Nellis Area II
(Lake Mead Base)
Although there may be many useful links here, this page is not actively
maintained (after 1997). For new links see our new
Area II page.
Nellis Air Force Base Area II, once known as Lake Mead Base, is a separate facility about a mile northeast of the main Nellis air base on the northern outskirts of Las Vegas. Area II is munitions storage facility for both conventional bombs and "non-conventional" munitions which reportedly include 200 nuclear warheads. Area II is dominated by a high-security triple-fenced compound encompassing several dozen earthen bunkers. Because the fence is well-lit at night, it can be easily seen from Interstate 15 and by passenger jets approaching Las Vegas. A lower security area outside this compound includes support buildings and a federal minimum security prison. Conventional weapons used in military exercises are stored in a separate area from the nuclear compound and are transported to the main Nellis air base via a secured roadway. During the years of nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site, Lake Mead Base was a storage and transfer area for atomic devices to be detonated at the Test Site. [GC 8/96]
Local Documents
Stored on this server. For documents on other servers see External
Links below.
- Maps
- General location map
from 10/2/91 article in
Las Vegas Review-Journal.
- Map of Area II (95k), distilled from the FUDS
database [See Below].
Nellis AFB is on the left.
The road across the map in the south is Lake Mead Blvd. The "OEW Area
Disposed" is now a public BLM off-road recreation area, mostly sand dunes
inaccessible to ordinary vehicles. The diagonal road running through it
is impassible in the middle. Best access by 4WD is from the east, near
Gypsum cave [36°13.387N, 114°53.978W].
- Photos
- Wide angle (34k) of bunkers and
fence of high-security compound, from the NE. Sunrise mountain
is in the background.
- Close-up of The monster fence (39k).
The central fence appears to be electrified. Radar dishes are aligned
parallel to the fence.
- Close-up of Bunkers (39k)
- Main buildings (31k). Dorms in the
front house the prison camp.
- Facilities. Area II contains at least the following...
- Nellis Federal Prison Camp, a federal minimum security
prison occupying former Air Force dorms.
Prisoners can
mix freely with Air Force personnel and could easy leave the facility
through the main gate.
- A conventional munitions facility storing bombs and other
munitions for Nellis air exercises. Bombs are transported to the
base over a secure roadway within Nellis property.
- A separate and much larger "non-conventional" munitions facility
presumeably housing nuclear weapons. Facility appears as several
dozen bunkers on a hillside, surrounded by a massive triple-fence
reminiscent of the border that once existed between East and West
Germany. The fence is well-lit at night and is easily visible from I-15.
- A depot of the 820th Red Horse engineering squadron.
- Various support buildings and dorms. In addition to the prison,
a resident "non-conventional" munitions squadron is apparently housed
there.
- Adjoining Facilities
- References
- 10/2/91:
Nuclear Bombs Stored
at Nellis -- Experts believe the site will be used to store old
nuclear weapons that are waiting to be dismantled.
Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Confirms that nuclear weapons are stored at Area II.
External Links
All stored on other servers
For additional links see our New Area II page.
Created: 8/2/96 gc
Last Modified: 11/3/96 tm.e
