title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The airfield soon drew business from private flyers, as well as Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) and Western Air Express (WAE), commercial airlines that set up operations at the new airport. The city's viability as a crossroads of air traffic in the Southwest was confirmed by this early success. As the 1920s closed, the two airlines initiated competitive passenger, mail and cargo service between the Midwest and California, positioning Albuquerque as an important transcontinental airfield.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: WAE soon moved to the West Mesa Airport and was joined by TAT as the two airlines merged to become Trans World Airlines (TWA). This new facility, also private, became known as Albuquerque Airport, and the first, which was renamed Oxnard Field, also continued to service general aviation needs. In the mid-1930s, Mayor Tingley, other city officials, and TWA management began to conceive of a municipal airport, the next necessary step in confirming Albuquerque's status as a "Crossroads of the Southwest." With the help of President Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds, construction on a new airport was begun four miles west of Oxnard Field and completed in 1939, on the cusp of World War II.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In January 1939, Major General Henry "Hap" Arnold, who became chief of the U.S. Army Air Corps (AAC), proposed to Congress that money be spent on a strong air defense. It soon became a national priority to secure airfields and bombing and gunnery ranges. An effort was also being made in cooperation with the WPA and Civil Aeronautics Authority to build up civilian airports of value to national defense efforts (Tagg 1998). Albuquerque city leaders began to examine the possibility of an air base locating on the mesa, and through extensive negotiations with the AAC, succeeded in their efforts when the Army established an air base on the East Mesa in 1939.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: As of late 1939, Army and Navy pilots began using Oxnard Field for refueling and maintenance for a variety of military flights. Later that same year, the Army Air Corps leased 2,000 acres neighboring Albuquerque Airport, four miles west of Oxnard Field. The Army eventually condemned the Oxnard Field property for military use, with subsequent transfer to the federal government.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Construction of Albuquerque Army Air Base began in January 1941 and was completed in August 1941. Albuquerque Army Air Base received its first military aircraft in March, and on 1 April 1941, a lone B-18 bomber, landed on the north–south runway. With the assignment of five pilots to the aircraft, the day marked the official opening of Albuquerque Army Air Base. The first buildings on the installation were simple wood-frame structures constructed quickly in order to fulfill the country's urgent need for trained pilots to fight the war. Most of the buildings were Theater of Operations construction while some were of the Mobilization type. The Mobilization type buildings included the station hospital, theater, chapel, and Link training buildings.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The Albuquerque Army Air Base provided advanced flying training in "AT" (advanced trainer) trainer aircraft and transition training in combat-ready aircraft, primarily the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator. In addition to pilot training, the Albuquerque Army Air Base provided bombardier training at its Advanced Flying School. During this period, the facility was under the Flying Training Command and the Air Training Command.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In addition to the main airfield, several auxiliary airfields were used to support the flying school:


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The 19th Bombardment Group arrived at Albuquerque AAB from March Field, California, in April 1941, shortly after the base was activated. Its purpose was to train air and ground crews for reconnaissance and bombing duty on Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" before deployment to Clark Field in the Philippine Islands. The 19th Bombardment Group became the most famous bomber unit of World War II for its part in the strategic campaign against Japan. The 30th, 32nd, and 93rd Bombardment Squadrons and the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron were assigned to the 19th Bombardment Group. The 3rd Air Base Squadron, also assigned to the 19th Bombardment Group, was the first to arrive on base. Headquarters, materiel, quartermaster, ordnance, and signal detachments accompanied it. On 10th April, the squadrons began operations.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Because B-17s were in short supply, the pilots trained on Douglas B-18 Bolos and Northrop A-17s, as well as Stearman PT-17 biplanes. Under the command of Lt. Colonel Eugene Eubank, the 19th Bombardment Group focused on precision, high-altitude, and formation flying. They also flew mock attacks on New Mexico villages and ranches. Eubank was known for being a taskmaster, demanding that his pilots gain extensive cockpit experience and that the men cross-train as navigators and bombardiers. As such, it was purported that every B-17 flight had a half-dozen pilots aboard, two flying, two practicing dead reckoning and celestial navigation, and two making practice bomb runs.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The 19th Bombardment Group transferred to active duty in September 1941. It was replaced by the AAC Ferrying Command Specialized Four Engine school. The school operated under the Army Air Corps Ferrying Command, which had been established in late May 1941 and charged with transporting aircraft overseas for delivery to the Royal Air Force. The students were training to ferry Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers, (the aircraft used at the Four-Engine School) and other multi-engine aircraft to the RAF in Great Britain. TWA chose Albuquerque for the school's location because of its 10,000-foot runway, which could accommodate B-24s, as well as its fair weather. The students were trained in pilot skills, instrument flying, meteorology, radio, briefing, and general transition.