This article is about the organization named the Nevada Test and Training Range. For the Nevada Test and Training Range as a geographic area, see Nevada Test and Training Range.
The NTTR controls and operates the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). The commander coordinates, prioritizes and is the approval authority for activities involving other governmental agencies, departments and commercial activities on the NTTR. The NTTR integrates and provides support for test and training programs that have a direct effect on the war-fighting capabilities of the combat air forces.
During the early years of the Cold War, the 98th Bombardment Wing (BW), Very Heavy was formed in 1947 and assigned to Strategic Air Command. Further redesignations followed as the wing mission changed, including the 98th Strategic Aerospace Wing when it added intercontinental ballistic missiles to its bomber force in 1964, and later the 98th Strategic Wing when it moved to Spain to control deployed Strategic Air Command (SAC) assets in 1966. The 98th Strategic Wing was inactivated on 31 December 1976 with the phaseout of SAC operations at Torrejon AB, Spain and its functions transferred to the 306th Strategic WingatRamstein AB, West Germany.
As of July 2022[update], the NTTR is commanded by Colonel Michael G. Rider.[1]
Operations Directorate The directorate provides day-to-day control of the geographical NTTR. It has two divisions, Current Operations and Weapons. It supports Air Force, joint and multi-national test and training activities, and operates the geographic NTTR and Leach Lake Tactics Range near Barstow, Calif. It prioritizes and schedules all range activities for all range users, provides ground control intercept operations, flight-following safety deconfliction, simulated threat command and control operations, communications, data link operations, and range access control. It also assists test customers by coordinating support activities, and coordinates airspace issues with military and federal agencies.[4]
Mission Support Directorate The directorate provides base operating support on the 3-million-acre (12,000 km2) Nevada Test and Training Range with contingents at three geographically separated operations and maintenance compounds, including Tonopah Electronic Combat Range, Point Bravo Electronic Combat Combat Range and Tolicha Peak Electronic Combat Range. It provides limited operational support at Creech AFB and the Tonopah Test Range. It supports training operations of the 99th Ground Combat Training Squadron, 12th Combat Training Squadron, and 549th Combat Training Squadron.[4]
Financial Management Directorate The directorate manages and executes the NTTR budget. It monitors and collects reimbursements for major range and test facility base activities from customers.[4]
Safety Directorate The directorate is responsible for managing the commander's safety and mishap reporting programs. It is organized into functional areas including ground safety, weapons safety and range safety.[4]
Program Management Directorate The directorate is acquires and manages contract support of range operations, maintenance, instrumentation, communications, and computer systems services. It directs contract changes and evaluates contractor performance.[4]
Plans and Programs Directorate The directorate focuses on range requirements and long-term strategic planning. It is responsible for interaction of new systems being developed and implemented into the NTTR. In addition, the directorate oversees environmental management, agreements, land use, and range environmental contractors on the NTTR and Leach Lake Training Range, and is the liaison to the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of the Interior, and other state and federal agencies.[4]
Range Support Directorate The directorate provided day-to-day communications, electronic combat and instrumentation of the geographical NTTR and LTTR. It has three divisions: communications/computer services, operations and maintenance, and engineering. It provides technical support of Air Force, joint and multi-national aircrew training missions on the NTTR. The directorate supports all electronic combat activities while providing ground control intercept operations, simulated threat command and control operations, and the range's simulated Integrated Air Defense System.[4]
Security Directorate The directorate manages all facets of information, personnel, industrial, and resource protection security programs. Additionally, the Program Security Office ensures all visitors to the NTTR meet security requirements, and provides security oversight for classified and special access requirements on the NTTR.[4]
