The Tolicha Peak Electronic Combat Range
The Tolicha Peak Electronic Combat Range (TPECR) is a
substantial, but publicly little known, facility of the Nellis
Complex. It's located on Pahute Mesa, about 3 miles northeast of
Tolicha Peak, and about 2 miles north and slightly west of Quartz
Mountain. It is at least 20 miles south of the southerly boundary of
the Tonopah Test Range.
Main access to the facility is via a paved road from Highway 95.
The intersection of this access is about 20 miles north of the town
of Beatty. There are no signs on the access, but after about 2 miles
a guard house is reached, blocking further travel.
The only known ground viewpoint is about 18 miles away to the
north, from any of a number of spots in the Stonewall Peak area. Of
course, another alternative is from the air, since this facility is
beneath a portion of airspace whose restriction was eased in July of
1995 to allow civilian overflights on weekends. A Sunday morning
overflight is a distinct possibility and is something I have since
done.
The view from the Stonewall Peak area reveals this to be an
installation of considerable size, spread out over several square
miles. The facilities are located out on Pahute Mesa and on the
alluvial fans out away from the surrounding mountains. The main
complex has a number of structures, including what appear to be 2
hangars, but they may also be warehouse or workshop structures.
There were no obvious signs of a landing strip. To the north of the
main complex, there was another interesting installation with some
sort of long antenna array, laid out in an east/west direction. There
were several other outlying facilities, consisting of at least a few
sizable buildings each.
The Nellis range chart (a map of the airspace of the Nellis Complex
for military pilots) shows a rectangular zone of airspace over this
facility labeled, not surprisingly, "TPECR". (Portion of range chart,
53k) The map also shows two semicircular bulges on the north
boundary of the TPECR box labeled "FAC ALPHA" and "FAC
BRAVO". I have been told that these areas are Forward Air Control
Alpha and Bravo and contained installations used for the training
of pilots involved in the various Flag exercises.
Presumably from the name, the facility is involved in electronic
combat operations involving aircraft. Some Tonopah Test Range
documents refer to a "Tonopah Electronic Combat Range". The
Tonopah Electronic Combat Range is located on the east side of
TTR quite a few miles from TPECR.
It is uncertain just how long this facility has been in operation. A
review of the Landsat "Pahute Mesa" 1:100,000 image, published
by the USGS in 1984, suggests if the facility was there at that time,
it was considerably smaller, although the limited resolution of the
image makes positive identification difficult. If the facility is one
that has either been built or greatly expanded in recent years, it may
be the source of the stories, most often put forth by John Lear, that
the alleged discs of Papoose Lake have been moved to Pahute
Mesa. Thus a perfectly mundane, although secret, facility could
have generated some pretty outlandish stories.
Since I've placed some of this info on the web, I have received bits
of additional data from individuals who worked at TPECR or were
familiar with it. The following is a particularly good rendition, from
someone who prefers anonymity:
I have no current knowledge of Tolicha Peak/Pahute Mesa
facilities, but I did work there, and at the Tonopah Electronic
Combat Range, in the mid 70's - early 80's. At that time, as you
indicated, all that was there was the Tolicha Peak Electronic
Combat Range.
To my extensive but dated, knowledge, Sandia does not have any
facilities at Tolicha Peak. They do, as you know, have a facility at
the Tonopah Test Range. From my knowledge (limited) of Sandia's
mission I doubt that they would have much interest in the TPECR
area. However, due to the physical proximity they might have a
small support operation of some kind there. I don't find this very
likely unless their mission has changed, as they had no interest
during the period that I worked there.
I don't recall the exact date that operations began at Tolicha Peak
but there was a small operation there in the mid 70's. At that time it
operated as a satellite operation of the Tonopah ECR As more
money and equipment became available it grew to a rather large
operation.
It (and other Electronic Combat Ranges including the Tonopah
Electronic Combat Range) was operated by the 554th Range Group
at Nellis and later by Ford Aerospace as a contractor to the 554th. I
understand that Ford lost/sold the contract, so someone else is now
operating it.
Sandia's operations had no connection with the Tonopah Electronic
Combat Range except for sharing the land and air space. They did
provide some support to the TECR such as civil engineering, etc.
TECR was essentially a lessee there. When I began work there most
support facilities, i.e., buildings, belonged to Sandia. A few years
later (roughly 1980) a new Operations and Maintenance Facility
(site 4?) was built to the south and east of the Sandia compound.
There was a helicopter pad there, and as I remember, some old
(WW II?) bunkers. The presence of the bunkers was surely
coincidental.
The Air Force started their electronic combat operations there in
the early to mid 70's. The out growth of these operations is now
known as Operation Red Flag and other such training exercises.
The history of this training operation is pretty well documented in
various books and other sources, even one bad movie that bore little
resemblance to the real thing.
I think that a study of the 554th Range Group/Squadron, Operation
Red Flag, and Nellis AFB in general, would provide explanations
for many of the stories that surround Area 51 and other locations in
the Nevada desert.
For example, the 554th built extensive targets throughout the area,
including at least three airfields. They were made as realistic as
possible within time and funding constraints, and the knowledge
that they would be bombed, sometimes with live ordinance. Many
looked very real from a distance especially from the air, as was
intended. Salvaged vehicles, various portable shelters, plywood
tanks, and even an occasional airplane were, and I presume still are,
used to add realism to some relatively crude earth work.
End quote.
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