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: TWA pilots and ground crews were readily available as instructors; the difficulty was in housing the students because base quarters were not finished. Consequently, they doubled up in the barracks. The first contingent of B-24 trainees arrived in Albuquerque on 19 June 1941. The facility was officially titled the Air Corps Ferrying Command Four-Engine Transition School but was unofficially referred to as the "Four-Engine School" or "Jack Frye School"—for the president of TWA. Its location on the base was called the Eagle Nest Flight Center.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Using Link Trainers and B-24 training aircraft, the TWA instructors trained more than 1,100 pilots and crewmen during the eight months the company operated the school. On 7 February 1942, the U.S. Army transferred the training function from TWA back to the USAAF, and the school was redesignated the Combat Crew Training School. The Air Corps Ferrying Command was redesignated the Army Air Forces Ferrying Command in March 1942, a month after the AAC transferred the school from TWA training back to the military. The command was then redesignated the Air Transport Command in July 1942—the same month that the school was transferred from Albuquerque to Smyrna Army Airfield, Tennessee.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: With the departure of the 19th Bombardment Group from Albuquerque Army Air Base in the fall of 1941, Major General Arnold moved the military's bombardier school from Louisiana to Albuquerque for two reasons—good weather and the availability of vacant land on which to build bombing ranges. It was proclaimed the "World’s First Bombardier School", and on 24 December 1941 it was officially designated an Army Air Forces Advanced Flying School under the USAAF Western Flying Training Command.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The 56th and 88th School Squadrons, the 9th Materiel Squadron, and the 92nd Quartermaster Battalion arrived the week after the Pearl Harbor Attack, followed shortly by the 383rd and 384th School Squadrons and the 459th Ordnance Company. The director of the school, Colonel John P. Ryan, was praised for rapidly organizing the nation's first permanent bombardier training school. Instructors, maintenance personnel, and cadets arrived so quickly that base operations such as engineering and supply had to be operated out of pyramidal tents lacking heat and protection from blowing sand. Other problems included lack of aircraft parking space and adequate lighting near the aircraft parking ramp. New construction projects began early in 1942, adding offices and housing quarters, ordnance storage, a photography lab, flightline buildings, and maintenance hangars. The base undertook paving and lighting of aircraft parking spaces, and scheduled the building of additional runways and taxiways.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Students began training on twin-engine Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan bomber trainers. By January 1942, there were 50 aircraft on base, in addition to 28 B-18A Bolo bombers used for training. Eventually, about 150 AT-11s served the school. The USAAF established a new minimum proficiency standard for bombardier trainees in 1943. Trainees were required to hit their targets during at least 22 percent of their drops. Practice combat flying missions required continuous evasive action within a 10-mile radius of the intended target. The final approach was required to be straight, level and taking no longer than 60 seconds.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The school taught bombardiers the technique of bomb sighting. Bombardiers were required to crawl down shafts that gave way to the "bubble," from which they had bird's-eye views of the ground below. The bombardier's job was to feed the bombsight the needed information, air speed, wind speed, wind direction, altitude, and the angle of drift. As the aircraft approached the target, the pilot turned the aircraft over to the bombardier and the Norden bombsight, which was also an automatic pilot that flew the aircraft as bombs were released over the target. Classroom instruction at the Albuquerque base was held at night and training missions were flown during the day to bombsights around Albuquerque. Servicemen and WPA workers were tasked with laying out bombing ranges for training. These were located west and southwest of Albuquerque, including a major range located between the neighboring village, Los Lunas and the Rio Puerco. Contracts for day and night bombing targets on the ranges were let during January 1942, and access roads to the targets were constructed. Bomb ranges numbered 2,450 square miles on ranch and Indian reservation land by the end of 1942. At that time, a total of 24 targets, simulated cities and warships, were in use on the ranges.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Bombardier school was 12 to 18 weeks during which a student dropped approximately 160 bombs; precise records were kept of hits and misses. The elimination rate for trainees was 12 percent, and upon graduation, a new bombardier was transferred to an operational training unit and trained for overseas duty. Albuquerque was an operational training facility, and the first class of 61 bombardiers from the Albuquerque base school graduated 7 March 1942. By 1945, Albuquerque's flying training field had turned out 5,719 bombardiers and 1,750 regular pilots for the B-24 bomber alone. The 51st class to complete the bombardier training course included 143 bombardiers. Chiang Kai-shek pilots and bombardiers received training from Kirtland Field instructors. And film actor Jimmy Stewart was stationed at Kirtland Field briefly, beginning in August 1942, assisting bombardier cadet training by flying bombers on training missions.