Naval Air Station Fallon
Encyclopedia
Naval Air Station Fallon or NAS Fallon is the United States
Navy
's premier air-to-air and air-to-ground training facility. It is located southeast of the city of Fallon
in western Nevada
in the United States. Since 1996, it has been home to the Naval Fighter Weapons School
(TOPGUN), and the surrounding area contains 84000 acres (33,993.6 ha) of bombing and electronic warfare ranges. It is also home to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center
(NSAWC), which includes TOPGUN, the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School (TOPDOME) and the Navy Rotary Wing Weapons School. Navy SEAL
Combat Search and Rescue
(CSAR) training also takes place here.
The base is named Van Voorhis Field in honor of Lieutenant Bruce Van Voorhis
(1908-1943) who was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor
ese 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 the Bureau of Indian Affairs
. On January 1, 1972, the Navy recognized NAS Fallon's importance to naval aviation by upgrading the base to a major command. While NAS Fallon provides training for visiting Carrier air wing
s, the 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 its Navy Fighter Weapons School, or TOPGUN, from NAS Miramar to NAS Fallon in 1996, following the transfer of NAS Miramar to the Marine Corps
and its redesignation as MCAS Miramar. This move resulted in the construction of a new ramp, hangars and academic buildings. The new command, the 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, a Navy Reserve
adversary squadron, Fighter Squadron Composite THIRTEEN (VFC-13
), the "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 surrounding Lahontan Valley
and Dixie Valley
, which is the next valley to the east. Dixie Valley also contains a simulated air defense network, including approximately 20 operational radar
installations. Many demilitarized armored 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.
Air Defense Command 858th Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron operated a General Surveillance Radar station at NAS Fallon. Designated as ADC site SM-156 (later NORAD site Z-156), the squadron operated on the south central section of the station. It initially activated AN/MPS-7 search and AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar sets, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes. An AN/FPS-3 search set briefly saw service in 1959.
During 1962 Fallon AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment
(SAGE) system, initially feeding data to DC-16 at Stead AFB, Nevada. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the 858th Radar Squadron
(SAGE) on 1 December 1962. The radar squadron provided information 24/7 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 the Naval Air Station grounds to the far southwest corner. At the new SAGE radar site, the squadron used an AN/FPS-35
search radar that replaced the AN/MPS-7 set in 1963. In 1964 an AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar was added.
In addition to the main facility at NAS Fallon, the squadron also operated a remote AN/FPS-14 Gap Filler site:
Around 1965 Fallon became an FAA/ADC joint-use facility. The AN/MPS-14 radar was retired in 1969. In the early 1970s, the AN/FPS-35 was replaced with an AN/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 the radars. The 858th Radar Squadron (SAGE) was deactivated in June 1975. The FAA retained the AN/FPS-66A search radar, still in-use today and is networked into the Joint Surveillance System
(JSS); the radar tower still is painted with ADC red-and-white checkerboard.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
's premier air-to-air and air-to-ground training facility. It is located southeast of the city of Fallon
Fallon, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,536 people, 3,004 households, and 1,877 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,474.1 people per square mile . There were 3,336 housing units at an average density of 1,095.2 per square mile...
in western Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
in the United States. Since 1996, it has been home to the Naval Fighter Weapons School
United States Navy Fighter Weapons School
The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program , more popularly known as TOPGUN, is the modern-day evolution of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School which was originally established on March 3, 1969 at the former Naval Air Station Miramar in California...
(TOPGUN), and the surrounding area contains 84000 acres (33,993.6 ha) of bombing and electronic warfare ranges. It is also home to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center
Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center
The Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Fallon located in the city of Fallon in western Nevada is the center of excellence for naval aviation training and tactics development...
(NSAWC), which includes TOPGUN, the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School (TOPDOME) and the Navy Rotary Wing Weapons School. Navy SEAL
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
Combat Search and Rescue
Combat search and rescue
Combat search and rescue are search and rescue operations that are carried out during war that are within or near combat zones.A CSAR mission may be carried out by a task force of helicopters, ground-attack aircraft, tankers and an airborne command post...
(CSAR) training also takes place here.
The base is named Van Voorhis Field in honor of Lieutenant Bruce Van Voorhis
Bruce Van Voorhis
Bruce Avery Van Voorhis was a United States Navy aviator who was shot down in the Pacific theater during World War II. For his action on July 6, 1943, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.-Biography:...
