Barry Goldwater Range #1

by Robert Bales

Title

Barry Goldwater Range #1

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

The Barry M. Goldwater Complex is a vast training range for U.S. and allied pilots. The range consists of 1.9 million acres of relatively undisturbed Sonoran Desert southwest of Luke Air Force Base between Yuma and Tucson south of Interstate 8. Overhead are 57,000 cubic miles of airspace where pilots practice air-to-air maneuvers and engage simulated battlefield targets on the ground. Roughly the size of Connecticut, the immense size of the complex allows for simultaneous training activities on nine air-to-ground and two air-to-air ranges. The Luke Air Force Base Range Management Office manages the eastern range activities and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma oversees operations on the western portion.
More than 50 aircrews and aircraft can simultaneously operate on the range while performing many independent training missions. The range complex is the nations second largest military reservation and has been used by military pilots since September 1941. The range complex is not a permanent military reservationCongress periodically approves the land to be withdrawn from normal public uses, such as mining, ranching, farming and agriculture, since these activities are incompatible with the military mission

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March 1st, 2016

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