Coordinates: 36°35′32″N 115°40′00″W Creech Air Force Base Creech Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) Creech Air Force Base command and control facility in Clark County, Nevada used "to engage in daily Overseas Contingency Operations[7] …of remotely Indian Springs Auxiliary Army Airfield (1961) piloted aircraft systems which fly missions across the globe."[8] In Indian Springs Air Force Base (1951) addition to an airport, the military installation has the Unmanned Indian Springs Army Airfield Aerial Vehicle Battlelab,[9] associated aerial warfare ground Indian Springs Airport equipment, and unmanned aerial vehicles of the type used in Afghanistan and Iraq. Creech is the aerial training site for the USAF eponyms: Indian Springs, Nevada & Thunderbirds and "is one of two emergency divert airfields" for the Wilbur L. Creech[1] Nevada Test and Training Range.[8] Part of Air Combat Command (1992) In addition to the airfield, the base includes the "UAV-Logistic and Tactical Air Command (1961) Training Facility",[10] the Joint Unmanned Aerial Systems Center of Air Research and Development Command Excellence, Silver Flag Alpha Regional Training Center, and other (1952) military units/facilities. The base in named in honor of retired US Air Air Training Command (1948) Force General Wilbur L. Creech, the former commanding officer of Location: 2,300 acres (3.6 sq mi)[2] Tactical Air Command (TAC), the predecessor command of the current in Clark County, Nevada Air Combat Command (ACC). Borders: Indian Springs (35 miles (56 km) NW of Las Vegas & Contents 45 miles (72 km) NW of Nellis AFB) Units History Indian Springs Army Airfield Indian Springs Air Force Base Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field Creech AFB Silver Flag Alpha RTC In popular culture See also References External links North of Highway 95 (diagonal from bottom to upper right) is Creech AFB (left of highway)-- Units south of the highway is Indian Springs, Nevada (right). Air Combat Command Coordinates 36°35′22″N 115°40′47″W[3] 432d Wing[11] Code 2512155 (GNIS: "Military")[3] [4] 432d Operations Group 2443872 (GNIS "Airport") J09NV0399 (FUDS)[5] 11th Reconnaissance Squadron 15th Reconnaissance Squadron Site information 18th Reconnaissance Squadron Owner Federal government of the 20th Reconnaissance Squadron United States 42d Attack Squadron Controlled by United States Air Force 432d Operations Support Squadron Condition Operational (part is 732d Operations Group designated 17th Reconnaissance Squadron as formerly used)[5][6] 22d Reconnaissance Squadron Site history 30th Reconnaissance Squadron 867th Reconnaissance Squadron In use 1942 – March 1945 432d Maintenance Group January 1948–present 432d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Garrison information 432d Maintenance Squadron Garrison 432d Wing 432d Aircraft Communications Maintenance Squadron 799th Air Base Group Airfield information IATA: INS · ICAO: KINS · FAA LID: INS 799th Air Base Squadron 799th Security Forces Squadron Summary 99th Ground Combat Training Squadron[12] Elevation AMSL 3,133 ft / 955 m 432d Air Expeditionary Wing with 2 groups, 6 operational Coordinates 36°35′32″N 115°40′00″W squadrons, 3 maintenance squadrons, andMQ-9 Reapers and MQ-1 Predators Website Creech Air Force Base 98th Southern Range Support Squadron Runways 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron[13] Direction Length Surface Air Force Reserve Command ft m 8/26 9,002 2,744 Asphalt 78th Attack Squadron[13] 13/31 5,468 1,667 Asphalt Air Force Special Operations Command Sources: Coordinates from GNIS (see also: 3d Special Operations Squadron Resources for this U.S. military airport: Nevada Air National Guard FAA airport information for INS AirNav airport information for KINS 232d Operations Squadron[13] ASN accident history for INS Royal Air Force NOAA/NWS latest weather observations No. 39 Squadron RAF[14] SkyVector aeronautical chart for KINS) History After World War I, Nevada and other western inland states were surveyed by Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Sgt. William B. Whitefield for landing sites.[15] The United States Army Air Corps subsequently rented a large room in Reno,[15] and used the 1929 civilian airfield near Las Vegas (named "McCarren Field" c. 1935) for 1930s training flights.[16] A 1939 "western site board" reconnaissance was conducted near Tonopah for a practice range and in October 1940, Maj. David Schlatter surveyed the southwest United States for a military airfield[17] (Executive Order 8578[18] transferred a "60 × 90 mile area at Tonopah to the War Department on 29 October 1940".)[16] Congressional appropriations of 19 November 1941 for the Commissioner of Public Roads to build "21 flight strips" along highways for "bombing ranges or for other specialized training" included inland airstrips.