(1908-1943) who was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
History
The airfield at NAS Fallon was originally built in 1942 as part of a defensive network to repel a hypothetical JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese 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 the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
. On January 1, 1972, the Navy recognized NAS Fallon's importance to naval aviation by upgrading the base to a major command. While NAS Fallon provides training for visiting Carrier air wing
Carrier air wing
A Carrier Air Wing is an operational naval aviation organization composed of several aircraft squadrons and detachments of various types of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft...
s, the 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 its Navy Fighter Weapons School, or TOPGUN, from NAS Miramar to NAS Fallon in 1996, following the transfer of NAS Miramar to the Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and its redesignation as MCAS Miramar. This move resulted in the construction of a new ramp, hangars and academic buildings. The new command, the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center
Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center
The Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Fallon located in the city of Fallon in western Nevada is the center of excellence for naval aviation training and tactics development...
(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, a Navy Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
adversary squadron, Fighter Squadron Composite THIRTEEN (VFC-13
VFC-13
Fighter Squadron Composite Saints is a US Navy fighter squadron that provides adversary training for U.S. Navy air wings at NAS Fallon, Nevada.VFC-13 uses "Bogey" as its main radio callsign.-History:...
), the "Saints," was also permanently relocated from its former base at NAS Miramar to NAS Fallon. As a result, VFC-13
VFC-13
Fighter Squadron Composite Saints is a US Navy fighter squadron that provides adversary training for U.S. Navy air wings at NAS Fallon, Nevada.VFC-13 uses "Bogey" as its main radio callsign.-History:...
replaced the disestablished VFA-127 in the fighter adversary role.
Associated bombing ranges checker the surrounding Lahontan Valley
Lahontan Valley
The Lahontan Valley is in Churchill County in the U.S. state of Nevada. The valley is a landform of the central portion of the prehistoric Lake Lahontan's lakebed of 20,000-9,000 years ago. The valley and the adjacent Carson Sink represent a small portion of the lake bed, and Humboldt Lake is to...
and Dixie Valley
Dixie Valley
The Dixie Valley is an endorheic basin which had plentiful ground water around which ranches were built. Prior to the US Navy TOPGUN school moving from California to Nevada, the valley was purchased in 1995 for $100 million and is used as an electronic warfare range for nearby Fallon Naval Air...
, which is the next valley to the east. Dixie Valley also contains a simulated air defense network, including approximately 20 operational radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
installations. Many demilitarized armored 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.
USAF Radar Station
Between 1956 and 1975, the United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Air Defense Command 858th Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron operated a General Surveillance Radar station at NAS Fallon. Designated as ADC site SM-156 (later NORAD site Z-156), the squadron operated on the south central section of the station. It initially activated AN/MPS-7 search and AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar sets, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes. An AN/FPS-3 search set briefly saw service in 1959.
During 1962 Fallon AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment
Semi Automatic Ground Environment
The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment was an automated control system for tracking and intercepting enemy bomber aircraft used by NORAD from the late 1950s into the 1980s...
(SAGE) system, initially feeding data to DC-16 at Stead AFB, Nevada. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the 858th Radar Squadron
858th Radar Squadron
The 858th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 26th Air Division, Aerospace Defense Command, stationed at Fallon Air Force Station , Nevada...
(SAGE) on 1 December 1962. The radar squadron provided information 24/7 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 the Naval Air Station grounds to the far southwest corner. At the new SAGE radar site, the squadron used an AN/FPS-35
AN/FPS-35
The AN/FPS-35 radar was a long range radar used in the early 1960s.Sperry Corporation built 12 long range radars in the 1960s to succeed existing Semi Automatic Ground Environment to provide enhanced electronic countermeasures . The systems operated at 420 to 450 MHz. The antennas weighed 70...
search radar that replaced the AN/MPS-7 set in 1963. In 1964 an AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar was added.
In addition to the main facility at NAS Fallon, the squadron also operated a remote AN/FPS-14 Gap Filler site:
- Gabbs, NV (SM-156A): 38°46′28"N 118°01′17"W
Around 1965 Fallon became an FAA/ADC joint-use facility. The AN/MPS-14 radar was retired in 1969. In the early 1970s, the AN/FPS-35 was replaced with an AN/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 the radars. The 858th Radar Squadron (SAGE) was deactivated in June 1975. The FAA retained the AN/FPS-66A search radar, still in-use today and is networked into the Joint Surveillance System
Joint Surveillance System
The Joint Surveillance System is a joint United States Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration system for the atmospheric air defense of North America...
(JSS); the radar tower still is painted with ADC red-and-white checkerboard.
External links
- Naval Air Station Fallon at GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...