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Area 51

Base

Secret Nevada test installation for advanced reconnaissance aircraft, pivotal in Cold War stealth innovation and enduring UFO folklore

Status — Confirmed

  Site Selection and Early Construction 1955

Lockheed test pilot Tony LeVier identified the dry Groom Lake bed as an isolated landing field suitable for Project AQUATONE, the Central Intelligence Agency's U-2 program. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, Richard M. Bissell Jr., and Air Force liaison Col. Osmond Ritland confirmed the choice, secured presidential approval, and oversaw rapid creation of a rudimentary camp nicknamed Paradise Ranch.1

  Timeline

Year(s)Project/ProgramDetails
1955–1960Project AQUATONE / U-2 EraInitial facilities included a 5,000-foot runway, three hangars, and trailer housing. Lockheed delivered the first U-2 in July 1955; contractor flights began weeks later. CIA and Air Force pilots (Francis Gary Powers, Hervey Stockman, Carmel "Duke" Vito) trained here before overseas deployments. Project RAINBOW radar-absorbent experiments briefly modified several aircraft, foreshadowing later stealth work.23
1960–1968OXCART and Blackbird ProgramsRunway 14/32 lengthened to 8,500 feet for the A-12 (OXCART) reconnaissance aircraft. Louis Schalk flew the prototype in April 1962. Derivatives including the YF-12 interceptor and M-21/D-21 reconnaissance drone pair were flight-tested from Groom. Pilots Walt Ray, Ken Collins, and Mele Vojvodich advanced the envelope; several fatal mishaps occurred.45
1968–1980Foreign Technology ExploitationCaptured Soviet fighters arrived for evaluation: HAVE DOUGHNUT (MiG-21F-13), HAVE DRILL and HAVE FERRY (MiG-17Fs). Red Hats and Red Eagles squadrons operated additional MiG variants. "Slater Lake" hosted radar emitters simulating a Warsaw Pact air-defense network for tactical testing.6
1977–1990Stealth DevelopmentGroom Lake became the cradle of low-observable aviation. Lockheed's HAVE BLUE prototypes proved faceted shaping (both crashed on site in 1978–79). Northrop's TACIT BLUE followed in 1982, demonstrating all-aspect low signature and real-time battlefield sensors. The first F-117A pre-production jet flew here in 1981 before moving to Tonopah. Later demonstrators included Boeing's Bird of Prey. Missile projects such as SENIOR PROM and AGM-137 TSSAM validated stealth cruise profiles.78

Beyond the Mach-3 D-21B, the base hosted CIA solar-powered HALSOL flights (1983) and endurance drones that presaged modern HALE platforms. Subsequent activity likely supported the RQ-170 Sentinel and classified follow-ons, indicated by hangar expansions completed in the early 2000s.9

  Infrastructure Growth and Security Measures

Successive projects drove constant expansion—new hangars (4-7 during OXCART, 18-23 during the F-117 era), fuel farms holding over five million litres, and parallel Runway 14L/32R (completed 1991). Restricted airspace R-4808N now covers 1 300 km²; motion sensors, radar, and armed "Camo Dude" patrols enforce a zero-access perimeter. Public overlooks on Freedom Ridge and Whitesides Peak were closed in 1995 after land withdrawals under presidential determination.10

Cold War secrecy spawned enduring UFO mythology, intensified by 1989 media interviews with contractor Robert Lazar and the 2019 "Storm Area 51" internet phenomenon. Declassification of CIA U-2 and OXCART histories in 2013 finally acknowledged Groom Lake's existence yet kept current programs hidden.1112

Area 51 remains an active flight-test hub for penetrating intelligence, advanced propulsion, and electronic warfare systems. Satellite imagery shows ongoing construction, suggesting preparation for next-generation crewed and autonomous platforms.

  References

  1. cia.gov ↩

  2. nsarchive2.gwu.edu ↩

  3. dreamlandresort.com ↩

  4. roadrunnersinternationale.com ↩

  5. en.wikipedia.org ↩

  6. airforcemag.com ↩

  7. nationalmuseum.af.mil ↩

  8. af.mil ↩

  9. science.howstuffworks.com ↩

  10. federalregister.gov ↩

  11. nationalgeographic.com ↩

  12. archives.gov ↩

Published on May 1, 1955

3 min read