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Edwards AFB



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US AFFTC

Air Force Flight Test Center

The dry lake and the area to the east were first used by the military in late 1933 when a small detachment from March Field laid out the first of several temporary bombing and gunnery ranges. By 1937, the entire Army Air Corps was conducting bombing and gunnery maneuvers and a semipermanent tent camp had been established along the lakebed's eastern shoreline. Designated originally as the Muroc Bombing and Gunnery Range. and later as Muroc Army Air Field. The base played an important role in the training of fighter and bomber crews throughout World War II.

By the late 1940,s. the Air Force began developing a master plan for the construction of modern facilities designed specifically for flight testing. Over the next decade, more than $120 million was spent on the construction and development of the current main base complex. Included in this effort was the acquisition of additional land from private ownership and the Bureau of Land Management which increased the base's acreage to its present total area of 301,000 acres.

Ceremonies renaming the base in honor of Capt. Glen W. Edwards. an accomplished test pilot killed in the crash of an experimental YB-49 "Flying Wing" June 1948, were conducted Jan. 27. 1950. The Air Force Flight Test Center was officially activated at Edwards AFB June 25. 1951, just four months after the Air Force's Test Pilot School had been transferred to the base from Wright-Patterson AFB. Ohio. The school's mission is to train experienced and qualified personnel to become test pilots and flight test engineers. On Jan 1. 1979. the Hill and Wendover Ranges, and part of the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, were consolidated into the Utah Test and Training Range and placed under the management of the AFFTC. Over the years. Edwards has become synonymous with aeronautical achievement and it has become famous as the site of many aerospace "firsts."

Edwards AFB is the home of the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), where the US Air Force and a number of other US Government agencies test, develop, and evaluate aircraft in the US inventory. The AFFTC is responsible for research and development of the nation's aerospace weapons systems, from design stage to operational readiness. The AFFTC also conducts, supports, and participates in test and evaluation programs for other US Air Force units, the Department of Defense (DoD), the DoD's Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the US Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.

Nearby and south of the Southern Base is Air Force Plant 42, located in Palmdale and home of the Lockheed Skunkworks and Northrop Black Projects Divisions. Its only a few minutes trip by air to Edwards for testing. Ideal for anything 'black' and sinister to come out at night where preying eyes cant see it.The Runway System and Lake Beds:- The runway system here is unique in the world, with the longest runways in the world for a normal base facility. They are located on two large dry lake beds, Rogers and Rosamond of which Rogers is the main lake bed for operations and is the largest of the two. Both lake beds have been used for Emergencies, Tests and Contingencies for over 40yrs and the lake beds flat surfaces and open expanse of compacted Clay surface area have saved many hundreds of lives and many aircraft to go with them. Rogers Dry Lake Bed:- Rogers Dry Lake Bed is massive and ideal for operations at Edwards AFB. Edwards AFB was first set up on the western edge of the lake bed and has grown around the lake bed as of present. The Lake covers approximately 44 ²miles. Each Runway is 'drawn' onto the compacted clay and seven runways exist on the bed. In Winter time, when Edwards does get its storms, rain may come down onto the lake bed and cause minimal flooding at the base of the mountains. However this is rare due to Edwards only getting a few days of rain each year!

Rosamond Dry Lake Bed:

Rosamond is approximately 21 square miles and is located a few miles South west of Rogers Lake. According to Edwards AFB, this lake is used for frequent tests and research and also used for emergencies...which it has had its fair share of. Rosamond has two runways drawn onto the bed.

Runways:

Edwards AFB has its main runway (04/22) made out of Asphalt and is located on the edge of the Lake. The Asphalt part of the runway is 15,000ft in length and was made with a single pour of concrete! It has a 9,000ft run-off into the lakebed making it 24,000ft long. It is 300ft wide. At the southern most part of the base is a smaller utility runway (06/24) and this is constructed of Asphalt and 8000ft by 300ft but only 5,000ft by 50ft is useable. The eastern most 1,000ft is not useable at all. This runway is only used for aircraft limited to 12,500Ibs or less. At the very north end of the lakebed is North base and this has its own dedicated runway for the secretive operations that go on there. The runway is 06/24 and 6,000ft by 150ft and is used mainly by Janet airlines Beech Airs and other aircraft taking various workers to and from other facilities. There is an extensive taxiway system and is superbly looked after just like all the other Edwards taxiways. If North Base has larger visitors the dry lake is used.

The Runways on the lakebeds are as follows:

Rosamond Dry Lake Bed:

As you can see by looking at the above lengths, the runways that are drawn on the Rogers Lake Bed are massive and are mostly used for flight tests and emergencies plus the occasional space shuttle.
NASA is also located at Edwards AFB at a facility called Dryden. Dryden is a NASA Research Facility and has very exotic aircraft located here.
Such aircraft like the re-instated and now mothballed SR-71 to the B-52 Launch Aircraft, used to launch the X-15 and other Mach breaking aircraft. Also located here are F-18's, F-16's and F-15's experimenting with very High-Alpha maneuvers, in other words very high angle of attack (AoA).
These are tested using Vectored Thrust and fly-by-wire with extended and extra canard and tail planes. Also tested here is the future Launch vehicles for Space projects, these are re-usable and land vertically or with parachute.

Above is an image of Edwards taken from the Space Shuttle. In the center you can see Rogers Dry Lake and the main Edwards AFB area with its large runways. Because of the resolution you cannot make out the dry lake bed runways or the compass rose... neither the secret North Base near Highway 58 at the north end of Rogers Lake.
To the lower left (southwest) you can see Rosamond Dry Lake and one of the main Gate areas. In the lower left corner is the town of Lancaster. In the upper left is the Mojave Airport w, here are many mothballed airliners. Leading east from Mojave is Highway 58 which goes out of the frame on the right towards Barstow. The dark patched area at the very right, north of Highway 58, is the worlds largest solar power plant. The light colored patch northeast of Rogers Lake and North Base is the Boron Works.

Information from Globalsecurity.org, Dreamlandresort.com, Abovetopsecret.com and other websites and news articles.
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