miles from Groom, and as such the base is know as Air Force Flight Test Center (Detachment 3).

Other names used for the facility include Dreamland, Paradise Ranch, Home Base, Watertown Strip, and   Groom Lake.   The area is part of the Nellis Military Operations Area, and military pilots refer to the forbidden airspace around it (R-4808N) as the Box.   Kelly Johnson, the U2's designer had jokingly nicknamed this Godforsaken place as Paradise Ranch, hoping to lure young and innocent flight crews.   The designation "Area 51" is somewhat contentious, appearing on older maps of the NTS but not newer ones, yet the same naming scheme is used   for other parts of the Nevada Test   Site. The photo to the right shows Kelly Johnson writing Area 51 on the blackboard.

Runways

The airbase, given the IATA airport identifier code of KXTA and listed as "Homey Airport" in aviation GPS databases, has seven runways including one that now appears to be closed. The closed runway, 14R/32L, is also by far the longest with a total length of approximately 7,093 meters (23,270 feet), not including stopway. The other runways are two asphalt runways, the 14L/32R with a length of 3,658 meters (12,000 feet) and 12/30 with a length of 1,652 meters (5,420 feet), and four runways located on the salt lake. These four runways are 09L/27R and 09R/27L, which are both approximately 3,489 meters (11,440 feet), and 03L/21R and 03R/21L, which are both approximately 3,057 meters (10,030 feet).

Operations at Groom Lake

Groom   Lake is not a conventional airbase, as frontline units are not normally deployed there.     It instead appears to be used during the development, testing, and training phases for new aircraft.   Once these aircraft have been approved by the United States Air Force or other agencies such as   the CIA, operation of that aircraft is generally conducted as   that of a normal air force base.   Groom is   reported, however, to be the permanent home for a small number of Soviet-designed aircraft, which are analyzed and used for training purposes.

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works

Skunk Works, an official alias for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs and formerly called Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, is responsible for a number of famous aircraft designs, including the U-2, the SR-71, the F-117, and the F-22. Its largest current project is the F-35 JSF (Joint Strike Fighter), which will be used in the air forces of several countries around the world. Production is expected to last for up to four decades.

The roots for the Skunk Works started in Burbank, California when Lockheed was tasked with building a high speed, highly manuerverable fighter to compete with the aircraft coming out of the Messerschmitt factory. Lockheed Model 22 rolled out in December 1938 and had her maiden flight on January 27, 1939. This plane would later be known as the P-38, and would be one of the most successful aircraft in the U.S. military for its time.

Near the end of World War II, Skunk Works was tasked with developing the United States' first operational jet fighter-the P-80 Shooting Star. A small team of engineers led by Kelly Johnson created the first prototype in only 143 days. (Kelly Johnson headed the Skunk Works until 1975. He was succeeded by Ben Rich.)

In 1955, the Skunks Works received a contract to build a spy plane known as the U-2 with the intention of overflying the Soviet Union and photographing sites of strategic interest. The U-2 was tested at Groom Lake in the Nevada desert. The first overflight took place on July 4th 1956. The U-2 ceased overflights when Francis Gary Powers was shot down during a mission on May 1, 1960, while over Russia.

The Skunk Works had predicted the U-2 had limited operational life over the Soviet Union. The CIA agreed. The Skunk Works got a contract in late 1959 to build five A-12 aircraft at a cost of $96 million dollars. Building a Mach 3.0 aircraft out of titanium posed enormous difficulties and the first flight did not occur until 1962. Several years later, the U.S. Air Force became interested in the design, and it ordered the SR-71 Blackbird, an improved two-seater version of the A-12. This aircraft first flew in 1966 and remained in service until 1998.

The D-21 drone, similar in design to the Blackbird, was built to overfly China. This drone sat on top of a specially modified A-12, known as M-21, of which there were two built. No D-21s were successfully launched from M-21s, although a few were deployed from B-52s.

