Nellis Wing Prepares for Transition

Officials at Nellis AFB, Nev., next week will redesignate the 98th Range Wing as the Nevada Test and Training Range, a direct reporting unit to the US Air Force Warfare Center, also at Nellis. The Air Force activated the wing in 2001 to maintain and oversee the Nevada Test and Training Range complex. Its role will remain the same after the name change. The 2.9 million acres of land and 12,000 square miles of airspace comprising the range complex represent a “crown jewel of the Air Force,” said Col. John Montgomery, outgoing 98th RANW commander. He added, “preserving, protecting, and modernizing that airspace is a national imperative.” The range incorporates roughly 1,200 targets, realistic threat air defense systems, and air aggressors to present aircrews with a challenging aerial training environment. (Nellis report by Charles Ramey)