[16]:87 "Initially a "tent city" military training camp", construction of "Indian Springs Airport" permanent facilities began in March 1942, "and by February 1943 the camp was used as a divert field and as a base forair -to-air gunnery training."[8] Indian Springs Army Airfield The Nevada World War II Army Airfield at Indian Springs supported B-17 Flying Fortress & T-6 Texan aircraft and had 5 Auxiliary Army Airfields on the bombing range, e.g., Area 18 had Aux. Field#4 & Area 51 had Aux. Field#1 (Tonopah Army Airfield also had 5 auxiliary fields). In March 1945 Indian Springs AAF was placed in stand-by with a small housekeeping staff and in January 1947, was closed along with Las Vegas AAF. The Army airfield re-opened in January 1948 and in 1950, the base's 1st USAF unit was assigned to the installation.[8] Below are the former auxiliary fields of Indian Springs: Indian Springs Auxiliary Field No. 1 37°16′35″N 115°45′19″W East side of Groom Dry Lake (a secret 1955 site was built at a different site south of the Groom Lake playa) Indian Springs Auxiliary Field No. 2 37°32′03″N 116°29′40″W Now two faintly visible runways and series of taxiways, unused since World War II. Indian Springs Auxiliary Field No. 3 37°30′30″N 116°29′00″W No remains visible. Might have been using part of a dry lake bed. Indian Springs Auxiliary Field No. 4 (nowPahute Mesa Airstrip) 37°06′10″N 116°18′45″W Indian Springs Auxiliary Field No. 5 37°01′30″N 116°04′00″W Undetermined, area used in the 1950s for nuclear weapons testing. Indian Springs Air Force Base Indian Springs Air Force Base was designated in August 1951 and in July 1952, jurisdiction transferred from Air Training Command[19] to the Air Force Special Weapons Center (AFSWC) of Air Research and Development Command (ARDC). As an AFSWC facility,[20] "Indian Springs AFB served as a support base for projects fromOperation Ranger in 1951 to Operation Storax in 1962."[21] "The 4935th Air Base Squadron was activated to operate the base in accordance with ARDC General Order No. 39 on 16 July 1952".[20] The base's mission was to support United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) nuclear testing at the Nevada Proving Grounds, 30 mi (48 km) northwest, as well as Nellis AFB's operation of the Nellis Air Force Gunnery and Bombing Range. "At first fewer than 300 officers and enlisted men were stationed at Indian Springs AFB, but when testing began, the population grew to more than 1,500 personnel. The base also hosted more than 100 of the most modern aircraft in the world at the time."[22] Operation Teapot Indian Springs' support of Teapot nuclear tests included hosting media visits and "Official and Congressional Observer groups" e.g., "by agreement reached in January 1955" for flights from Washington. Aircrews at Indian Springs were briefed on weather for tests and when the "Yucca Lake airstrip" became flooded, "nuclear devices" were instead landed at the AFB until Yucca Lake "was completely dried out". AFSWC personnel at Indian Springs AFB provided "facilities and messing for observers and experimental groups, air freight terminal services, servicing for Department of Defense and project vehicles stationed at Indian Springs AFB and transient vehicles", and support of flights between Kirtland and Indian Springs.[23] (The 4925th Special Weapons Group conducted the "live test drops at Nevada" and flew through and sampled "highly radioactive nuclear "clouds" after explosions"[24]—the 4926th Test Squadron (Sampling) also tested Nevada mushroom clouds.[25]) The Air Base Squadron transferred under the 4950th Test Group (Nuclear) in 1956, the base launched the Shot John F-89J that fired the MB-1 Genie which detonated over Area 10,[26] and AFSWC jurisdiction at Indian Springs AFB "continued until 1961".[21]:122 Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field was designated on 1 April 1961 when "the USAF transferred Indian Springs AFB missions to Nellis AFB under the control of" Tactical Air Command.[27][28] Det 1, AFSWC Detachment 1, AFSWC had all six aircraft stationed at Indian Springs c. 1963 to support the Nevada Test Site by transporting personnel to/from Camp Mercury and Yucca Flats and to orbit/hover over selected underground tests while monitoring for radiation leaks. Ancillary missions were carried out including target marking at the nearby bombing range for the aircraft from Nellis AFB as well as searching for and retrieving weather balloons. In 1966, the unit replaced two Kaman HH-43 Huskie helicopters with two Bell UH-1F Huey utility helicopters. During the 1970s and 1980s, the primary base mission was range maintenance and the primary unit was the 57th Combat Support Squadron of civil engineers—the only assigned aircraft unit was a detachment of Bell UH-1N Twin Huey helicopters (designated as "Det 1"). The 1982 Thunderbirds Indian Springs Diamond Crash killed all four Northrop T-38 Talon pilots impacting along the runway (controlled flight into terrain).