Even the smallest states with armed forces are forced to spend a lot of money on the creation, equipment and maintenance of shooting ranges and training grounds, where the official paramilitary formations practice the tactics of warfare, acquire and hone skills in the use of weapons.
Naturally, for a full-fledged practice of methods of combat use or testing of long-range missile and artillery, powerful aircraft weapons or air defense systems, training grounds are required, the area of which can reach tens or even hundreds of square kilometers.
An even larger size of the territory withdrawn from national economic activity is required for testing nuclear weapons. In this regard, most of the nuclear test sites are located in desert sparsely populated areas.
Perhaps the largest military and test sites in terms of area are located in the United States. The nuclear test sites stand apart here.
The first ever nuclear test explosion (Operation Trinity) was carried out on July 16, 1945, at a test site 97 km from the city of Alamogordo, New Mexico.
It was an implosive-type plutonium bomb called the Gadget. The explosion of the bomb was equivalent to approximately 21 kt of TNT. This explosion is considered the beginning of the nuclear age.
As a result of the explosion of a nuclear device installed on a metal tower, within a radius of several hundred meters, sandy soil sintered, and a glassy crust was formed. However, over time, nature took its toll, and at present, the site of the nuclear test differs little from the surrounding desert.
Satellite image of Google Earth: site of the first nuclear test
At the moment, the site of the first nuclear explosion within a radius of 500 meters is fenced off with a metal fence, in the center of which there is a memorial sign. The level of radiation in this area no longer threatens health, and excursion groups regularly visit the site of the first nuclear test.
From 1946 to 1958, the Bikini and Eniwetok Atolls, Marshall Islands became the site of American nuclear tests. In total, the United States conducted 67 nuclear tests on these atolls between 1946 and 1958.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Bikini Atoll. On the north-western promontory, a crater is visible, formed during the test of the Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb with a capacity of 15 Mt on March 1, 1954
Satellite image of Google Earth: craters at the site of thermonuclear tests at Eniwetok Atoll
The largest nuclear test site in the United States is the Nevada Test Site, created in 1951. The landfill is located in southern Nevada in Nye County, 105 km northwest of Las Vegas, on an area of approximately 3,500 km². 928 nuclear test explosions were carried out here, 828 of which were underground. The first nuclear explosion at this test site was carried out on January 27, 1951. It was a tactical nuclear charge with a capacity of 1 Kt.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Nuclear test site in the Nevada desert
Buildings typical of European and American cities were erected at the test site, various equipment, vehicles and fortifications were located. All of these objects were at different distances and at different angles to the points of the explosion. During the tests of nuclear charges, high-speed cameras located in protected areas recorded the effects of blast waves, radiation, light radiation and other damaging factors of nuclear explosions.
On July 6, 1962, as part of Operation Lemech, a program to study the use of nuclear weapons for mining, crater formation and other "peaceful" purposes, the Storax Sedan nuclear test took place.
A thermonuclear explosion with a power of about 104 kt lifted the dome of the earth 90 m above the desert. At the same time, more than 11 million tons of soil were thrown out. The explosion created a crater 100 m deep and about 390 m in diameter. The explosion caused a seismic wave equivalent to an earthquake of magnitude 4.75 on the Richter scale.
Satellite image of Google earth: Sedan crater
The explosion produced a very large amount of radionuclides. The radiation level at the edge of the crater 1 hour after the explosion was 500 roentgens per hour. Of all the nuclear tests carried out in the United States, Sedan ranks first in the overall activity of radionuclide fallout. It is estimated that it contributed to the release of about 7% of the total amount of radioactive fallout that fell on the US population in all nuclear tests at the Nevada test site. But already after 7 months on the bottom of the crater it was possible to walk safely without a protective suit.
Underground nuclear testing continued until September 23, 1992, until President George W. Bush announced a moratorium on nuclear testing.
The Nevada nuclear test site administration organizes monthly tours of the territory, the queue for which is scheduled for months in advance. Visitors are not allowed to take video recording equipment (photo and video cameras), binoculars, mobile phones and other equipment with them, and they are also prohibited from taking stones from the landfill as a souvenir.
There are several missile test centers and proving grounds in the United States. The most famous of these is the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, or CCAFS, where the Eastern Range is deployed. It is located southeast of the Kennedy Space Center (NASA) on the adjoining Merritt Island.
Google Earth Satellite Image: Eastern Rocket Range at Cape Canaveral
There are four starting tables active on the range. Currently, Delta II and IV, Falcon 9 and Atlas V missiles are launched from the test site. The airport of the test center has a runway more than 3 km long near the launch sites for air cargo delivery.
