Civic leaders, media visit Urban Operations Complex for first time

NEVADA TEST AND TRAINING RANGE-- An A-10 Thunderbolt II flies over the Urban Operations Complex November 5, 2009. The UOC is a state-of-the-art facility on the NTTR providing the war fighter a full-spectrum urban combat training environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth Hi-res

by Airman Cynthia A. Haughton
Nellis Public Affairs

11/10/2009 - NEVADA TEST AND TRAINING RANGE -- Leadership from the 98th Range Wing offered civic leaders and media a chance to visit the Urban Operations Complex on the Nevada Test and Training Range for the first time ever to view training operations Thursday Nov. 5, 2009.

The event kicked off with a briefing at the 98th Range Wing to review the itinerary and educate those participating about safety and the mission of the 98th RANW.

"The Nevada Test and Training Range is a national treasure, and there is no other range like it," said Col. John P. Montgomery, 98th RANW commander, who gave the briefing and facilitated the visit to the UOC. "It's like a sandbox in our back yard; we are proud of it and we need to take care of it."

The UOC, nicknamed Gotham City, is a one-square mile facility that consists of the main "city center", an airfield and a military compound located among the nearly three million acres of the NTTR. It was designed to meet numerous training requirements, and it provides realistic urban warfare training and mission feedback systems for all U.S. and Allied forces.

After the briefing, the group loaded onto a bus for the hour-long ride to Point Bravo, a range entry control point. From there, the group split up into vans and drove the gravel and dirt roads out to the UOC, and each group took a walking tour around the complex.

An MQ-1 Predator was flying unnoticed above the UOC during the tour, and the group was able to view themselves on the live feed being sent from the unmanned aircraft system.

At the end of the tour, the groups came back together to observe how a joint terminal attack controller provides close air support to aircraft flying above.

"We make sure aircraft are onto the right target," explained Staff Sgt. James Spreter, a Combat Training Squadron JTAC. "We bring an enormous amount of firepower to the fight."

The group watched and listened as Sergeant Spreter communicated with the pilot of an A10 Thunderbolt II, leading him to his target in the distance.

The pilot fired upon the target as he passed by, and after more communication with the JTAC, he circled around and repeated the attack two more times before departing the area.

"This is a great platform for realistic training," said Sergeant Spreter, "and we work hard to make it as close to the situations in the AOR [area of responsibility] as possible."

The purpose of the tour and demonstration, Colonel Montgomery said, was to show people how airpower saves lives.

Improvements are constantly being made to the UOC, including wireless instrumentation hubs to locally or remotely control electrification, lighting grids and the Dynamic Target System vehicles, which are vehicle targets that can be remotely operated, or autonomously operated by a GPS course.

The UOC is a state-of-the-art urban facility providing the war fighter a full-spectrum urban combat training environment.



NEVADA TEST AND TRAINING RANGE-- Staff Sgt. James Spreter, a Combat Training Squadron joint terminal attack controller, leads an A-10 Thunderbolt II to a target November 5, 2009, at the Urban Operations Complex. The UOC is a state-of-the-art urban facility providing the war fighter a full-spectrum urban combat training environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth) Hi-res

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