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Bombardier and pilot training was not the only focus at Kirtland Field between 1942 and 1945. In 1943, the USAAF Flying Training Command merged with the Technical Training Command in an effort to save manpower. The new command, the Air Training Command, became responsible for all training from classification center through pilot and technical schools. In 1943, Kirtland Field facilities expanded to support existing bombardier training plus other training missions. This expansion was the result of the merging of the two training commands.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Expanded training at Kirtland Field included a ground school for glider pilots—called the Glider Replacement Center, which was established in July 1942. The center served as a temporary training area for glider pilots awaiting vacancies at glider schools. The Army Air Forces glider-training program had expanded, and prior flight training was eliminated as a necessary qualification for candidates. On 30 June, the War Department opened the program to any man between 18 and 36 who could meet the physical and mental requirements, including civilians as well as officers and enlisted men. At Kirtland Field, the Glider Replacement Center operated until February 1943.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In May 1943, a Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) contingent was established at Kirtland Field with the arrival of 45 women on base. WAAC quarters built at Kirtland Field included barracks, a day room, beauty shop, and supply room. A WAAC open house for the new post was held in August 1943 and several hundred men with their wives and families attended. Initially, most WAACs and WACs worked as file clerks, typists, stenographers, or motor pool drivers. Gradually, their jobs grew more technical as positions were created for weather forecasters, parachute riggers, radio operators and repair specialists, sheet metal workers, bombsight maintenance specialists, control tower operators, and cryptographers.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In August 1943, Kirtland Field became host to a USAAF Provisional B-24 Liberator Pilot Transition School designed to train airplane commanders. Transition training was the final step after successful completion of Primary, Basic, and Advanced Flying training. The Bombardier School, for the most part, furnished facilities and maintenance, and personnel from two squadrons, that had been part of the Bombardier School, were put to work in the B-24 school. Officer pilots were selected for the new school from advanced twin-engine training schools. Instruction covered day and night navigation and instrument flying, formation and altitude flying, comprehensive ground schoolwork, engineering, radio, meteorology, weather flying, first aid and oxygen training, as well as a course on the duties of an airplane commander.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: A school for navigation was also established at Kirtland Field in the summer of 1943. The six-week navigation training course extended bombardier cadets’ schooling from 12 weeks to 18 weeks, qualifying them to serve as navigators as well. The navigation instructors were often recent combat veterans; the school combined regular bombardier missions to targets throughout New Mexico with navigational missions.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: A month later, headquarters of the 38th Flying Training Wing relocated from Roswell Army Airfield, New Mexico to Kirtland Field. One of the wings under the Western Flying Training Command, the 38th held jurisdiction not only over Kirtland Field but also the Hobbs, Roswell, and Carlsbad Army Air Fields; Williams Field, Arizona; and Victorville Air Field, California. The wing relocated to Williams Field, Arizona, in February 1945 due to Kirtland Field's conversion to a Superfortress base under the Second Air Force.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Kirtland Field served as a B-29 Superfortress base in support of the incendiary bombing raids on Japan. In March 1945, Kirtland Field was converted into a Superfortress base in a matter of only 45 days after its assignment to the Second Air Force. The Second Air Force, operating under the Continental Air Forces, concentrated on training for heavy and very heavy bombers during the war. Kirtland Field was one of six stations in the 16th Bombardment Operational Training Wing program. Other locations were Alamogordo Army Airfield and Clovis Army Airfield in New Mexico; Biggs Army Airfield and Pyote Army Airfield in Texas; and Davis-Monthan Army Airfield in Arizona.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Perhaps one of the most important functions Kirtland Field served during World War II was as a transportation center for the needs of scientists developing the atomic bomb in Los Alamos. The Manhattan Project personnel in Los Alamos first became aware of the value of the location of the air base during the process of converting the atomic bomb into a practical airborne weapon. Because Kirtland Field was the closest large airport, its runways and bombloading pit supported the atomic bomb program during 1944 and 1945. It also became an important staging ground for the ferrying of men and material to various field sites.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: From Kirtland Field, Manhattan Project scientists were flown back and forth to Wendover Army Air Base for testing in a disguised "Green Hornet" aircraft. Members of the USAAF made similar trips from Wendover through Albuquerque to Los Alamos. A special Manhattan Engineer District, Military Police unit was located at Kirtland Field to guard facilities used to load Los Alamos–assembled ordnance and test shapes on Silverplate aircraft. The loading pit constructed at Kirtland Field, although primitive and manually operated, operated until December 1945, when a hydraulic lift was installed.