COMPARISON OF AREA 51 INSTALLATION

FROM 1968 AND 1998

USGS U-2 FLYOVER 28 AUGUST, 1968	RUSSIAN SPIN-2 SATELLITE 15 MARCH, 1998
New Runway A new runway has been constructed parallel to the east of the already existing one. Almost 3,800 meters long, the new runway doesn't extend onto the lake bed.
North Base - Hangars and Housing The North Base has undergone much reconstruction since 1968. The four large hangars have been enlarged and the housing for base personnel has been completely rebuilt. The addition of more buildings has also taken place.
South Base Hangars The hangars at this part of the installation have been improved, and the amount of hangars has also doubled. A major important addition is the large hangar noticeable at the top of the image.
New Large Hangar This new addition to the Area 51 installation has been very controversial. Images of this hangar have appeared in publications with a black triangular aicraft outside that resembles the hypersonic aircraft known as Aurora. Other researchers believe the hangar houses a recovered alien craft nicknamed the "mothership."
South Base Tank Farm The tank farm visible in the 1968 image, consisting of seven large storage tanks and three smaller tanks, remains visible in the 1998 image. The wide separation of the larger tanks is suggestive of fuel for aircraft. The 1998 image show significant new construction, incomplete as of the date of the image, suggesting a major enlargement in the support capacity of the Groom Lake facility.
South Base - New Construction An entirely new facility, of uncertain nature and purpose, was added to the Groom Lake complex at some point between 1968 and 1998.

Great photos
The last few are interesting, wonder what they are.

New large Hangar just looks like a hangar designed for the B-2. Also could be a climatic hangar (cant really tell how big it is).

The South area is most likely an ammunition storage area. Bombs, bullets rockets etc.. Also if they are doing any testing of high powered or exotic fuels you might expect to see them stored a good bit away from the main infrastucture of the base just like the explosive stuff.

Don't forget they most likely have a Liquid Oxygen plant somewere out there since the base is so remote it would be easier to just make it out there. (Almost all modern aircraft use liquid oxygen systems for crew emergency oxygen). This base looks pretty boring from satelite! I'd look to the mountains if you want to find any secret UFO bases. The poles are very good places to hide things in as well.

There's a lot of history to the base, from its original construction to support flight testing of the U-2, (a couple of the original hangars are still there, just south of the 4 big ones up by the lakebed, they're T shaped). Some of the bases contruction history is open source, its interesting reading. the large runway with the overrun stip going onto the lakebed was done for the A-12 program, which was the CIA's single seat predecessor to the SR-71, the 4 duplex hangars at the far south ramp were built for the A-12, the 4 large engineering hangars at the north end are used for MiG testing and support for testing. There is ongoing contruction at this facility to improve engineering support and they've recently repaved the south ramp. The old fuel tank farm has largely been demolished and replaced with 2 modern very large tanks. The old runway was deactivated in the 90's and replaced with the current one, 32R/12L, current satellite pics show black and yellow x's on the runway prohibiting traffic landing on it now. There are several other hangars, 2 duplex models on the east side of the south ramp which were probably dedicated to F-117 development, and the large hangar, is probably a maintanance and delivery building, a C-5 can probably stick its nose in that and disgorge whatever airframe or pieces are needed, its probably a final assembly shop for experimental prototypes.

At the very south of the base are 2 engine test cells and a fenced in area which contains weapons storage igloos.

I don't know about the oxygen tanks though, most aircraft i know have built in generation of both nitrogen to inert the fuel tanks with and oxygen for pilots use.
At least the F/A-22 does, its called OBOGS and OBIGS, On Board Oxygen/Intert Gas generation System

The south base contruction is merely the asphalt plant, contruction and demolition equipment is kept there as needed.

[edit on 21-6-2004 by MPJay]

Well they have certainly been busy at are51 a new runway the longest in the world and a new hanger it doesn't take a genius to know what they are for

You could land two Space shuttles on opposite ends of the Area51 runway without parachutes. When both came to a rest there would still be a mile separating them.

Only a little nitpick. last I heard, the USGS did not use a U-2 for surveys as indicated in one of the above photos.

The long runway that extends over the lakebed has been closed down, it had been there since the early 1960's and it just deteriorated so much it was no use repairing it. The runway on the right is the current one. Reread the post above. There are markings clearly on the old runway prohibiting its use now.