U-2 program: Groom Lake was used for bombing and artillery practice during World War II, but was then abandoned until 1955.   In 1955 it was selected by Lockheed's Skunk Works team as the ideal location to test the forthcoming U-2 spy plan.   In January of 1955, Tony LaVier, a Lockheed test pilot, along with his crew chief Dorsey Kammerier, flew to numerous dry lakes in the southwestern U.S. to find one suitable for U-2 test flights.   When they landed at Groom Lake they looked not further.   LaVier said, "On a scale of 1 to 10 it was a 10 plus."The lakebed made an ideal strip from which they could operate the troublesome test aircraft, and Emigrant Valley's mountain ranges and the NTS perimeter protected the test site from prying eyes and outside interference.   During this period, the NTS continued to perform a series of atmospheric nuclear explosions.   U-2 operations throughout 1957 were frequently disrupted by the Plumbbob series of atomic tests, which detonated over two dozen devices at the NTS.   The Plumbbob-hood explosion on July 5 scattered fallout across Groom and forced a temporary evacuation.

U2 being delivered to Groom Lake

Suntan:    Only four prototypes of the Mach 2.5 CL-400 or Suntan were ever built. This successor to the U-2 was to be powered by liquid hydrogen but it was deemed too costly to create an infrastructure for refueling around the world. The program was canceled in the late fifties.

Blackbird programs: Even before U-2 development was complete, Lockheed began work on its successor, the CIA's OXCART project, a Mach-3 high altitude reconnaissance aircraft, a later variant of which became the famed USAF SR-71 Blackbird.   The Blackbird's flight characteristics and maintenance requirements forced a massive expansion of facilities and runways at Groom Lake.  By the time the first A-12 Blackbird prototype flew at Groomin 1962, the main runway had been lengthen to 8,500 ft (2600 m), and the base boasted a complement of over 1000 personnel.   It had fueling tanks, a control tower, and a baseball diamond.   Security was greatly enhanced, the small civilian mine in the Groom basin was closed, and the area surrounding the valley was made an exclusive military preserve (where trespassers could be subject to "lethal force").   Groom saw the first flight of all major Blackbird variants: A-12, SR-71, its abortive YF-12 interceptor variant, and the D-21 Blackbird-based drone project.   The A-12 would remain at Groom Lake until 1968.

Below: 10 CIA A12's at Groom Lake   To the right: A12 at Groom Lake

Have Blue/F-117 program: The first Have Blue prototype stealth fighter (a smaller cousin of the F-117 Nighthawk) first flew at Groom in December 1977.   Testing of a series of ultra-secret prototypes continued there until mid-1981, when testing transitioned to the initial production of F-117 stealth fighters.   In addition to flight testing, Groom performed radar profiling, F-117 weapons testing, and was the location for training of the first group of front line USAF F-117 pilots.     Subsequently, the still highly classified active-service F-117 operations moved to the nearby Tonopah Test Range, and finally to Holloman Air Force Base.

F-117A Nighthawk Specifications:

General

• Length: 69 ft. 9 in.
• Wingspan: 43 ft. 4 in.
• Height: 12 ft. 9.5 in.
• Wing Area: 780 sq. ft.
• Empty Weight: 29,500 lbs.
• Loaded Weight: 52,500 lbs.
• Crew: 1

Performance

• Power Plant: 2 × General Electric F404-F1D2 turbofans
• Range: 930 miles
• Max Speed: Mach 0.92
• Ceiling: 69,000 ft.

Armament

• 2 × internal weapons bays with one hard point each (total of two weapons)

F-117 Design & Development:

During the Vietnam War radar-guided surface-to-air missiles began to take an increasingly heavy toll on American aircraft. As a result of these losses, American planners began seeking a way to make an aircraft invisible to radar. The theory behind their efforts was initially developed by Russian mathematician Pyotr Ya. Ufimtsev in 1964. Theorizing that the radar return of a given object was not related to its size but rather its edge configuration, he believed that he could calculate the radar cross-section across a wing's surface and along its edge.

