F-117 and Area 51

I was just watching a program on the history channel about the F-117 stealth fighter and in a short interview with the F-117 program director which was a civilian they were discussing the total cost of the program. He was spouting off number amounts and the one that caught my ear was $200 million for "hangars at Tonopah". Now if I am correct would that not be Area 51? If not please correct me.

Well hears where Tonopah NV is.

www.google.com...

Tonapah is quite a ways from a-51 but I will show more of its location if I find it

The Tonopah Test Range R-4809 is about 80 miles northwest of Groom Lake R-4808N.

To answer the original question, the F-117A was tested at Groom Lake (Area 51) but then deployed operationally to Tonopah Test Range. Individual hangars were constructed at Tonopah for each F-117A assigned to the 4450th Tactical Group.

Yes, in the middle of town, right next to the Best Western is a granite plaque proclaiming Tonopah as the "Home of the Stealth Fighter."

Further information:

www.dreamlandresort.com...

Originally posted by swampcricket
I was just watching a program on the history channel about the F-117 stealth fighter and in a short interview with the F-117 program director which was a civilian they were discussing the total cost of the program. He was spouting off number amounts and the one that caught my ear was $200 million for "hangars at Tonopah". Now if I am correct would that not be Area 51? If not please correct me.

So two hundred million for Hangars. Hmm. Sounds to me like those hangars are not ordinary at all. For that kinda of cost they must have elevator systems in them or something. I believe when the doors are shut they descend to the actual sub surface base that lyes beneath. The main focus for me at Tonopah is the structres between sets of hangars on the main runway(two white buildings at an angle with what looks like a downward ramp between. By the design and from areial photos I beleive their is a large entry with the white buildings roofs swing away for entry/exit to the sub surface structures where the larger more secret craft are kept. Take a look.
pg.photos.yahoo.com...

pg.photos.yahoo.com...

The money didn't pay just for the hangars, but all the associated infrastructure to make Tonopah Test Range airfield operational.

Phase I in 1979 cost $7 million for construction of a maintenance hangar, concrete parking apron and access taxiway, extension of the existing 6,000-foot runway to 10,000-feet; and installation of a propane tank, a few permanent outbuildings and 16 mobile homes.

Phase II (1980-1982) cost $17 million included expansion of the parking apron, construction of a taxiway, 42,000-square-foot hangar, fuel tanks, dining hall, water storage tank, warehouse and support utilities.

Phase III (1981-1982) cost $79 million and included construction of individual hangars for 42 airplanes, expansion of the parking apron and taxiways, 2,000 feet of runway overruns, navigation aids and runway barriers, additional fuel storage tanks and pipelines, fire stations, a 40,000-square-foot warehouse, dormitories, liquid oxygen storage, and other support facilities.

Additional construction (1983-1986) cost $100 million and doubled the dormitory space, added 40 new permanent buildings (replacing the original 16 mobile homes), and featured several industrial, airfield and administrative facilities. The asphalt surface of the runway was replaced with concrete and several sewage evaporation ponds were constructed.

That accounts for $203 million.

Additional construction projects through 1989 included renovation of the control tower and construction of facilities for combat support, transportation and civil engineering. An additional 12 individula F-117A hangars were built (bringing the total to 54). Contractors built 500 more dormitory rooms, a maintenance training facility and a medical trauma center. Even more projects were undertaken until the relocation of the stealth fighters to Holloman AFB, New mexico in 1992.

Just before we left Pease in 1983, my father's squadron lost 85 people. They were going to Nellis to test fly an A-7 upgrade for night flying. We found out years later that they were getting on Janet Flights to Tonopah, and were flying the F-117s.

Originally posted by swampcricket
He was spouting off number amounts and the one that caught my ear was $200 million for "hangars at Tonopah". Now if I am correct would that not be Area 51? If not please correct me.

That would be correct, the F-117 Hangers at Tonapah costed around $200 million! The 4450th Tactical Group, which first flew the F-117 was based at Tonopah Test Range. The Flight Test program for the F-117 was carried out at Area 51 by Det 3 of the Air Force Flight Test Center. However, the Operational Fleet was at Tonapha until 1992, when they moved to Hollomen AFB, NM.

Groom Lake (Area 51), is used for research and flight testing. The Air Force doesn't deploy combat units there (and never has according to our research). As I metioned above, Groom Lake is for the most part operated by Det 3 of the Air Force Flight Test Center. The base is used to conduct R&D related activities, mainly flight testing. When an aircraft developed at Groom Lake becomes opertional, it is transferred to another base. The Nighthawks at Groom Lake were All YF-117 FSD prototypes.

Tim

Originally posted by VType
So two hundred million for Hangars. Hmm. Sounds to me like those hangars are not ordinary at all. For that kinda of cost they must have elevator systems in them or something.

F-117 at the hangar

There are a couple of good shots of an F-117 on the ramp and between the "canyons" of the hangars at TTR, as well as satellite and aerial photographs of the runway and surrounding hangar areas. The hangars are just hangars with nothing really special about them. They are arranged in 2 parallel "rows" along the runway. Those buildings in the yahoo photos aren't part of the complex at TTR.

Oddly enough, the F-117s will be returning to TTR...but this time to be put into "mothballs". They are being retired, mainly due to difficulty of maintenance and because the F-22s are coming online.