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==History==
==History==
Nellis Air Force Base was named in honor of 1st Lieutenant William Harris Nellis (1916-1944) on 30 April 1950. Lieutenant Nellis was killed on 27 Dec 1944, during his 70th mission, while flying his [[P-47 Thunderbolt]] on a ground support mission near [[Bastogne]], [[Belgium]].

=== Major Commands to which assigned===
=== Major Commands to which assigned===
* West Coast Air Corps Training Center, Apr 1941
* Air Corps Flying Training Command, 23 Jan 1942
: Redesignated: Army Air Force Training Command, 15 Mar 1942
: Redesignated: [[Air Training Command]], 1 Jul 1946
:: Las Vegas Army Airfield was placed in caretaker status, 28 Aug 1946, and inactivated on 31 Dec 1946. It was assigned as a subbase of [[Mather AFB|Mather AAF]], [[California]], between 30 Aug 1947 - 31 Mar 1948. It was reactivated on, 1 Apr 1948 and assigned as a subbase of [[Williams AFB]], [[Arizona]], 1 Apr 1948 - 1 Oct 1950 when it was returned to primary installation status.
* [[Tactical Air Command]], 1 Jul 1958
* [[Air Combat Command]], 1 Jun 1992 - Present


=== Major Units assigned ===
=== Major Units assigned ===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width=50%}}
* Army Air Force Gunnery School, 16 Jun 1941 - 6 Dec 1946
* 79th Air Base Group, 8 Jul 1941 - 14 Aug 1942
* 82d Flying Training Wing, 25 Aug 1943 - 16 Jun 1946
* 3006th Army Air Force Base Unit, 1 May 1944 - 31 Jul 1945
* 3021st Army Air Force Base Unit, 1 May 1944 - 31 Jul 1947
* 3595th (later 4520th) Air Base Group, 22 Dec 1948 - 1 May 1961
* 3595th (later 4520th) Combat Crew Training Wing, 22 Dec 1948 - 20 Jan 1968
* USAF Aircraft Gunnery School, 15 May 1949 - 1 Sep 1966
: Redesignated: USAF Fighter Weapons School, 1 Sep 1966 - 1 Jun 1992
: Resesignated: USAF Weapons School, 1 Jun 1992 - Present
* USAF Aircrew (later Combat Crew Training) School, 14 Jul 1950 - 20 Jan 1968
* 3595th (later 4520th) Air Demonstration Squadron, 1 Jun 1956 - 25 Feb 1967
: Redesignated: USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, 25 Feb 1967 - Present
{{col-break|width=50%}}
* 4520th Air Base (later Combat Support) Group, 1 Nov 1961 - 20 Jan 1968
* 4520th Combat Crew Training Group, 1 Nov 1961 - 1 Aug 1963
* 4525th Fighter Weapons Wing, 1 Sep 1966 - 15 Oct 1969
* 474th Tactical Fighter Wing, 20 Jan 1968 - 30 Sep 1989
* 57th Fighter-Interceptor (later Fighter Weapons) Wing, 15 Oct 1969 - 1 Apr 1977
: Redesignated: 57th Tactical Training Wing, 1 Apr 1977
: Redesignated: 57th Fighter Weapons Wing, 1 Mar 1980
: Redesignated: 57th Fighter Wing, Oct 1991
: Redesignated: 57th Wing, 15 Jun 1993 - Present
* 4450th Tactical Group, 1 Oct 1979 - 1 Oct 1989
* 554th Operational Support Wing, 1 Mar 1980 - 1 Nov 1991
{{col-end}}


=== Operational History ===
=== Operational History ===

Revision as of 14:35, 10 November 2008

Nellis Air Force Base

Part of Air Combat Command (ACC)
USGS aerial photo as of 9 June 1994
Location of Nellis AFB, Nevada
Summary
Airport typeMilitary: Air Force Base
OperatorUnited States Air Force
LocationLas Vegas, Nevada
Built1941
CommanderBrig Gen Stephen L. Hoog,
USAF Warfare Center
Col Russell J. Handy,
57th Wing
Col Mark E. Koechle,
98th Range Wing
Col Howard D. Belote,
99th Air Base Wing
Elevation AMSL1,867 ft / 569 m
Coordinates36°14′10″N 115°02′03″W / 36.23611°N 115.03417°W / 36.23611; -115.03417
Websitewww.nellis.af.mil
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
03L/21R 10,123 3,085 Concrete
03R/21L 10,055 3,065 Concrete
Sources: official site[1] and FAA[2]
FAA airport diagram
Map showing the locations of Nellis AFB and the NTTR

Nellis Air Force Base (IATA: LSV, ICAO: KLSV, FAA LID: LSV) is a United States Air Force base located in Clark County, Nevada. It is seven nautical miles (13 km) northeast of the central business district of Las Vegas.[2]

Overview

An installation of the Air Combat Command (ACC), Nellis is the location of the United States Air Force Air Warfare Center[3] and is a major training location for both U.S. and foreign military aircrews. The base is named for William Harrell Nellis,[4] a Las Vegas resident and Army Air Force P-47 pilot who died in action during the Battle of the Bulge.[4]

The main base covers approximately 11,300 acres (4,600 ha). Sixty-two percent of it is undeveloped, while the remaining area is either paved or contains structures.