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: On 16 July 1945, at Kirtland Field, two B-29 Superfortress observation planes had set out early in the morning with instructions from Oppenheimer to steer a course at least 15 miles west of the atomic detonation point, Trinity Site. Because of thunderstorms, the planes dropped from 23,000 to 18,000 feet before circling the Trinity Site during the first atomic bomb detonation. While "The Gadget" underwent field-testing at Trinity, the nuclear components for the bombs and the active materials were being sent piecemeal to Tinian. Shortly before the bomb testing at the Trinity site, components of Little Boy were driven from Los Alamos to Kirtland Field and then flown to San Francisco. This included some of the U-235. From San Francisco, they were transported to Hunters Point to board the cruiser , bound for Tinian. Following that, the Fat Man plutonium core and its initiator were driven down to Albuquerque. They left Kirtland Field on 26 July and were flown in a C-54 Skymaster to Tinian, where they arrived 28 July. Such was Kirtland Field's last important role in the U.S. defeat of Japan, thereby ending World War II.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: However, it was not its last connection with the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, which largely would determine the base's fate in the postwar economy.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: To the east of the air base, at Oxnard Field, the U.S. Army also acquired 1,100 acres of land to develop a school for aircraft mechanics. An Air Depot Training Station, it was unofficially referred to as "Sandia Base". After various other incarnations—as a convalescent center and aircraft burial ground—Sandia Base became the precursor to Sandia National Laboratories when the Manhattan Project's Z Division relocated from Los Alamos to continue top-secret work development of atomic weapons.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The New Mexico Proving Grounds (NMPG) was constructed concurrently with the development of the Albuquerque Army Air Base and the activities at the old Oxnard Field. It was built to the south to serve as the base for testing the top-secret proximity fuze, a device that played an important role in defeat of the German Vergeltungswaffe (V-1) rocket. The proximity fuze, a weapon that was later dubbed by the media as the second most important one developed during the war. By war's end, nearly 50,000 acres had been acquired for the NMPG, this acreage is to the south of the runway and main base that today makes up the greatest portion of Kirtland AFB.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: With the end of World War II, the base again became Albuquerque Army Air Field and was used by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation—later called the War Assets Administration. Old or surplus aircraft were to be sold or demolished at the site. Albuquerque Army Air Field received some 2,250 old or surplus aircraft, such as obsolete B-24 Liberator and B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, and smaller aircraft like AT-6 Texan trainers, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and Bell P-39 Airacobra fighters. Aircraft that the Civil Aeronautics Administration licensed for public use were sold to the public, with prices ranging from $100 for a PT-17 Stearman to $90,000 for a C-54 Skymaster. North American Aviation bought back a large number of their AT-6s, overhauled and resold them to customers including the Dutch and Chinese governments. The remaining 1,151 aircraft were put up for bid in the fall of 1946. The Denver contracting firm that successfully bid on the surplus planes sold some of the engines for commercial air transports, but by the end of the year, the remaining surplus planes were "chopped into sections and melted into ingots in a constantly burning smelter". This storage and recycling effort was the last of Albuquerque Army Air Field's wartime contributions.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Kirtland AAB was put on a temporary inactive basis on 31 December 1945. When World War II ended, it was not clear whether Kirtland Field would be closed or become a permanent USAF facility. The transformation of the Air Depot Training Station into Sandia


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Base, home to Sandia Laboratory and the AFSWP, kept the facility open and ultimately determined its fate. Kirtland Field was renamed Kirtland AFB, and it became the USAF's main facility for integrating new weapons designs produced by Sandia Laboratory with operational USAF aircraft and equipment.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: On 1 February 1946, Kirtland was transferred to the Fourth Air Force for use as a flight test center. Kirtland Field was returning to B-29 Superfortress activity as the flight-testing headquarters for the 58th Bombardment Wing, which had been stationed at Roswell Army Airfield, New Mexico under the Fourth Air Force. This B-29 unit would assist the Z Division at Sandia Base with flight-testing new atomic weapons designs. The 428th AAF Base Unit (Flight Test) was activated as a unit of the 58th Bombardment Wing and the host of Kirtland Field on 1 February 1946. At that time, there were fewer than 300 officers and enlisted men at the field. Because there were so few personnel on hand, morale was low and workloads were strenuous for the installation throughout the early Cold War period.