Satellite image of Google Earth: the launch pad of the Atlas V launch vehicle of the Eastern Missile Range
Satellite image of Google Earth: launch pads of the "Eastern Missile Range"
At the test site there is a museum of rocket and space technology, which displays samples that were previously tested from the launch sites of the test site.
Satellite image of Google Earth: exhibition area of the Eastern Missile Range Museum
Tests of ground forces air defense systems are being carried out near Fort Bliss, adjacent to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. It is also here in Fort Bliss that the units equipped with the Patriot air defense system are based.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Patriot air defense system in Fort Bliss
The largest aviation test center is Edwards Air Force Base, a United States Air Force base located in California. It was named after US Air Force test pilot Glen Edwards.
Google Earth Satellite Image: Edwards Air Force Base
Among other facilities, the airbase has a runway, which is the longest runway in the world, its length is almost 12 km, however, due to its military status and unpaved surface, it is not intended to receive civilian ships. The runway was built for the landing of a test model of the spacecraft Enterprise (OV-101), which in the late 1970s was used only for testing landing methods and did not fly into space. Near the runway, on the ground, there is a huge compass about a mile in diameter. The airbase was used to land "shuttles", being a reserve airfield for them, along with the main one in Florida.
At the Edwards airbase, all samples of military aviation equipment adopted in service in the United States are undergoing a test cycle. This fully applies to both manned and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Satellite image of Google Earth: UAV RQ-4 Global Hawk at Edwards Air Force Base
There are also experimental experimental fighters maintained in flight condition: F-16XL and F-15STOL.
Satellite image of Google Earth: F-16XL and F-15STOL at Edwards AFB
The US Air Force Warfare Center is located at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The main function of the airbase is to train American and foreign fighter pilots. Various international exercises are regularly held at the air base, of which the Red Flag is the most famous.
Satellite image of Google Earth: F-15 fighters, painted in camouflage "potential enemy", at the parking lot of the Nellis airbase
In addition to the standard aircraft, the airbase has specially modified F-15 and F-16 aircraft, in atypical colors that depict "enemy aircraft" in the exercises.
Google Earth Satellite Image: An unusually painted F-16 next to an F-22
Previously, Soviet fighters MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-29 were used here for these purposes. But due to the difficulties in the supply of spare parts and the high cost of maintenance and upkeep, as well as in connection with the problems of ensuring flight safety, the American Air Force has recently abandoned the use of these machines on an ongoing basis.
Satellite image of Google Earth: MiG-21 and MiG-29 fighters at the memorial site of the Nellis airbase
Also located in Nevada is the Fallon Air Base (Naval Air Station Fallon), which is the US Navy's Air Combat Training Center. The well-known school of air combat of naval fighters - "Topgan" is also located here.
Satellite image of Google Earth: aircraft parking of the Fallon airbase
At present, specially trained and painted F-5N and F-16N are most often "at war" against the F-18 carrier-based fighters of the American Navy.
Approximately 50 km southeast of the airbase there is a training ground with a large target complex. A runway was built here with parking for target aircraft and layouts of positions of Soviet air defense systems: S-75, S-125 and Krug.
Satellite image of Google Earth: the target complex of the Fallon airbase simulating an airfield
Satellite image of Google Earth: layout of the positions of the Soviet S-125 air defense system
Satellite image of Google Earth: traces of ruptures at the test site in Nevada
In addition to mock-ups of Soviet anti-aircraft systems, there are also working samples at test sites in the United States. Of particular interest to the Americans were the S-300 air defense systems.
Satellite image of Google Earth: elements of the S-300PS air defense system at a test site in the USA
In the early 90s, through the Republic of Belarus, the United States managed to acquire elements of the S-300PS air defense system (adopted for service in 1983) without missiles and launchers. Contrary to popular belief, the Americans did not seek to copy our complex. They were primarily interested in the characteristics of the radar and guidance station, their noise immunity. In accordance with these parameters, American specialists have developed recommendations for organizing countermeasures to our air defense system.
Satellite image of Google Earth: target for high-altitude bombing
In addition to training air combat and combating air defense systems, in training American pilots, much attention is paid to practicing strikes against ground targets.
Satellite image of Google Earth: "Phantom" shot on the ground
Satellite image of Google Earth: used as targets at a training ground in Florida: MiG-29, MiG-21, Mi-24
Not far from many air bases, training grounds are equipped where decommissioned aircraft and armored vehicles, often Soviet-made, are installed.
Satellite image of Google Earth: armored vehicles at a training ground in Florida
In total, the United States has a half dozen operating air training grounds, which makes it possible to engage in regular combat training using real weapons.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Eurofighter Typhoon fighter at Eglin airbase
Much attention is also paid to the organization of joint exercises with other countries with the active involvement of foreign-made military aircraft. This allows you to develop skills and techniques for conducting aerial combat with fighters that are not in service in the United States.