During the early years of the Cold War, the 98th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy (BW) was formed 24 October 1947 as part of the Air Force's experimental wing base (Hobson Plan) reorganization and assigned to Strategic Air Command.[5] The 98th BW was discontinued on 12 July 1948, and replaced by the 98th BW, Medium the same day when the test was deemed successful and the organization made permanent.[6] From November 1947 to July 1948 and July 1948 to July 1954, the wing headquarters was often manned as a "paper" unit with most of its components attached to other establishments for long periods. The wing's tactical group was operational, but under control of other organizations from November 1947 to April 1950 and again from August 1950 through March 1951.[7]
98th Bomb Wing B-29 over Korea
On 1 April 1951, wing headquarters deployed to Japan to assume control over combat operations of the group's three tactical squadrons,[8] while the rest of the wing remained behind in Washington.[7] In 1952, the combat squadrons were joined by three maintenance squadrons. Wing combat missions in Korea included interdiction of enemy communications and support of United Nations ground forces. Its last combat mission flown 25 July 1953 and it dropped propaganda leaflets on the day of truce two days later.[7]
During the Korean War, the squadrons of the 98th flew more than 5,000 sorties and dropped more than 40,000 tons of bombs (actual total unavailable).[citation needed] They earned a Distinguished Unit Citation, a Korean Presidential Unit Citation and 10 battle streamers.[7] The 98th was credited with the destruction of 5 MiG 15 Jet Fighters and one propeller driven fighter. The 98th recorded 19 Boeing B-29 Superfortress losses from August 1950 to July 1954.[citation needed]
The wing remained at Yokota Air Base, Japan in combat-ready status for another year. Meanwhile, wing components not deployed in Japan moved to newly reopened Lincoln AFB, Nebraska to supervise construction in preparation for movement there of the deployed wing components. The wing disposed of its B-29s at the "boneyard" at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. In July 1954, wing components concentrated at the wing's new base,[9] but in October, the 98th gave up its host responsibilities at Lincoln to the 818th Air Division.[10]Air refueling operations were already underway by then. The wing's squadrons began receiving new Boeing B-47E Stratojet swept-wing medium bombers[7] in January 1955, capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union.[citation needed] At this point the wing began an intensive training program to convert to combat ready status as soon as possible. This was achieved in April 1955.[10]
During next decade, the wing participated in Strategic Air Command's worldwide bombardment training and air refueling commitments. The wing deployed to RAF Lakenheath, England from 11 November 1955 to 29 January 1956. Starting in 1960, the wing maintained B-47s on ground alert 24 hours a day.[10] From January 1964 to April 1965, the wing also controlled an SM-65 Atlasintercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) squadron and was redesignated as the 98th Strategic Aerospace Wing.[7] In the early 1960s, the B-47 was considered to be reaching obsolescence, and was being phased out of SAC's strategic arsenal. Beginning in 1964, the wing began sending its aircraft to Davis-Monthan AFB. Lincoln AFB was closed and the wing inactivated in 1966.
KC-135 on takeoffEmblem of the 98th Strategic Wing
The wing was inactivated on 25 June 1966 at Lincoln AFB, but activated the same day at Torrejon Air Base, Spain replacing the 3970th Strategic Wing (SW). The 3970th SW had been established on 1 July 1957 at Torrejon as the 3970th Air Base Group[11] to support B-47 and KC-135 elements from SAC CONUS-based units deployed to Europe as part of REFLEX deployments and provide a refueling mission to USAFE tactical fighters.[citation needed] Until 1 April 1966, when SAC transferred Torrejon to USAFE, the 3970th also acted as the host base organization for all USAF units at Torrejon. The group was assigned seven support squadrons and a hospital to carry out its mission. It was redesignated the 3970th Combat Support Group on 1 June 1959 and upgraded to wing status on 1 February 1964.[11]
In 1966, SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue the 3970th SW (a MAJCON wing) and activate an AFCON wing which could continue the lineage and history of a combat wing. On 5 June 1966, the 3970th SW was replaced by the 98th Strategic Wing, which assumed the personnel, equipment, and mission of the 3970th Strategic Wing,[7]
