Tonopah Test Range Airport

Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD, KTNX) is a United States Air Force airfield located near Tonopah, Nevada, within the Tonopah Test Range. Constructed in 1957, it has been continuously operational since then. The airport is owned by the Department of Defense and operated by the US Air Force, controlled by Air Combat Command (ACC). It serves as a major airfield featuring a 3,658-meter concrete runway (14/32), instrument approach facilities, and nighttime illumination, supported by over fifty hangars and extensive infrastructure. Its primary known use is shuttling government employees to the weapons test range from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. The airfield also supports Department of Energy missions at the Tonopah Test Range, with approximately 15 flights per week for DOE operations and additional flights for USAF and other organizations.

Historically, Tonopah Test Range Airport played a role in foreign technology evaluation, hosting projects like HAVE DOUGHNUT, HAVE FERRY, and HAVE DRILL, which involved testing acquired Soviet-designed aircraft such as MiG-17s, MiG-21s, MiG-19s, and MiG-23s. These evaluations, conducted by units like the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron, contributed to US air combat training and tactics. From the 1980s, the airport became a classified operating location for the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter. The 4450th Tactical Group and later the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing were stationed there, conducting highly secretive F-117A operations until the program was declassified and the F-117 fleet relocated to Holloman AFB in 1992. The surviving F-117A fleet is now stored in their original hangars at Tonopah, with some reportedly still used for research and development. The current main unit stationed at the airport is the 30th Reconnaissance Squadron, operating RQ-170 Sentinel UAVs, activated in 2005 as part of the 57th Operations Group.