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UNITED STATES MILITARY
The
City of Alamogordo is closely linked to Holloman Air Force Base and White
Sands Missile Range. The two bases represent a combined military civilian
annual payroll of more than $200 million and an economic impact of more
than $450 million to the local economy.
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE
GERMAN AIR FORCE
NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER
ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
 White
Sands Missile Range - http://www.wsmr.army.mil/
White Sands Missile Range,
located west of White Sands National Monument 47 miles from Alamogordo,
is the premier test range in the world. The Army installation
range is committed to testing for government agencies, the Department of
Defense and both private entities and foreign countries. The Range
covers two million acres (3200 square miles).
The Multiple Launch Rocket
System (MLRS), Patriot, Army Tactical Missile System and the Theater High
Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) are tested at the range on a regular
basis.
Also located on the Range
is Trinity Site, where the world's
first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945. McDonald ranch
house, where the plutonium core was assembled, remains at the site.
Trinity Site is open for public viewing on the first Saturday in April
and the first Saturday in October.
 Holloman
Air Force Base -
http://www.holloman.af.mil/
Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range work hand in hand in
that for safety reasons Holloman Air Force Base controls the air space above
White Sands. Holloman Air Force Base became home to the world's only
wing of F-117A Stealth fighters in 1990 when then U. S. Defense Secretary Dick
Cheney proposed that the wing be moved from Tonopah Test Range in Nevada. The
9,200-acre base is located west of Alamogordo.
The F-117A Nighthawk, the
Stealth fighter, is the plane that played such a major role in the Persian
Gulf War. Three squadrons regularly fly the Stealth above the White
Sands Missile Range. Other squadrons at the base fly the F-4F Phantom II
and the T-38 A Talon, which are a part of the 49th Fighter Wing.
The 46th Test Group at Holloman
manages the ten mile-long, high-speed test track--the longest, most precisely
surveyed and best instrumented track in the world. The Test Group
also operates a Global Positioning Systems test bed, radar signature test
platform, and is developing a Magnetic Levitation (MagLev) track.
 German
Air Force http://www.flgausbzlw.net/html/english/index.html
The German Air Force Flying
Training Center (GAF FTC) contingent at Holloman Air Force Base currently
consists of 680 military personnel plus families. The program is
structured to train German Air Force pilots to fly TORNADO Fighter Aircraft.
For more information about the German Air Force Flying Training Center,
contact GAF FTC-Public Affairs (505) 572-2612 or Fax (505) 572-2615.
 Naval
Air Warfare Center - http://www.nawcwpns.navy.mil
The
Navy has been part of the test community at White Sands since June 14,
1946, when Naval activity was established to participate in research and
testing of captured German V-2 rockets. Today, the mission of the Naval
Air Warfare Center Weapons Division-White Sands includes land-based test
of Naval weapon systems missiles and gun munitions) and launch operations
for sub orbital space systems and research rockets.
Navy
facilities include the U.S.S. Desert Ship. The Desert Ship serves as a
primary live fire test bed for today's surface-to-air weapons including
Standard Missile and Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM). The Desert Ship
is continually being upgraded to meet live fire testing requirements. The
Desert Ship has tested all versions of Standard Missile (SM) including
Tartar, Terrier and Aegis variants of SM-1 and SM-2, Seasparrow, Sealance,
and Vertical Launched AntiSubmarine Rocket (VL ASROC). Testing is performed
at sites other than the Desert Ship.
The
Navy's Launch Complex 34 (LC34) is the land-based test site for the Rolling
Airframe Missile (RAM). LC34 is a semi-hardened facility, which can be
used in self-defense and close-in engagements. Lot acceptance tests for
both U.S. and NATO rounds have been conducted at this site. The Navy's
research rocket program supports a variety of government and commercial
firms in the launch and recovery of suborbital payloads. Payloads include
Theater Missile Defense countermeasures experiments, advanced technology
demonstrations, and targets to support testing of theater missile defense
systems. The low cost ballistic target alternative supports requirements
where low to medium fidelity is acceptable. Navy's customers at White Sands
receive industrial support from modern shops featuring numerically controlled
mill and lathe facilities and extensive field construction capabilities.
Industrial shops provide quick response prototyping and manufacture of
specialized fixtures and other devices to support customer needs. Navy
launch facilities, sites and support equipment are also maintained and
enhanced by Facility Engineering. Engineering has an electrical/electronic
crane, heavy-duty equipment, and mobile heating and air conditioning capabilities.
As a part of customer service, specialists assist in preparation of environmental
documentation and in the handling of
hazardous
waste.
The
Navy at White Sands has a proud tradition of low-cost, high-quality support
of its customers. In an era of defense consolidation and downsizing, the
Navy finds the means to continue to provide and to improve the quality,
cost and responsiveness of its products and services.
For
more information visit http://www.nawcwpns.navy.mil
or call 505-678-2101.
Write
to:
Officer
in Charge, Naval Air Warfare Center
White
Sands Missile Range, N.M. 88002-5510.
 Army
National Guard
Unit:
#
223
UNIT
DESIGNATION: BTRY C, 1st BN (155 SP) 202nd FA
Address:
1600
S. Florida St.
Alamogordo,
New Mexico 88310
Army
National Guard Recruiting Office, 505-434-3452
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