Take A Very Rare Look Inside The Secretive Tonopah Test Range

Updated Nov 22, 2017 3:23 PM EST

Located in the northern reaches of the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) , which consists of the Nellis Range Complex, the Department of Energy’s legendary nuclear test site, Area 51, and other secluded areas, is Tonopah Test Range (TTR).

The land mass, which covers hundreds of square miles, has been used extensively for testing military technologies, especially those related to aerial nuclear weapons delivery, dating back to the 1960s. But it’s probably best known for nearby Tonopah Test Range Airport, where the F-117 Nighthawk lived in total secrecy during the first decade of its operational service, and the airstrip was also home to foreign MiGs being flown under the highly classified Constant Peg program . Just like its associated air base, the nearby range, which is ran by Sandia Labs, continues to be an active place and has recently received a number of state of the art upgrades which are already being used to support America’s nuclear arsenal modernization initiative as well as other programs.

On November 15th, 2017 Sandia Labs released a video that gives rare insight into the range and its capabilities. The video offers up a basic idea of what the range is used for, although other customers also use it and the airspace over it, including major defense contractors, the USAF, and especially Special Operations Command and their fleet of clandestine surveillance and support aircraft.

Snow covered desolate Tonopah Test Range., Sandia Labs

The description of TTR on Sandia Labs website reads:

Tonopah Test Range (TTR) is the testing range of choice for all national security missions. Sandia conducts operations at TTR in support of the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons programs. Principal DOE activities at TTR include stockpile reliability testing; arming, fusing, and firing systems testing; and the testing of nuclear weapon delivery systems. The range also offers a unique test environment for use by other U.S. government agencies and their contractors. Located about 160 miles northwest of Las Vegas, TTR is an immense area of flat terrain ideal for rockets and low-altitude, high-speed aircraft operations. Situated between two mountain ranges, TTR’s remote location and restricted airspace ensure that tests can be conducted with a high degree of safety and security. One of the primary facilities at TTR is a large airfield, consisting of a 12,000-foot (3,700-m) runway and numerous hangars. TTR offers a wide array of signal-tracking equipment, including video, high-speed cameras, and radar-tracking devices. This equipment is used to characterize ballistics, aerodynamics, and parachute performance for artillery shells, bomb drops, missiles, and rockets. In recent years, specific test activities at TTR have included the following: Trajectory studies of simulated weapons Air drops Gun firings Ground-launched rockets Air-launched rockets Explosives testing Static rocket tests Ground penetrator tests

Tonopah Test Range (TTR) is the testing range of choice for all national security missions. Sandia conducts operations at TTR in support of the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons programs. Principal DOE activities at TTR include stockpile reliability testing; arming, fusing, and firing systems testing; and the testing of nuclear weapon delivery systems. The range also offers a unique test environment for use by other U.S. government agencies and their contractors.

Located about 160 miles northwest of Las Vegas, TTR is an immense area of flat terrain ideal for rockets and low-altitude, high-speed aircraft operations. Situated between two mountain ranges, TTR’s remote location and restricted airspace ensure that tests can be conducted with a high degree of safety and security.

One of the primary facilities at TTR is a large airfield, consisting of a 12,000-foot (3,700-m) runway and numerous hangars. TTR offers a wide array of signal-tracking equipment, including video, high-speed cameras, and radar-tracking devices. This equipment is used to characterize ballistics, aerodynamics, and parachute performance for artillery shells, bomb drops, missiles, and rockets.

Trajectory studies of simulated weapons

Ground-launched rockets

Air-launched rockets

Ground penetrator tests

A rough looking B-2 Spirit drops an inert B61 nuclear bomb during a test over TTR., Sandia Labs

What’s most interesting is that even though technology has definitely changed over the last years, Tonopah Test Range’s mission really hasn’t. Check out the recently produced video in comparison to one produced over 50 years ago:

With the B61 tactical nuclear bomb (which is heavily featured in the video) being updated , a new stealth bomber with nuclear capability on the way, and a nuclear-tipped long-range air launched cruise missile in the works , not to mention a new ICBM , strategic arsenal related testing at TTR is set to balloon in the coming years. This doesn’t even include conventional weapons and capabilities testing and training. Not to mention what is going on out at Tonopah Test Range Airport beyond the storing of F-117s and supporting known (albeit very shy) test platforms and range assets. Considering the base continues to receive multiple “Janet” flights a day, speculation as to what is going on there in the classified realm is a whole other story entirely.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2017年11月22日下午3:23。