The base consists of three major functional areas.

The associated Nevada Test and Training Range is located to the west in Nye and several other counties.

Units

As a result of its varied roles, Nellis AFB is home to more squadrons than any other Air Force Base.

United States Air Force Warfare Center

Other units

Area 2

Area 2 is widely regarded as one of the largest weapons storage sites in the United States.[5] When atomic testing was occurring at the Nevada test Site, Area 2 was used for the storage of the weapons.[5]

History

Nellis Air Force Base was named in honor of 1st Lieutenant William Harris Nellis (1916-1944) on 30 April 1950. Lieutenant Nellis was killed on 27 Dec 1944, during his 70th mission, while flying his P-47 Thunderbolt on a ground support mission near Bastogne, Belgium.

Major Commands to which assigned

  • West Coast Air Corps Training Center, Apr 1941
  • Air Corps Flying Training Command, 23 Jan 1942
Redesignated: Army Air Force Training Command, 15 Mar 1942
Redesignated: Air Training Command, 1 Jul 1946
Las Vegas Army Airfield was placed in caretaker status, 28 Aug 1946, and inactivated on 31 Dec 1946. It was assigned as a subbase of Mather AAF, California, between 30 Aug 1947 - 31 Mar 1948. It was reactivated on, 1 Apr 1948 and assigned as a subbase of Williams AFB, Arizona, 1 Apr 1948 - 1 Oct 1950 when it was returned to primary installation status.

Major Units assigned

Operational History

The history of the base began with a survey in October 1940 by Major David M. Schlatter of the Army Air Corps, who examined various sites in the Southwest looking for a location for an aerial gunnery school. Las Vegas was attractive for its clear weather and year-round flying, and the then-impoverished city was eager for a military base. On January 2, 1941 the city bought an airstrip run by Western Air Express and leased it to the Air Corps three days later, the plan being to use the strip for both military and civilian aircraft. One fallout of the opening of the base was the closing of Block 16 brothals in Las Vegas.[6]

Construction of the "Las Vegas Army Air Field" began in March 1941; the first commander, Colonel Martinus Stenseth, arrived in May. Much of the early gunnery training, originally set to begin in September, but not underway until January 1942, used machine guns mounted in trucks and targets on railroad cars, used to accustom students to firing at a moving target. World War II made the base's mission especially urgent, and by the end of 1942, 9,117 gunners had graduated, with aircraft in use including Martin B-10s, AT-6s, A-33s, B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-24 Liberators, and B-26 Marauders. Burn marks from these guns still exist today in the desert north of Las Vegas. Many pieces of the destroyed aerial drone targets litter the hillside north of the gunnery range and can be seen in town when the sun reflects off of them.

At the height of training in 1943 and 1944, over 15,000 men and women were at the base. Actors Ronald Reagan and Burgess Meredith came to help produce the film Rear Gunner. Much of the training was for B-17 gunners, then at the beginning of 1945 emphasis shifted to the B-29 Superfortress. An innovation was the use of a specially-designed target aircraft, the RP-63, which was sufficiently armored to be shot at with frangible bullets. At war's end, the school had trained more then 55,000 gunners[7] including more then 45,000 B-17 gunners, and more then 3,000 for the B-29.

The gunnery school closed in September 1945, and the base itself was officially inactivated in January 1947. It was reactivated by the newly-created United States Air Force in March 1948, who organized an advanced single-engine school. The first Air Force Gunnery Meet was held at the base on May 2, 1949, with competitors from 14 Air Force units, flying both prop and jet aircraft.

The base was renamed Nellis Air Force Base on April 30, 1950 from Las Vegas Air Force Base.[4] Shortly thereafter the base was again needed to prepare pilots for the Korean War, first with P-51 Mustang training, and then with F-80s and F-86 Sabres. The base also became a part of testing programs for new aircraft.

The Air Force air demonstration squadron, the Thunderbirds came to Nellis on June 1, 1956, along with F-100 Super Sabres.[8] The F-105 Thunderchief arrived in 1960; in June 1962, two crashes in one day at Nellis forced the grounding of all F-105s for evaluation and modifications. The last USAF F-100s were retired in 1969, although the aircraft continued in use in the Air National Guard into the 1970s.

On September 1, 1966, the Tactical Fighter Weapons Center was established to unify the research and training functions of the base and assigned to the 12th Air Force.[9]

In 1969, the 57th Fighter Wing was activated to start then-named USAF Fighter Weapons School.[citation needed] Now known as the USAF Weapons School, it provides to this day graduate level training on all weapons systems that a USAF officer would be expected to utilize. This includes air to air combat with both gun and missiles and air to ground combat. The graduates are also given basic courses in fighter system maintenance in particular how to tell if a system is installed wrong during the preflight walk around.