I worked in munitions in the US Air Force for over 6 years and have known people who have worked at the groom lake facility working with experimental munitions systems. This last photo of the new facility at Area51 looks alot like what I would have seen in a typical munitions storage area. There appears to be a large blast wall in the center with 3 or so smaller buildings on the left. There appears to be a munitions inspection/personnel building off to the right. These smaller buildings to the left of the barricade could be earth covered shelters or underground igloos of some sort for munitions storage. Because of military guidelines and US Air Force Technical Orders, munitions citing is based on a system called "Quanitity Distance". Each facility has a specific limit to what type of explosives items (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4) and how much can be stored inside the building. Adding preventive measures like earth covered concrete shelters, blast walls, or "berms" of mounded earth maximizes the capacity for the structure to hold the most explosives items possible. Given the size of the operation and the size of the storage area, this is not a munitions storage area with a large amount of inventory. This is most likely a facility used for munitions operations involved with experimental munitions systems for use by the U.S. Air Force and probably other gov. organisations.
The main person I spoke to about working at area51 actually used to be my supervisor. I will not specify what he exactly was working on but I can assure you it wasn't any type of special death ray or anything like that. They are primarily working to create new, more effective, more accurate munitions than we have today. These are conventional operations for munitions research and development. He said to me that they did have a separate facility on the outskirts of the base for conducting munitions ops but he never told me what it was or what it looked like. But just from what I'm seeing that's exactly wha this looks like.
The smaller area over to the bottom left of this munitions storage facility is probably an explosives ordinance disposal range, used for detonating and disposing of dangerous munitions items with defects, damage, etc. The Technical Orders tell you when each item is considered dangerous but probably not with everything that is being worked on here since they are using experimental munitions. But when something exceeds a drop distance or the TO sais to call in the fire department or EOD, etc..They immediately take it to the EOD range and blow it up if they think it is a safety hazard just by being there. Also, from what I understand from people who have worked at Area51, a large portion of the enlisted personnel who work here are on temporary duty from their permanent duty station at the nearby Nellis AFB..

-ChriS

[edit on 1-9-2007 by BlasteR]

Thanks, BlasteR! That is indeed the munitions storage area for the DET 3, AFFTC (Area 51). Your detailed description is most welcome.

The pit below and to the left of the storage area is a landfill. It replaces the infamous burn and burial trenches that used to be in the main cantonment area, not far from the recreation facilities.

The two identical structures between the Munitions Storage Area and the landfill are engine test cells. They were built in 1960 or 1961 to support testing of engines for the Lockheed A-12 aircraft. They have been maintained and used since for other projects.

I guess they are maximizing their land usage.. The munition storage site and the other facilities are usually separated for obvious reasons. It's an interesting use of their resources. The infamous burn-piles that were used to burn stealth byproducts during the development process for the stealth fighter killed 5 Air force personnel. Of coarse it resulted in the lawsuit filed by the families but it never came to pass. President Clinton signed the famous presidential order shortly after, saying that the base didnt' have to release any of it's paperwork related to the incident. Which was an interesting move because it was an admission that the base at least existed.
Now they have a landfill but are there actually burn-piles there? Of coarse they would now be separated from the main operations on base but personnel on the base would still be at risk due to these other facilities being so close. Hopefully history won't repeat itself. It's interesting what the government will do to ensure it's technological edge and maintain secrecy at the same time. Especially with the case of the 5 dead airmen since their families were denied justice by the very government that was responsible for their deaths.

-ChriS

[edit on 2-9-2007 by BlasteR]

Area 51 is part of the military "skunk works". We flew over most of it using Groom lake as a locaton point during "Red Flag". We were NEVER allowed to fly over Lake Groom and we were all squawking #'s for local ground. No weapons could be released anywhere close and no locks are allowed below 10K Ft. in the area. No one really knows about it because of the "your eyes only" clearance to work there. To get there you leave EG&G on the northwest side of McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, on a 737-200. 500 people make this trip to and from. The aircraft are marked with 3 numbers prefixed with the word, "janet*.
We know the Blackhawk, the U2, and the F117 we probably developed there. Working with F8s I know the area well but, It is so top secret even my friends whp fly the 735's say nothing, so I doubt anyones supervisor ever spoke of any projects. That would be irreprehensible in the military complexes eyes. And being so secret is great for conspiracy theorys and alien sightings. It is weird though that our largest jumo in technology came shortly after Roswell?? Mankind has never made such a leap so fast. Now there's something worth exploring and maybe area 51 is al that we think!!

Leapig Lizard
F8's
NAS Miramar
(a long time ago)

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Well they have certainly been busy at are51 a new runway the longest in the world and a new hanger it doesn't take a genius to know what they are for

...Aircraft...