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: On 21 March 1946, Strategic Air Command (SAC) was activated and on 31 March 1946, SAC's Fifteenth Air Force assumed operation of Kirtland Field. The 58th Bombardment Wing remained in command of the installation under SAC, and there was a return of personnel. Shortly thereafter, an "S-2 Section" was established on base and became responsible for the security of Kirtland Field and the "W-47 Project". The W-47 Project had been the wartime operation established at Wendover Army Air Base to train the 509th Composite Group to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In keeping with Kirtland Field's mission to assist Sandia Base's Z Division with the marriage of bombs and aircraft, the 509th Composite Group's Flight Test Section was transferred to Kirtland.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: As these arrangements were taking place, a new subgroup of the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos was being organized. Titled the Z Division for its chief, Dr. Jerrold Zacharias, a Los Alamos scientist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the new group's mission was to manage the engineering design, production, assembly, and field-testing of the non-nuclear components associated with nuclear bombs. Construction began on guard, storage, administrative, and laboratory facilities for the Z Division. Because the airfield was still receiving surplus warplanes, the U.S. Army constructed a fenced area for classified activities. They employed security measures including tanks, guard towers, and watch dogs to protect the small stockpile of atomic weapons parts. In the years after the war, Sandia Base boundaries would vastly expand to include the thousands of acres owned by the NMPG, which occupied much of the East Mesa.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Base operations began to increase in June 1946 with the organization of a full-scale Ground Training Program and the arrival of the Special Ordnance Squadron and Special Transport Flight of the 58th Bombardment Wing. Aircraft being maintained by the 58th Bombardment Wing included five B-29 Superfortresses and C-45 Expeditors, two C-47s, B-25 Mitchells and L-5s, and a C-46 Commando, AT-11 Kansan, F-80 Shooting Star, F-61 Black Widow, and F-59 Airacomet. Prior to the new Ground Training Program, which began officially on 24 June 1946, some training was carried out by individual units, primarily physical engineering, bombardiering, and armament. With the new program came a push for development of a comprehensive organization, with training in navigation, bombing, personnel equipment, chemical warfare, physical training, synthetic training, and use of the gunnery range.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: A primary mission for Kirtland Field was recorded in the September 1946 narrative history: "[To] provide aerial and ground functioning testing facilities and conduct functional tests on all equipment and materiel related to the use of special weapons and radioactive materials". Between late 1946 and early 1947, after the Atomic Energy Act creating the Atomic Energy Commission was passed, the AFSWP was established with Sandia Base as an installation under its control. A special engineering battalion was also created to aid in the assembly and maintenance of atomic bombs at Sandia Base.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In July and August 1946, Kirtland Field and Sandia Base personnel took part in Operation Crossroads at the Eniwetok Proving Ground in the Pacific's Marshall Islands. Operation Crossroads was the first of many atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in the early Cold War years. The Kirtland Field Narrative Histories do not make specific reference to participation in Operation Crossroads by groups at Kirtland Field, but this is most likely due to the high security that the operation garnered.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: With the focus on atomic weapons, in early December 1946, Kirtland Field was again transferred, this time to the Air Materiel Command (AMC), specifically the Directorate, Research and Development, HQ, AMC. AMC was responsible for all USAF R&D, including atomic weapons. The transfer took place due to Kirtland Field's close proximity to Sandia Base and the Z Division. The AMC mission at Kirtland Field was "to provide flight services for the Manhattan [Engineering] District at Sandia and Los Alamos in atomic bomb testing".


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In early 1947, the AMC established Kirtland Field's mission as the USAAF nuclear weapons facility, a continuation of the wartime Wendover Army Air Base (509th Composite Group)–Manhattan Project operations. Kirtland's role in the testing and evaluation of atomic weapons increased in 1947 when Kirtland Army Air Field, became Kirtland Air Force Base.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Secondary missions at Kirtland Field during the inception of the Cold War included furnishing facilities for the Air Force Reserve and Civil Air Patrol (CAP). The establishment of the Air Reserve facilities, and in July 1947 the New Mexico Air National Guard (NM ANG) was assigned to Kirtland Field and federally recognized as the 188th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. The unit was composed of a flight equipped with Douglas A-26 Invader light bombers, a fighter squadron flying 25 P-51 Mustangs and three T-6 Texan trainers, plus a small weather detachment.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The Convair B-36 Peacemaker aircraft arrived at Kirtland AFB in September 1948, most likely into the hands of the HQ Squadron 3170th Special Weapons Group. The B-36 was a state-of-the-art bomber and was large and heavy, weighing 300,000 pounds. It was limited to a small number of bases. Kirtland, with its 10,000-foot-long and 200-foot-wide runway, was one of those bases, and as such was one of few installations around the country to receive the aircraft. In anticipation of the arrival of the B-36, facilities at Kirtland were improved, including new overlays on the north–south runway.