For the next decade, the 98th had no tactical aircraft components assigned to it, but rather used attached Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers and crews furnished by other SAC wings to provide air refueling support for the operational, alert exercise commitment of SAC, Tactical Air Command, United States Air Forces Europe and NATO. These aircraft were deployed on temporary duty as the Spanish Tanker Task Force. The wing's operational area included the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, most of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.[7]
The Wing maintained a detachment at RAF Upper Heyford (relocated to RAF Mildenhall in April 1970) supporting RC-135 Reconnaissance Aircraft, and supporting KC-135 Tankers deployed from the Spanish Tanker Task Force. In October 1976, the 306th Strategic Wing, based at Ramstein AB, West Germany assumed this support task and the 98th phased down at Torrejon and was inactivated 31 December 1976.[7]
In October 2001, the wing was redesignated the 98th Range Wing and began operating the range facilities of the Air Warfare Center from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.[2] It replaced the 99th Range Group and 99th Range Squadron of the host unit at Nellis, the 99th Air Base Wing. Its mission is to provide a flexible and realistic "battle space" to support training, testing, and tactics development, for which it controls the airspace over 12,000 square nautical miles, 7,000 of which are shared with civilian aircraft.[4]
The NTTR supports Department of Defense (DOD) advanced composite force training, tactics development, and electronic combat testing as well as DOD and Department of Energy testing, research, and development. It acts as the single point of contact for range customers.[4]
In June 2011, the wing was redesignated Nevada Test and Training Range and its operational groups were replaced by directorates.[2][4] Then on 1 April 2013, the 25th Space Range Squadron (SRS) was moved under the NTTR from Air Force Space Command. The 25 SRS operates and maintains the Space Test and Training Range. On 24 July 2020 the 25th Space Range Squadron was transferred to the United States Space Force.[12]
Fifteenth Air Force, 28 July 1950 (remained attached to: 92d Bombardment Wing through 31 March 1951, attached to: FEAF Bomber Command, Provisional from 1 April 1951 and rear echelon attached to 92d Air Base Group)
57th Air Division, 16 April 1951 (remained attached to FEAF Bomber Command, Provisional. Rear echelon attached to 92 Air Base Group to 25 July 1952)
Fifteenth Air Force, 25 November 1953 (remained attached to FEAF Bomber Command, Provisional, through 17 June 1954, Twentieth Air Force, 18 June-25 July 1954
98th Airdrome Group (later 98th Air Base Group, 98th Mission Support Group), 10 November 1947 – 18 October 1954, 5 November 2001 – 21 June 2011 (detached 1 April 1951 – 25 November 1953)[14]
98th Maintenance & Supply Group, 10 November 1947 – 16 February 1951, 14 February 1952 – 16 June 1952 (not operational)[14]
98th Station Medical Group (later 98th Medical Group, 98th Medical Squadron, 98th Medical Group, 98th Tactical Hospital), 10 November 1947 – 1 September 1958 (detached 1 April 1951 – 25 November 1953)[14]
Operational Squadrons
98th Air Refueling Squadron: 16 June 1952 – 1 July 1953 (detached); 18 February 1954 – 15 April 1963 (detached 18 February-31 July 1954, 7 January-21 February 1955, 27 December 1956 – 14 March 1957, 28 December 1957 – 25 March 1958, 1 April-c. 8 July 1959, 2 October 1962 – 7 January 1963)
343d Bombardment Squadron: attached 1 April 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 25 June 1966 (not operational, 8 December 1965 – 25 June 1966)[15]
344th Bombardment Squadron: attached 1 April 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 25 June 1966 (not operational, 8 December 1965 – 25 June 1966)[16]
345th Bombardment Squadron: attached 1 April 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 25 June 1966 (not operational, 8 December 1965 – 25 June 1966)[17]
^Goss, William A (1955). "The Organization and its Responsibilities, Chapter 2 The AAF". In Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L (eds.). The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. p. 59. LCCN48-3657.
^The wing remained equipped with B-29s, but with the advent of the Convair B-36 Peacemaker, the B-29 was reclassified from a Very Heavy bomber to a Medium bomber
Goss, William A (1955). "The Organization and its Responsibilities, Chapter 2 The AAF". In Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L (eds.). The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. LCCN48-3657.
United States
United States Air Force
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
