For more than 40 years, a secret airbase has existed at Groom Lake, Nevada, to test classified aircraft. Originally built by the CIA, it is now operated by the Air Force as part of the Nellis Bombing and Gunnery Range. In the past, the U-2, SR-71, and F-117 aircraft have been tested there, among others. Recently, the Air Force managed to withdraw 3,972 acres of public land to prevent people from seeing the base from some desert ridges ten miles away.
There have been reports of exotic new low observable ("Stealth") and hypersonic aircraft at the Groom facility in the last few years. Since classified aircraft don't magically appear in Nevada, perhaps some attention should be focused on where classified aircraft have been designed and built, California's Antelope Valley, on the other side of the mountains north of Los Angeles County. Palmdale is the home of Air Force Plant 42, site of Lockheed-Martin's "Skunk Works" (Lockheed Advanced Development Co., on the west side of Plant 42), Northrop-Grumman's final assembly plant for the B-2 Stealth bomber, Rockwell, and other aerospace companies. Among the other sensitive sites around the Antelope Valley, are Northrop's Tejon Ranch radar cross section test facility (at the base of the Tehachapi mountains), Lockheed's radar cross section test site north of Helendale, and the General Atomics El Mirage Flight Test Facility, where the CIA's Gnat-750 (Tier 1) and Predator (Tier 2) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs, used for reconnaissance) are tested. To the north are Edwards AFB (classified aircraft have been tested on the northern part of the base) and the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Center, home of the Randsburg Wash Test Range, that the Navy described as "Sea Site I, a highly classified, sensitive, electronic warfare facility" in a land withdrawal handled by the California office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1994.
Various parts of the aerospace industry tend to concentrate around various locations. For example, reconnaissance satellites and other advanced electronics tend to be clustered around El Segundo, CA (home of Los Angeles Air Force Station, TRW, etc.) and Sunnyvale, CA (home of Onizuka AFB, Lockheed Missiles and Space Co., and others.) A significant group of airplane builders is clustered in the Antelope Valley, because of lower population densities and year-round ideal flying weather.
Based on military documents, and other information, I believe that there are strong connections between operations in the Antelope Valley (especially Air Force Plant 42) and Groom Lake. Since many of the classified aircraft contracts in the past have gone to Lockheed's "Skunk Works", investigation should probably start there. Lockheed operations are located in two different parts of Plant 42 - large hangars and other buildings on the west side of the base, known as the Plant 10 Complex (the Skunk Works shown in the photo), and U-2/F-117 upgrade activities located in Site 7, northwest of Palmdale Air Terminal.
There are two 12,000 foot long runways at Plant 42. Runway 4-22 is used by Lockheed (at Site 7), and EG&G [see below]. It has been reported that occasionally, Air Force C-5 and C-141 transport aircraft have been loaded with unknown cargoes (presumably disassembled aircraft) in the middle of the night from the big hangars in Plant 10, taken to the other runway, runway 7-25, and flown to unknown destinations.
Historically, Lockheed has conducted classified testing up at Groom Lake, Nevada, in programs like the U-2, SR-71, and F-117. To the northeast of the hangars and other buildings in Plant 10, one finds a large warehouse complex in Site 8, operated by Northrop-Grumman and a military contractor, Pacifica Services. (Perhaps this is what Bob Lazar means when he claims he received his education at "Pacifica")
At Groom Lake, base workers are flown in daily on 737s from a terminal at Las Vegas' McCarran Airport. This service is operated by Nevada Test Site contractor EG&G. Base workers at Groom Lake have been told to say they work for EG&G at the Nevada Test Site, rather than reveal they work at Groom Lake. Oddly enough, EG&G has a small hangar at Plant 42, (shown below) located in Site 6, near the control tower, and just off runway 4-22. It is not known what EG&G is doing at Plant 42, but it is supposed to be classified.
Speaking of the Nevada Test Site (NTS), I recently obtained NTS security manuals for 1978, 1985, and 1991. What's interesting is that this document identifies NTS badges, and indicates that if a badge has an '8' marked on it, the wearer is cleared to go up to Area 51. There is a list of sensitive sites, and the appropriate badge markings.
Here's how the '8' indication is described in various editions of the NTS security manuals. (It says that special authorization is needed to go to security area '8'.)
date of manual site description ------------- --------------- 1978 Project #51 (USAF) 1985 USAF (Appendix calls it "Project 51 USAF") 1991 DET 1
DET 1 is an Air Force abbreviation for Detachment 1. Based on what I have seen in military documents, I think the DET 1 referred to for Groom Lake is Detachment 1, Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC), part of the Air Force's Material Command, headquartered at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. This DET 1 is the organization that runs Air Force Plant 42, and I think is the same DET 1 referred to above. (However, the Project on Government Oversight has found a Nellis AFB Detachment 1 that provides the helicopter security for the Nevada Test Site and Groom Lake, so it may be the other DET 1.) The Aeronautical Systems Center has been involved with numerous aircraft programs that were classified at one point in time. For example, part of budget justification item submitted to Congress for Program Element (PE) 0207141F, F-117A Squadrons, states that the F-117A Development System Program Office is located at Wright- Patterson AFB, and "some development work will be performed by Wright Labs, Aeronautical Systems Center." PE 0604240F, B-2 Advanced Technology Bomber, states, "The B-2 Program is managed by the B-2 Systems Program Office, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio." Given the ASC's past involvement with classified aircraft and their role as the leader in Air Force aircraft development and procurement programs, and their role at Plant 42, my guess is that they would have a strong role at Groom Lake.
Frequencies (in MHz) (AM unless otherwise indicated):
121.9 - Palmdale ground control 123.325, 123.425 - Lockheed - aero band 123.7 - Palmdale tower 124.55 - Palmdale departures 126.1 - Joshua Approach/Departure (I have heard controller giving private planes instructions on how to avoid Plant 42's and Edwards AFB restricted air space on 126.1) 149.505 (FM) - Plant 42 (now encrypted?) 153.025 (FM) - EG&G 153.2 (FM), 158.295 (FM) - Lockheed Corp. (I have heard Lockheed's fire department on 158.295) 163.4875, 163.5875 - Air Force SPs [used nationwide] 460.1 (FM), 460.525 - Palmdale Airport police 462.425 - Lockheed (security?? encrypted some of the time) 482.8625 - Los Angeles County Sheriff (Antelope Valley - it's always good to have local law enforcement in your radio, in case a base calls them)
There had been a rumor that Groom Lake base workers flew out of there, like they do in 737s at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Plant 42 is home to Lockheed's "Skunk Works" where classified aircraft are built. Rockwell, Northrop, and other defense contractors also have large operations at Plant 42, which employs more than 9,000 people.
* Air Force budget documents released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or purchased from the government. These items are provided to Congress each Fiscal Year, as part of the CBJBs (Congressional Budget Justification Book).
* material on Plant 42, released under the FOIA, including base maps, the briefing provided to military contractors (California's Antelope Valley-A National Aerospace Treasure), and Partners in Progress - LADOA & PRAC / USAF Plant 42.
* Security Instructions - Personnel Security System, for 1978, 1985, and 1991, from U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office. (These are the NTS security manuals mentioned above.)
* Lockheed Skunk Works, by Steve Pace, 1992, Motorbooks.
* Paul Ginnis experiences in the Antelope Valley, and conversations with aerospace workers and government offficials.
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