Utilizing this knowledge, Ufimtsev conjectured that even a large aircraft could be made "stealthy." Unfortunately, any aircraft taking advantage of his theories would be inherently unstable. As the technology of the day was incapable of producing the flight computers necessary to compensate for this instability, his concepts were shelved. Several years later, an analyst at Lockheed came across a paper about Ufimtsev's theories and, as technology had sufficiently advanced, the company began developing a stealth aircraft based on the Russian's work.

Development of the F-117 began as a top secret "black project" at Lockheed's famed Advanced Development Projects unit, better known as the "Skunk Works." First developing a model of the new aircraft in 1975, dubbed the "Hopeless Diamond" due to its odd shape, Lockheed built two test aircraft under the Have Blue contract to test the design's radar-defying properties. Smaller than the F-117, the Have Blue planes flew night test missions over the Nevada desert between 1977 and 1979. Utilizing the F-16's single-axis fly-by-wire system, the Have Blue planes solved the instability issues and were invisible to radar.

Pleased with the program's results, the US Air Force issued a contract to Lockheed on November 1, 1978, for the design and production of a full-sized, stealth aircraft. Led by Skunk Works chief Ben Rich, with assistance from Bill Schroeder and Denys Overholser, the design team used specially designed software to create an aircraft which used facets (flat panels) to scatter over 99% of radar signals. The final result was an odd-looking aircraft that featured quadruple-redundant fly-by-wire flight controls, an advanced inertial guidance system, and sophisticated GPS navigation.

To minimize the aircraft's radar signature, designers were forced to exclude onboard radar as well as minimize the engine inlets, outlets, and thrust. The result was a subsonic attack bomber capable of carrying 5,000 lbs. of ordnance in an internal bay. Created under the Senior Trend Program, the new F-117 first flew on June 18, 1981, only a mere thirty-one months after moving into full-scale development. Designated the F-117A Nighthawk, the first production aircraft was delivered the following year with operational capability reached in October 1983. All told 59 aircraft were built and delivered by 1990.

Operational History of the F-117A:

Due to the extreme secrecy of the F-117 program, the aircraft were first based at isolated Tonopah Test Range Airport in Nevada as part of the 4450th Tactical Group. To aid in protecting the secret, official records at the time listed the 4450th as being based at Nellis Air Force Base and flying A-7 Corsair IIs. It was not until 1988 that the Air Force acknowledged the existence of the "stealth fighter" and released a fuzzy photograph of the aircraft. Two years later, in April 1990, it was publically revealed when two F-117As arrived at Nellis during daylight hours.

With the crisis in Kuwait developing that August, the F-117A, now assigned to the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing, deployed to the Middle East. Operation Desert Shield/Storm was the aircraft's first large-scale combat debut, though two had been secretly used as part of the invasion of Panama in 1989. A key component of the coalition air strategy, the F-117A flew 1,300 sorties during the Gulf War and struck 1,600 targets. The forty-two F-117As of the 37th TFW succeeded in scoring an 80% hit rate and were among the few aircraft cleared to strike targets in downtown Baghdad.

In the years since the September 11 attacks, the F-117A has flown combat missions in support of both Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. In the latter case, it dropped the opening bombs of the war when F-117s struck a leadership target in the conflict's opening hours in March 2003. Though a highly successful aircraft, the F-117A's technology was becoming outmoded by 2005 and maintenance costs were rising. With the introduction of the F-22 Raptor and development of the F-35 Lightning II, Program Budget Decision 720 (issued December 28, 2005) proposed retiring the F-117A fleet by October 2008. Though the US Air Force had intended to keep the aircraft in service until 2011, it decided to begin retiring it to enable the purchase of additional F-22s.