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The B-36 was the first intercontinental bomber able to carry any weapon in the U.S. arsenal across distances up to 3,900 miles. Thus, it was the principal means of deterrence from 1948 to the late 1950s. It was flown extensively in later atomic weapons tests at the Marshall Islands and at the Nevada Proving Ground. Yet, in its entire history, the "Peacemaker" never dropped a bomb in combat. Although the six-engine B-36 bomber was one of the newest aircraft in the USAF, it was not initially designed to carry atomic weapons and therefore required modifications in order to be coupled with such weapons. These modifications and weapons marriage occurred at Kirtland under the HQ Squadron 3170th Special Weapons Group.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Many other marriages of aircraft and weapons were completed at Kirtland. The XB-47 Stratojet, the first U.S. swept-wing, multi-engine bomber, shortly followed the arrival of the B-36 at Kirtland for modification. According to Kirtland monthly histories, during that period, as new types of aircraft were acquired by the USAF, they were flown to Kirtland to undergo modifications and fly missions related to their incorporation into the special weapons arena.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The following summer (June 1949), the assigned organizations of KAFB were again redesignated, by General Order No. 52, HQ, AMC. They were as follows:


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In response to the explosion of a Soviet atomic bomb in the fall of 1949, and following the U.S.’s new military strategy of deterrence, in December 1949 the Special Weapons Command (SWC), a USAF Major Command, was established to develop and test atomic weapons.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Along with its assignment under SWC, Kirtland AFB received a related air defense mission for Air Defense Command (ADC). Kirtland housed an ADC Air Defense Detection Center (ADDC) which would then alert the Fighter-Interceptor squadrons and the Air Defense Control Center (ADCC) for unknown aircraft intrusions in ADC monitored airspace. The ADCC would then alert ADC's Central Air Defense Force, which consisted of the Western Air Defense Force [WADF], the Central Air Defense Force [CADF], and the Eastern Air Defense Force [EADF]. Kirtland hosted one of the first ADCCs in the country, which was under construction at Kirtland in late 1950 and operational before the close of 1951 as part of the 34th Air Division (Defense). ADCCs were innovative buildings that were proto-hardened and designed for protection from atomic, biological, and chemical warfare. A single ADCC controlled multiple FISs for its air defense jurisdiction. Along with the ADCC at KAFB was a corresponding ADDC.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The central New Mexico region was considered a high air defense priority in the early Cold War because of Sandia Laboratory, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL), and the newly created nuclear weapons stockpile. On 25 April 1950, KAFB became HQ for the newly created 34th Air Division (Defense). The 34th Air Division (Defense) protected New Mexico and Arizona, most of Colorado and Utah, and a portion of West Texas. This included Los Alamos, the Sandia Kirtland complex, the White Sands and Biggs, Walker and Davis-Monthan Air Force Bases.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In tandem with its hosting of HQ 34th Air Division (Defense), Kirtland began hosting a subordinate Aircraft Control and Warning (AC&W) radar station in 1950. The 690th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron in charge of the station was supported, at the outset of the mission, directly on base in temporary Jamesway huts—round Quonset-hut type structures.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: KAFB remained the HQ for the 34th Air Division (Defense) throughout the 1950s until 1 January 1960. From that date until 1 November 1960, the zone was referred to as the Albuquerque Air Defense Sector. By the early 1960s, however, the USAF began shifting emphasis away from intercepting bombers in favor of the detection of Intercontinental ballistic missiles. Funding cutbacks began to cripple ADC programs, and that particular era of air defense drew to a close.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In June 1949, Kirtland AFB became host to one of the earliest alert Air Defense Command fighter interceptor wings created for air defense of the U.S., the 81st Fighter Wing, which had been established in May 1948 at Wheeler AFB, Hawaii. The 81st Fighter Wing was redesignated the 81st Fighter-Interceptor Wing in January 1950, flew the F-86A Sabre Jet day fighter and was responsible for defense of the areas around LASL and Sandia Base. The 81st Fighter-Interceptor Wing was on constant alert, with aircraft typically parked at the ends of runways and their crews on duty in nearby makeshift structures. In July 1950 Kirtland was one of only 14 priority FIS locations in the continental U.S.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: However, the air defense area in New Mexico for the 81st Fighter-Interceptor Wing lasted only a short while. In May 1950, the 81st Fighter-Interceptor Wing departed for Moses Lake AFB, Washington, along with the 91st and 92d FIS, which were under its jurisdiction. The 93d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron took the 81st Fighter-Interceptor Wing's place at Kirtland and was attached to the Albuquerque Air Defense Sector in the same month. The 93d FIS employed the F-86A Sabre jet, the USAF's first swept-wing jet designed as a high-altitude day fighter, was on ready alert, and was continually training to increase its combat efficiency.