Especially interesting is
Trinity Site, the spot where
in 1945 the first atomic bomb exploded.
Here you can find out about tours to Trinity Site.
Trinity Site is located on the Jornada del Muerto, west of the San Andres
Mountains.
PRESIDENT KENNEDY VISITS
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE IN 1963
- THE ONLY PRESIDENT TO VISIT WHITE SANDS WHILE IN OFFICE
If you are looking for military personnel stationed at White Sands
Missile Range you can contact
Military Personnel Information
(575) 678-7645 DSN 258-7645
or email:
WSMRMilitary.Personel.Information [at] us.army.mil
For the general public, Holloman AFB offers displays of the F-117A Stealth
on the third Thursday of each month. For more information contact the HAFB
Public Affairs Office at 575-572-5406.
July 12, 2008
Japan will conduct its first test-firing of a land-to-air missile
interceptor in the United States in September to ensure that a missile
shield for the Japanese capital will function properly if it falls under
attack, the Defense Ministry said.
The PAC-3 Patriot interceptor will be fired at White Sands Missile Range
during the week of Sept. 15.
June 24, 2008
The Navy was busy today, testing their new power tool, the Standard
Missile 6, at White Sands Missile Range.
June 2, 2088
Arrival of the F-22A Raptor Jets. If you wanna see the pilots' eyeballs
more closely check out
the official Holloman Air Force Base Site.
Amazing stuff, guys. And now the noise makes sense as well.
March 30, 2008
19th annual Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range -
Here comes the military.com article:
Wounded Warriors led an all-time record
of more than 4,400 marchers at the start of the 19th annual Bataan
Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range March 30.
A total of 28 Wounded Warriors who served in Vietnam, Afghanistan and
Iraq participated in the annual march, which honors a special group of
heroes.
On April 9, 1942, about 75,000 Filipino and U.S. Soldiers were
surrendered to the Japanese forces. The Americans were Army, Army Air
Corps, Navy and Marines. Among those seized were members of the 200th
Coast Artillery, New Mexico National Guard.
The prisoners were forced to march about 100 kilometers north to Nueva
Ecija to Camp O'Donnell, a prison camp, in the scorching heat through
the Philippine jungles.
Prisoners of war were beaten randomly and denied food and water for
several days. Those who fell behind were executed. Thousands died. Those
who survived faced the hardships of a prisoner of war camp. Others were
wounded or killed when U.S. air and naval forces sank unmarked enemy
ships transporting prisoners of war to Japan.
March 4, 2008
If you're into sonic booms check Holloman AFB's info released beginning
of March 2008.
Sonic Booms in local flying area
By Lt Col Linda Haseloff
Holloman AFB Public Affairs
Residents in the communities surrounding Holloman Air Force Base may
notice a periodic sonic boom starting now through the end of April in
preparation for the F-22 arrival. Holloman AFB is expecting its first
two F-22 aircraft in June 2008.
The 49th Fighter Wing has developed a plan using T-38 aircraft to
conduct supersonic flights to familiarize the local communities to sonic
boom noise caused by supersonic flights. During the month of March, the
T-38s will be flying three supersonic flights a week over Alamogordo,
Tularosa, and Carrizozo. During the month of April, supersonic flights
will begin over Cloud Croft and Ruidoso.
A sonic boom is an impulsive noise similar to thunder. It is caused by
an object moving faster than sound, about 750 miles per hour at sea
level. An aircraft traveling through the atmosphere continuously
produces air-pressure waves similar to the water waves caused by a
ship's bow. When the aircraft exceeds the speed of sound, these pressure
waves combine and form shock waves which travel forward from the
generation or "release" point thus creating the loud noise.
Flying tactics of the F-22 will cause an increase in the number of sonic
booms heard in the local flying area. The Raptor’s balanced design of
maneuverable stealth, supercruise, and integrated avionics, allow it to
go in virtually unnoticed and take out high-value targets both in the
air and on the ground.
The F-22 gives us the ability to dominate in the air. Dominance in the
air enables everything else that we do -- on land, at sea, or in the
air.
If you have any questions on the sonic boom flights, contact the 49 FW
Public Affairs office at 575-572-7406.
This picture below was taken in December 2006. The Range
is pretty active, it seems. (Mobile phone picture. Never mind the low
quality.)
ACTION AT WHITE SANDS
If you are interested in the financial aspect of the
Range,
here is an article provided by MSN from December 18, 2006, mentioning
New Mexico Technology Group as a contractor and the contract's value.
Here is another article about the same deal, provided by Washington
Technology.
January 2007 - Hunter-Viper Strike system tested at the Range.
RICHARD L. MCCABE
March 24, 2007 - Army Brig. Gen. Richard L. McCabe has been
appointed as commanding general of White Sands Missile Range,
starting his job in August 2007.
McCabe becomes the 27th military commander at WSMR. McCabe is
currently in Saudi Arabia where he is serving as program manager for
the Saudi Arabian National Guard Modernization Program.
He is a former commanding general of the 32nd Army Air Missile
Defense Command, at Fort Bliss, Texas. McCabe is expected to
complete his assignment in Saudi Arabia in late August.
White Sands Missile Range has been
without an Army officer in command the past 16 months, since Dec. 1,
2005 when former commander Brig. Gen. Robert J. Reese retired.
Thomas Berard, the highest-ranking civilian at White Sands, has been
serving as director of the Army test and evaluation facility since
Reese's retirement. Berard is the first civilian to guide WSMR since
it was established in 1945.
May 3, 2007 -
More troops and money to come.
An Army combat engineer battalion, with as many as 750 soldiers,
will be moving to White Sands Missile Range either next year or in
2009.
Currently, there are about a 400 military personnel — including
Army, Navy and Air Force — at WSMR.
Army officials are also thinking about relocating a brigade combat
team to WSMR. That could mean another 3,500 soldiers could be
assigned there.
The Army has budgeted $71 million in military construction funding
to adequately support the battalion at WSMR. The funding would be
used to build barracks, a dining facility, and equipment maintenance
facilities.
The $71 million would be included in the Army's 2008 fiscal year
budget, which begins Oct. 1. Additional military construction
funding would likely be made available in future years as needs for
the battalion either changed or increased.
August 12, 2007 - Latest Addition
to Hall of Fame.
The White Sands Missile Range Hall of Fame was established in 1980.
The highest honor these guys can bestow on you is to make you a
member.
And that's exactly what will
happen to Joaquin Provencio on August 30. Mr Provencio joined the
range in 1951 as a security guard and retired in 1985 as deputy
director of security. He now lives in Las Cruces. Congrats to Jo and
you can
check out who else is a member of the Hall of
Fame.
September 9, 2007 -
Solar Plane Zephyr Tested.
A British company tested a solar plane named Zephyr at the White
Sands Missile Range and the thing is
a keeper, it looks like. It flew 54 hours non-stop. Its wingspan is 59 ft
or 18 m.
October 5, 2007 - Army
Brig. Gen. Richard L. McCabe assumes command.
As already announced in March 2007, here comes the new
commander.
To the best of our knowledge all information is current. If you should discover any errors, however, please
let us know via mail[at]white-sands-new-mexico.com. Thanks!
