Area 51 is a nickname for a military base located in the southern portion of
Nevada in the western United States. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of
Groom Lake is a large military airfield and one of the most secretive places in the world. The base's primary purpose is to support development and testing of experimental aircraft and weapons systems.
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The base lies within the
United States Air Force's vast
Nevada Test and Training Range. Although the facilities at the range are managed by the
99th Air Base Wing at
Nellis Air Force Base, the Groom facility appears to be run as an adjunct of the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) at
Edwards Air Force Base in the
Mojave Desert, around 160 miles (260 km) from Groom, and as such the base is known as Air Force Flight Test Center (Detachment 3).
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