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: By 1952, the Atomic Energy Commission had substantially increased both the quantity and variety of nuclear weapons, requiring Special Weapons Command to engage in R&D work and expand its test support activities. It was subsequently reduced to an operating agency level, losing its major command status, and was incorporated within the framework of the new Air Research and Development Command (ARDC), which had been established in September 1950 as a major command devoted to R&D. Kirtland AFB became an ARDC facility on 1 April 1952. SWC was re-designated the Air Force Special Weapons Center (AFSWC). Also at this time, the responsibility for biological and chemical research and testing—which had been established at Kirtland during the tenure of SWC—was transferred to Eglin AFB, Edwards AFB, and Holloman AFB. Kirtland then maintained an administrative role over those programs, presumably through the AFSWC.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: AFSWC became one of the distinct R&D centers within the ARDC. Its principal task was the proper marriage of aircraft and weapons: the best combinations of aircraft/weaponry were to be analyzed, designed, developed, and tested. The AFSWC was to conduct this development and test work in conjunction with the AEC, Sandia Laboratory, LASL, and the FC/AFSWP at Sandia Base.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In short, LASL would build the "physics package" of a new weapon. This included the high explosive, the physical nuclear material, and the package. Sandia Laboratory would put the weapon in a case and install firing, fusing, timing, and safety systems, the electromechanical element. The AFSWC would track all of this new development for USAF use and drop test the new weapon designs. The AFSWC was also required to monitor the development work of aircraft contractors to assure compatibility of plane and bomb. Lastly, it provided support concerning special weapons to other USAF commands and support for full-scale atmospheric testing, as had the SWC.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: By September 1956, AFSWC included a group with three squadrons trained in the testing of atomic weapons (the atom bomb) and a group trained in testing thermonuclear weapons (the hydrogen bomb). AFSWC was organized into the following units:


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: AFSWC's Research Directorate became a focal point for USAF research in nuclear matters and advanced weaponry. Its mission was to "conduct applied research in the fields of nuclear weapons analysis, requirements and development, and to advise Air Force Special Weapons Center staff on nuclear research matters". In 1953 the Research Directorate began a weapons data-indexing project and maintained a technical library for all data on USAF contributions to the atomic energy program. The Research Directorate essentially led the charge in USAF efforts to conduct special weapons testing for weapons survivability and vulnerability. It also provided the groundwork for USAF interest in directed energy and weapons.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The Research Directorate also conducted numerous studies on the hazards of neutron and gamma radiation exposure for aircraft crews both in the air and on the ground. For example, directorate scientists accompanied AFSWC's 4926th Test Squadron (Sampling) during nuclear cloud samplings taken at atmospheric tests in the Pacific and in Nevada.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The Development Directorate's mission was to study, research, and develop nuclear weapons, weapons systems, components, and associated equipment for the USAF. In the early 1950s, the Development Directorate conducted numerous nuclear weapons studies focusing on specific target effectiveness and detonation conditions of atomic weapons. The Development Directorate was the AFSWC division working in conjunction with LASL and Sandia Laboratory as new bomb designs were developed. In terms of the stockpile-to-target sequence, the Directorate conducted R&D on techniques for suspension and release of the bombs created by Sandia Laboratory, retardation devices and lay-down delivery of the bombs, as well as monitoring their designs for USAF requirements.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In the mid-1950s, the AFSWC's Development Directorate began work on atomic warhead installations in guided missile weapons and the development of warhead support equipment. In January 1955, Douglas Aircraft Company was awarded the development contract for the weapon that became known as the Genie. The Genie was an air-to-air, unguided nuclear-tipped rocket that was designed for arming in the air moments before it was fired. The nuclear warhead of the Genie was a W-25 with a yield of approximately two kilotons. It was the only nuclear rocket to actually be launched and detonated from an aircraft, which took place at 20,000 feet over the Nevada Test Site on 19 July 1957. The original Genie was referred to as the MB-1 and later redesignated the AIR-2A; the carrier aircraft included the F-89J Scorpion, F-101B Voodoo, and F-106A Delta Dart. Other aerodynamic missiles developed at the Development Directorate were the SM-62 Snark, SM-64 Navaho, CIM-10 Bomarc and MGM-1 Matador.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The atmospheric tests conducted throughout the 1950s were critical to the definition of nuclear weapons effects for the design of survivable U.S. offensive and defensive weapons systems. Conducted under the auspices of the AEC, each test series was directed by a Joint Task Force appointed by the JCS. In early nuclear test series, the USAF assembled one Air Task Group per test to perform air support and missions. The frequency of tests and these issues justified a permanent group, and the USAF looked to AFSWC to fill the requirements. In response, in 1956 AFSWC established the 4950th Test Group (Nuclear) to serve as a permanent USAF Air Task Group for atmospheric testing, replacing the 4925th Test Group (Atomic), which then focused on the aircraft/weapon marriage mission.