托诺帕试验场 (TTR) 位于内华达州试验和训练靶场 (NTTR) 的北部，该靶场由内利斯靶场综合体、能源部著名的核试验场 51 区和其他偏僻地区组成。

这片面积达数百平方英里的土地，自20世纪60年代以来就被广泛用于军事技术测试，特别是与空中核武器投放相关的技术。但它最著名的或许是附近的托诺帕试验场机场。F-117“夜鹰”战斗机在其服役的最初十年里，就秘密地驻扎在这里。此外，该机场也曾是外国米格战机执行高度机密的“恒钉”计划的基地。与相关的空军基地一样，由桑迪亚国家实验室运营的托诺帕试验场至今仍是一个活跃的试验场，并且最近进行了一系列最先进的升级改造，这些改造已用于支持美国的核武库现代化计划以及其他项目。

2017年11月15日，桑迪亚国家实验室发布了一段视频，罕见地展示了该靶场及其功能。视频概述了该靶场的基本用途，但实际上，包括大型国防承包商、美国空军，尤其是美国特种作战司令部及其秘密侦察和支援飞机机队在内的其他客户也会使用该靶场及其上空空域。

白雪覆盖的荒凉的托诺帕试验场，桑迪亚国家实验室

桑迪亚国家实验室网站上对TTR的描述如下：

托诺帕试验场 (TTR) 是所有国家安全任务的首选试验场。桑迪亚国家实验室在 TTR 开展作业，以支持美国能源部/国家核安全管理局的武器计划。能源部在 TTR 的主要活动包括：核武库可靠性测试；起爆、引信和点火系统测试；以及核武器运载系统测试。该试验场还为其他美国政府机构及其承包商提供独特的测试环境。TTR 位于拉斯维加斯西北约 160 英里处，是一片广袤的平坦地形，非常适合火箭和低空高速飞机的运行。TTR 地处两座山脉之间，其偏远的位置和受限空域确保了测试能够在高度安全可靠的环境下进行。TTR 的主要设施之一是大型机场，包括一条 12,000 英尺（3,700 米）长的跑道和众多机库。TTR 提供各种信号跟踪设备，包括视频、高速摄像机和雷达跟踪设备。这套设备用于表征炮弹、炸弹、导弹和火箭的弹道性能、空气动力学性能和降落伞性能。近年来，TTR 的具体测试活动包括：模拟武器弹道研究、空投、火炮射击、陆基火箭、空基火箭、爆炸物测试、静态火箭测试和地面穿透器测试。

托诺帕试验场（TTR）是所有国家安全任务的首选试验场。桑迪亚国家实验室在TTR开展作业，以支持美国能源部/国家核安全管理局的武器计划。能源部在TTR的主要活动包括：核武库可靠性测试；起爆、引信和点火系统测试；以及核武器运载系统测试。该试验场还为其他美国政府机构及其承包商提供独特的测试环境。

TTR位于拉斯维加斯西北约160英里处，是一片广袤的平坦地形，非常适合火箭和低空高速飞机的飞行作业。TTR地处两座山脉之间，其偏远的位置和受限的空域确保了测试能够在高度安全可靠的环境下进行。

TTR的主要设施之一是大型机场，包括一条12,000英尺（3,700米）长的跑道和众多机库。TTR提供各种信号跟踪设备，包括视频、高速摄像机和雷达跟踪装置。这些设备用于分析炮弹、炸弹、导弹和火箭的弹道、空气动力学和降落伞性能。

模拟武器的弹道研究

地面发射火箭

空射火箭

地面穿透试验

一架外形粗糙的B-2“幽灵”隐形轰炸机在TTR上空进行测试时投下了一枚惰性B61核弹。（桑迪亚国家实验室）

最有趣的是，尽管科技在过去几年里发生了翻天覆地的变化，但托诺帕试验场的使命却始终未变。请观看最近制作的视频，并与50多年前制作的视频进行对比：

随着B61战术核弹（视频中重点展示）的升级、新型核打击能力隐形轰炸机的研发、以及核弹头远程空射巡航导弹的研制，更不用说新型洲际弹道导弹，托诺帕试验场（TTR）的战略武器库相关测试规模将在未来几年内大幅增长。这还不包括常规武器和能力的测试与训练。更不用说托诺帕试验场机场除了存放F-117战斗机和维护已知的（尽管非常低调的）测试平台和靶场设施之外，还在进行着什么。考虑到该基地每天都会接收多架“珍妮特”号飞机，关于那里在机密领域进行的测试的猜测，则完全是另一个故事了。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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