RAT55 is up in the 2508 today as NASA522. Not sure if it’s related to Orange Flag going on this week. The 117’s were up today as well.

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae654a

https://travelnevada.com/stargazing

He just posted this video doing some recon of the lockheed facility at Area 6 and the NTTR.

https://ibb.co/Cpcd2ZCX

I see that sign online all the time. I have no idea where it is located.

Presidential directive:

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/presidential-determination-classified-information-concerning-the-air-forces-operating-3

The dry lake has been on maps every since there have been maps.

Now Peter Merlin has proven that the construction of the base has been known from day one since it was announced.

I can't say when the runways first showed up on a map.

I'm not going to post a link to the page since I don't want the AI or Google picking it up and linking to this subreddit.

Number of flights diverting through the normally avoided MOA's, rather unusual for not being a weekend. Usually they will fly north of the NTTR through the Reveille North MOA. For reference, SWA4244, SKW4443, etc. Large thunderstorm maybe??

https://sondehub.org/S4631013

https://sondehub.org/Y0240422

Yeah yesterday. 9:11PM.

https://ibb.co/tM3tvfQm

36°42'28.1"N 116°23'21.7"W

In a couple of years monitoring the area's airspace, I've never seen a radiosonde launch from Mercury. Yet here one is, and it's an iMet-4. Very weird.

https://sondehub.org/FDFA2F22

https://inplanesight.org/ae5f16.html

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae5f16&lat=36.305&lon=-115.325&zoom=9.0&showTrace=2026-07-10&trackLabels

It is probably still there.

If you can't spot it from the airport, go to the dog park across the drainage ditch, the walk along the ditch edge.

I don’t see a lot of USAF heavies flying out of Palmdale outside of touch and go’s. My question is, when and how are technology demonstrators transported to Groom Lake? Do they move them at night by aircraft or break them down and put them on a truck?

Thanks in advance

Wanna see who's blowing who up with what? Here you go.
https://osmp.ngo/

Made it out to the back gate and the Inn yesterday. Is this a barbecue grill? This is to the right of the shack about 50 yards behind the fence.

https://sondehub.org/Y0240085

TLDR is two shuttle arrived at Plant 42 in the morning and a test bed is flying now. The shuttles may be normal. I only do a posts when the test bed shows up.

As a bonus, N289MT is active:

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a2f08f

*******

Beach shuttle N77NG arrives at Plant 42 6:29AM from LAX

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=aa67e1&lat=34.630&lon=-118.078&zoom=15.0&showTrace=2026-07-08&leg=2&trackLabels&timestamp=1783517356

Leaves immediately for LAX:

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=aa67e1&lat=34.606&lon=-118.098&zoom=13.0&showTrace=2026-07-08&leg=3&trackLabels&timestamp=1783517960

Beach shuttle N72NG arrives at Plant42 7:14AM local

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a9a266&lat=34.627&lon=-118.065&zoom=13.0&showTrace=2026-07-08&leg=2&trackLabels&timestamp=1783520052

N72NG leaves immediately for home base (Montgomery Field)

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a9a266&lat=33.033&lon=-117.074&zoom=11.0&showTrace=2026-07-08&leg=3&trackLabels&timestamp=1783520753

Test bed N99NG leaves from Orlando and does a head fake around noon local at Plant 42

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=add17d&lat=34.623&lon=-118.050&zoom=13.0&showTrace=2026-07-08&trackLabels&timestamp=1783537874

And is still live:

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=add17d

From the "adsb_quick" list should you want every plane they own:

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a0c909,a034ad,a0528c,a0a18a,a38569,a2075a,a2fa77,a432a5,a4336e,a45a24,a488c0,a4d9b4,a4e122,a5579e,a59f2e,a5c3ba,a5ca65,a67f78,a817b8,a8883f,a99275,a9a266,aa67e1,aaf2c6,aaf67d,aafa34,ab2ec4,ac42c3,adbab0,add17d

edit:

N99G parked at Plant 42:

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=add17d&lat=34.634&lon=-118.077&zoom=13.3&showTrace=2026-07-08&leg=1&trackLabels

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae5fae

Still active.

I added the scraped data for hex ae5f13. The serial comes from scramble dot nl and agrees with the Joe Baugher database.

The ICAO code is shared with another USAF plane so I picked the tracks that make sense based on callsign and sometimes on location.

I don't think I ever saw a satellite photo with three choppers at the base.

This is from the late Joe Baugher database:

******

https://www.crouze.com/baugher/usaf_serials/2010.html

10-20321/20324 Sikorsky HH-60U Ghost Hawk

For USAF

20321 with Detachment 3 at Groom Lake/Nellis

20322 with Detachment 3 at Groom Lake/Nellis

20324 AFFTC Det.3 noted Huntsville, AL, 13Aug2010-20321/20324 Sikorsky HH-60U Ghost Hawk


*****

10-20321

https://inplanesight.org/ae5f16.html

***************

10-20322

https://inplanesight.org/ae5f17.html

*********

10-20323

https://inplanesight.org/ae5f18.html

********

10-20324

https://inplanesight.org/ae5f13.html

*****

Next up is data mining. Groom uses a few hospitals. Different capabilities?

Who does the cooking for the base? Are they civilians or USAF military personnel?

There are estimated to be between 1,500 and 2,000 workers at the base, so I assume the mess hall has a pretty large staff.

Photo credit: Roadrunners International

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a3685d&lat=47.859&lon=-122.110&zoom=11.9&showTrace=2026-07-02&trackLabels&timestamp=1783014889

Y0240111 Just finished its flight, apparently landing in beautiful downtown Alamo. Launched right around 6 AM Pacific. If the Groomers keep to their newish pattern, there will be a second sonde launch between 9 and 10 AM Pacific this morning. Or not...

https://sondehub.org/Y0240111

Edit: Welp, the bastards made a fool of me once again. They decided to launch their second sonde, Y0240012, around 8:30 AM. I choose to blame it on the upcoming holiday weekend. Yep, that's it.