| Naval Air Station Fallon | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Van Voorhis Field | |||||||||||
| NearFallon,Nevada in theUnited States | |||||||||||
 A U.S. NavyF-16A Fighting Falcon of theNaval Aviation Warfighting Development Center based at NAS Fallon | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Type | Naval Air Station | ||||||||||
| Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||||
| Operator | U.S. Navy | ||||||||||
| Controlled by | Navy Region Southwest | ||||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||||
| Other site facilities | Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center | ||||||||||
| Website | cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrsw/installations/nas_fallon | ||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||
  NAS Fallon Location in the United States | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°25′30″N118°42′10″W / 39.42500°N 118.70278°W /39.42500; -118.70278 | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| Built | 1942 (1942) | ||||||||||
| In use | 1942 – present | ||||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||||
| Current commander | Captain Michael J. Haymon | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: NFL,ICAO: KNFL,FAA LID: NFL,WMO: 692364 | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 1,199.3 metres (3,935 ft)AMSL | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Source:Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||||||||||
Naval Air Station Fallon orNAS Fallon (IATA:NFL,ICAO:KNFL,FAALID:NFL) is theUnited States Navy's premier air-to-air and air-to-ground training facility. It is located southeast of the city ofFallon, east ofReno in westernNevada. Since 1996, it has been home to theU.S. Navy-Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) taking over from the former NAS Miramar, California, and the surrounding area contains 240,000 acres (97,000 ha) of bombing andelectronic warfare ranges. It is also home to theNaval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC), which includes TOPGUN, the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School (CAEWWS), and the Navy Rotary Wing Weapons School.Navy SEAL andCombat Search and Rescue (CSAR) training also take place there.
The airfield is named Van Voorhis Field in honor of CommanderBruce Van Voorhis (1908–1943), who was posthumously awarded theMedal of Honor.
Theairfield at NAS Fallon was originally built in 1942 as part of a defensive network to repel a fearedJapanese invasion of the west coast. It was soon taken over by the Navy for training use and has been used as such ever since with the exception of the period of 1946 to 1951, during which it was used by theBureau of Indian Affairs. During the years prior to 1972, the base was known as Naval Auxiliary Air Station and was heavily used during the Vietnam War by various squadrons that rotated through the base before deploying to carriers headed for the Vietnam theater. During these same years prior to 1972, many ground troops were temporarily assigned to NAS Fallon for their hot weather training (during the summer months) and cold weather training (during the winter months). On January 1, 1972, the Navy recognized NAS Fallon's importance to naval aviation by upgrading the base from auxiliary air station status to a major aviation command as a full-fledgednaval air station. While NAS Fallon provides training for visitingcarrier air wings, Strike Fighter Squadron 127 (VFA-127), the "Desert Bogeys", was the air station's only permanently based squadron from October 1987 until it was disestablished on March 23, 1996.
The Navy relocated itsNavy Fighter Weapons School, or TOPGUN, fromNAS Miramar to NAS Fallon in 1996, following the transfer of NAS Miramar to theMarine Corps and its redesignation asMCAS Miramar. This move resulted in the construction of a new ramp, hangars and academic buildings. The new command,Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC), was established on July 11, 1996, and was a unification of TOPGUN, Strike University (Strike U), the Naval Strike Warfare Center, and TOPDOME, the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School. In addition to transferring the NSAWC squadron, aNavy Reserve adversary squadron, Fighter Squadron Composite THIRTEEN (VFC-13), the "Fighting Saints," was also permanently relocated from its former base at NAS Miramar to NAS Fallon. As a result,VFC-13 replaced the disestablished VFA-127 in the fighter adversary role.
Associated bombing ranges checker the surroundingLahontan Valley andDixie Valley, which is the next valley to the east. Dixie Valley also contains a simulated air defense network, including approximately 20 operationalradar installations. Many demilitarizedarmored vehicles, including some exotics, have been scattered throughout the area, presumably for ambiance. Most of this area is publicly accessible, with the exception of areas immediately surrounding the radar installations. The entire training area surrounding NAS Fallon is known as theFallon Range Training Complex (FRTC).[2][3]
Between 1956 and 1975, theUnited States Air ForceAir Defense Command (ADC) operated a General Surveillance Radar station at NAS Fallon. The Air Force area was namedFallon Air Force Station[4] (AFS) and designated ADC site SM-156 (later NORAD site Z-156). The858th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron moved to Fallon AFS fromHamilton Air Force Base (AFB), California[4] in the south central section of NAS Fallon in 1956. It initially activatedAN/MPS-7 search andAN/MPS-14 height-finder radar sets, and initially the station functioned as aGround Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, thesquadron's role was to guideinterceptor aircraft toward unidentifiedintruders picked up on the unit'sradar scopes. AnAN/FPS-3 search set briefly saw service in 1959.
During 1962, Fallon AFS joined theSemi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, initially feeding data to DC-16 atStead AFB, Nevada. After joining, the squadron was redesignated as the 858th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on December 1, 1962.[4] The radar squadron provided information 24/7 to the SAGE Direction Center, where it was analyzed to determine range, direction, altitude, speed, and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile. Also, in this time frame, the radar site was relocated from the original location in the south central part of Naval Air Station Fallon's grounds to the far southwest corner. At the new SAGE radar site, the squadron used anAN/FPS-35 search radar that replaced the AN/MPS-7 set in 1963. In 1964, anAN/FPS-6 height-finder radar was added.
In addition to the main facility at NAS Fallon, the squadron also operated a remoteAN/FPS-14 gap filler site:
Around 1965, NAS Fallon became anFAA/ADC joint-use facility. The AN/MPS-14 radar was retired in 1969. In the early 1970s, the AN/FPS-35 was replaced with anAN/FPS-66A.
Over the years, the equipment at the station was upgraded or modified to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the information gathered by radars. The 858th Radar Sq. was inactivated and replaced by the 858th Air Defense Group in March 1970.[5] The upgrade togroup status was done because of Fallon AFS' status as aBackup Interceptor Control (BUIC) master control center site. BUIC sites were alternate control sites if SAGE Direction Centers became disabled and unable to control interceptor aircraft.[6] The group was inactivated and replaced by the 858th Radar Squadron.[4][5] as defenses against manned bombers were reduced only to be inactivated in June 1975.[4] The group was disbanded in 1984.[7] The FAA retained the AN/FPS-66A search radar, still in-use today and is networked into theJoint Surveillance System (JSS); the radar tower still is painted with red-and-white checkerboard.
The Navy maintainsNaval Air Station Fallon Air Park museum on the base.[8]
Since 1972, the base has had its own search and rescue team. Originally named Desert Angels and later renamed Longhorns, the team's mission was to provide search and rescue support for visiting Carrier Air Wings and other NAS Fallon tenant commands. The Longhorns flew the Bell UH-1N from 1972 to 2009 and the Sikorsky SH-60F from 2009 to 2011.[citation needed] The team flew the Sikorsky MH-60S until its disestabliment in 2022 when SAR responsibilities shifted to the Naval Aviation Warfare Development Command's Navy Rotary Wing Weapons School.[9] The Longhorns frequently supported civilian search, rescue and medical evacuation efforts in conjunction with local law enforcement, medical and search and rescue agencies.[citation needed]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency