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World War 2
After years of World War II, the US military claimed the installation was used strictly for testing purposes. During World War 2 the US military originally “took over the remote area and began conducting research: mainly nuclear and weapons testing” (Combs). The military also “used the site as an aerial gunnery range” (Britannica). The facilities purpose changed during the Cold war to aircraft development and testing.
Cold War
During the Cold War, the US military realized they needed a secluded place to develop and test aircrafts. “In 1955, he [CIA Director Richard Bissell, Jr.] and Lockheed aircraft designer Kelly Johnson selected the secluded airfield at Groom Lake to be their headquarters” (Combs).
"The Atomic Energy Commission added the base to the existing map of the Nevada Test Site and labeled the site Area 51” (Combs). “Within eight months, engineers developed the U-2 plane, which could soar at an altitude of 70,000 feet. This allowed pilots to fly well above Soviet radar, missiles, and enemy aircraft” (Combs).
The U-2 was only the beginning for spy planes developed at Area 51. “The next generation of spy plane at Area 51: the titanium-bodied A-12. Nearly undetectable to radar, the A-12 could fly across the continental United States in 70 minutes at 2,200 miles an hour. The plane also was equipped with cameras that could, from an altitude of 90,000 feet, photograph objects just one-foot long on the ground” (Combs).
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