Due to the sensitive nature of the F-117A, it was decided to retire the aircraft to its original base at Tonopah where they would be partially disassembled and placed in storage. While the first F-117As left the fleet in March 2007, the final aircraft departed active service on April 22, 2008. That same day official retirement ceremonies were held. Four F-117As remained in brief service with the 410th Flight Test Squadron at Palmdale, CA and were taken to Tonopah in August 2008.

Have Blue was the code-name for Lockheed's "proof of concept" (i.e. prototype) Stealth Fighter program which preceded the F-117 Nighthawk production stealth aircraft project. The Have Blue was the first fixed-wing aircraft designed from an electrical engineering (rather than an aerodynamic) perspective. The aircraft's plate-like, faceted shape was designed to deflect electromagnetic waves, making the plane essentially invisible to radar.

Two Have Blue planes were built to test both the flight dynamics and radar-returns of the stealth concept. These prototypes flew at Groom Lake, Nevada, between 1977 and 1979. While they appear similar to the later F-117, the Have Blue prototypes were smaller aircraft, about 60% scale, with greater wing sweep and inward-canted vertical tails. The nose of Have Blue prototypes was also sharper and offered a slightly higher degree of stealth compared to production F-117 planes, which had to have a flat windshield to incorporate a head-up display.

During testing of the design, the aircraft was flown near (~100 miles away) to an army radar system, followed at some significant distance by a spotter plane; over a preplanned flight path. The cover story for the technology was that a black box in the nose of the aircraft was able to deflect the radar; whereas obviously the shape of the aircraft did all the real work. Radar only managed to detect the spotter plane; a soldier placed on the ground directly under the flight path had to witness the weird looking plane to verify that the flight had occurred.

The design was aerodynamically unstable. Both planes were lost in crashes, and the debris from these aircraft was buried near the lake bed.

"Even though the test site was in a remote location, our airplane was kept under wraps inside its hangar most of the time. Soviet spy satellites made regular passes, and every time our airplane was rolled out everyone on the base who wasn't cleared for Have Blue had to go into the windowless mess hall and have a cup of coffee until we took off."
— Ben Rich, director of Lockheed's Skunk Works from 1975 to 1991.

B-2 Spirit Bomber

As a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. A dramatic leap forward in technology, the B2 bomber represents a major milestone in the U.S. bomber modernization program. The B2 Spirit brings massive firepower to bear, in a short time, anywhere on the globe through previously impenetrable defenses.   When the B2 was still a "Plack Project", it is believed that many flights took place from Groom Lake testing it's radar return.

Red Square

Most of Area 51's current testing involves UAVs or unmanned aerial vehicles. While currently designed for reconnaissance, UAVs will be later designed for remote control combat. Since they are unmanned, it is widely believed that some can move and turn at extreme speeds. In a sense, true man made UFOs.

Continued operations: Since the F-117 became operational in 1983, operations at Groom Lake have continued unabated.   The base and its associated runway have been expanded, and the daily flights bringing civilian commuters from Las Vegas continue.   In 1955, the federal government expanded the exclusionary area around the base to include nearby mountains that had afforded the only decent overlook of the base.   Subsequently, limited views of the area are available only form the summits of several distant mountains east.   Aircraft that have been recently or currently tested at Groom include the Northrop Tacit Blue Stealth demonstrator, various classified UAVs, and a stealthy cruise missile (most likely the Agm-129 Advanced Cruise Missle).   Other rumored Groom test programs include a small stealthy VTOL troop transport aircraft, the Aurora hypersonic spy plane, a "Stealth Blimp", a secret USAF spaceplane codenamed Blackstar, and replacements for the SR-71 and F-117A.

The following is a link to a copy of the 1988 Groom Lake Security Patrol Manual.  It is found on Glenn Cambell's website.  The manual is an interesting read with lot of information regarding procedures, building names and code words.

Groom Lake Security Patrol Manual