This school was created in response to lessons learned from air to air combat in World War II,[10] and is similar to the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School.

Housing shortages had been a perennial problem for the base, but in the early 1970s Las Vegas' growth resulted in a new problem, with residential areas beginning to encroach on the flight paths. Although the problem was handled by modifying operations, the issue continues to plague both Nellis and Las Vegas planners.

U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons fly above the Nevada Test and Training Ranges on Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., June 5, 2008. The jets are assigned to the 64th and 65th Aggressor squadrons stationed on Nellis Air Force Base.

Lessons from the Vietnam War led to the establishment of Red Flag exercises at Nellis.[citation needed] Pilots from the 64th Aggressor Squadron now fly F-16s according to the doctrines of possible enemy forces, and engaging in mock dogfights with visiting squadrons from the United States and countries friendly to the United States. The 65th Aggressor Squadron was activated and flies the F-15 in its first adversary role.

Continuing with the trend of competitive training, in 1981 the ten-day Gunsmoke '81 was the first gunnery meet to be held since 1962, and featured teams from all over the world. The event would continue to be held every two years. The 1980s were a busy time for Nellis, with a dozen types of aircraft being supported, as well as visiting aircraft from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and foreign nations. In 1988, the F-117 Nighthawk was unveiled here; it had been developed and tested at the Tonopah Test Range, a smaller facility in the northern part of the nearby Nellis Air Force Range in the desert northwest of Las Vegas.

The Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Airstrip was a part of Nellis. While little known, it was home to the 11th, 15th, and 17th Reconnaissance Squadrons which operate the Predator RQ-1, MQ-1 and MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). On June 20, 2005 the field was renamed Creech Air Force Base.

On January 14, 2003 the first production F-22A Raptor was delivered to the base. Nellis Air Force Base was selected as the location for the F-22 Force Development Evaluation program and Weapons School for the reason of weather similar to that in Iraq and Afghanistan. On December 21, 2004 one F-22A crashed on takeoff, marking the first accident at the base since March of 1996 and the first accident of a F-22 since 1992. As of July 2008, there were 12 Raptors assigned to the 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron for various development and evaluation missions.

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Center for Excellence was established at Creech Air Force Base in 2005.

On November 14, 2006 the Air Force declassified information regarding an American-manned Russian MiG unit used in training at Nellis from the late 1970s to early 1980s. This unit was known as the Red Eagles and used MiG-17s, MiG-21s and MiG-23s to simulate combat to test the capabilities of the F-4 Phantoms, F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons.

On April 23, 2007 construction was started on a 140 acre, 70,000 solar panel power generation system. The installation on the west side of the base was completed in December 2007. The 14 megawatt system is expected to provide 25% of the base's power requirements.[11]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 3.1 sq mi (8.0 km2), all of it land. It is also treated as a census-designated place by the United States Census for statistical purposes, and so specific demographic information about residents of the base is compiled. As of 2000, the base had a population of 8,896.[4]

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 8,896 people, 2,873 households, and 2,146 families residing in the base. The population density was 2,895.9 people per square mile (1,118.8/km²). There were 3,040 housing units at an average density of 989.6/sq mi (382.3/km²). The racial makeup of the base was 68.46% White, 14.34% African American, 1.37% Native American, 4.97% Asian, 0.73% Pacific Islander, 4.90% from other races, and 5.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.72% of the population.

There were 2,873 households out of which 52.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.36.

In the base the population was spread out with 33.4% under the age of 18, 19.7% from 18 to 24, 38.5% from 25 to 44, 7.1% from 45 to 64, and 1.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 117.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 124.8 males.

The median income for a household in the base was $33,118, and the median income for a family was $34,307. Males had a median income of $25,551 versus $19,210 for females. The per capita income for the base was $13,601. About 10.0% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 16.1% of those age 65 or over.

See also

References

  1. ^ Nellis Air Force Base, official website
  2. ^ a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for LSV PDF, effective 2008-06-05
  3. ^ "Tour Nellis Air Force Base". Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  4. ^ a b c d "LIEUTENANT WILLIAM HARRELL NELLIS". Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  5. ^ a b Knapp, George (2008-11-07). "I-Team: The Road Warriors, Part 2". Retrieved 2008-11-10. {{cite news}}: Check |authorlink= value (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |curly= ignored (help)
  6. ^ "Las Vegas' Past". NetPhilosophy.Com. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  7. ^ "Las Vegas Army Air Field (Nellis)". Cooperative Libraries Automated Network. Polaris Library Systems. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  8. ^ "Thunderbird History". Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  9. ^ "R.G. "ZACK" TAYLOR". Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  10. ^ "The History of the USAF Fighter Weapons School". 2008-07-02. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  11. ^ Solar power system page at Nellis AFB website
  • J. Catherene Wilman, A Pictorial History of Nellis Air Force Base 1941-1996 (Nellis AFB, 1997)
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