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In 1958, efforts were underway between the United States and Soviet Union to agree on a moratorium for atmospheric nuclear testing. The anticipated limitations on determining weapons effects inspired efforts by the Special Weapons Center and Sandia Corporation to develop methods of simulating nuclear effects with non-nuclear techniques. In 1962, Kirtland AFB and Sandia personnel participated in Operation Dominic, a series of atmospheric and subsurface tests in the Pacific. They were the last such tests conducted before the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed with the Soviet Union in late 1962, prohibiting testing in the atmosphere, in space and under water.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In April 1961, the Air Research and Development Command was redesignated the Air Force Systems Command (AFSC). The new command was given the weapons procurement and production functions of ARDC's longtime rival Air Materiel Command, which effectively ended the ten years of contention between the ARDC and AMC. With the disestablishment of ARDC in 1961, AFSC took command of Kirtland and AFSWC. The replacement of ARDC with AFSC resulted in significant changes for AFSWC, but there were many adjustments that did not result solely from the change in command. AFSWC's primary role as "the AEC’s Air Force"—the primary USAF flight support for


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: atmospheric testing—was no longer a military priority by the early 1960s owing to the 1958 moratorium on atmospheric testing.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: As the phase-down of testing activities continued during the moratorium, in August 1961 the 4950th Test Group (Nuclear) and 4925th Test Group (Atomic) were disestablished. Also during this moratorium period most of the missions of the AFSWC's 4926th Test Squadron (Sampling) consisted of U.S. Weather Bureau projects. On 16 August 1961 the 4926th Test Squadron (Sampling) was placed under HQ, 9th Weather Reconnaissance Group, Air Weather Service of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), since MATS also used the RB-57D Canberra aircraft and could easily add the unit to their inventory (Jones et al. 1976). The new unit designation was the 1211th Test Squadron (Sampling). Although the unit was no longer under AFSC, it remained based out of Kirtland.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Shortly after the testing groups were disestablished, the testing ban was lifted briefly when the Soviet Union detonated a nuclear device in the atmosphere in September 1961. A flurry of full-scale U.S. test activity resulted during 1961 and 1962. These tests were part of the National Nuclear Test Readiness Program, which had been set up as a direct response to President John F. Kennedy’s Safeguard C, which required readiness to promptly resume atmospheric testing should the need arise. Atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons finally ended with the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: On 16 June 1963, also after the Limited Test Ban Treaty, the 1211th Test Squadron was inactivated, and its assets were re-designated as the 58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, and the unit activated on 1 February 1964. The new designation created no change in unit mission, although the squadron then emerged into the "Age of the F Troop" . The "F" was from the assignment of the RB-57F Canberra to the squadron. According to the official history of the "F Troop 58th Weather Squadron," the RB-57F proved itself to be an aircraft gifted with the capabilities of exceptional payload, high altitude, long-range performance, and extended loiter time, all of which were useful for taking air samples.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: This monitoring activity was directly related to Kennedy's LTBT safeguards: to monitor testing by other nations. An ongoing assignment of the 58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron was observation for evidence of Soviet Union and Communist Chinese nuclear tests, a direct response to Safeguard D. For example, the 58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flew back and forth to Argentina during 1965 for its top secret "Quick Dip" program. Quick Dip involved biweekly flights of two RB-57Fs to El Plumerillo Airport in Mendoza, Argentina, for periods of four to five days. During each period, five to six air samplings were to be taken to estimate the amount of plutonium being produced by the Soviets.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In 1968 the Air Weather Service's RB-57Fs were redesignated WB-57Fs, and they continued to be used in the atmospheric sampling role, mostly on behalf of the AEC. Some of the aircraft were fitted with probes to scoop up airborne particles in a program of ongoing monitoring of nuclear tests. Most of this activity was centered on the nuclear tests carried out in Communist China, but some of it was used in U.S. air space to monitor air in the aftermath of underground nuclear tests.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The 58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron was the last squadron in the USAF to use the WB-57F; in the spring of 1972, the decision was made to transfer 12 F-Troop aircraft, WB-57Fs and WB-57Cs, to Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona for storage at the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center. By the summer of 1973 there were rumors of squadron reductions, and inactivation of the squadron was announced officially in March 1974 as a result of the continual downsizing since the 1958 moratorium.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Throughout the remainder of the 1960s, the AFSWC worked closely with the Air Force Missile Development Center at Holloman AFB. The AFSWC's responsibilities at this time included the testing and evaluation of airborne missiles, aircraft reconnaissance systems, and missile reentry. Calling itself the "Gateway to the White Sands Missile Range," the AFSWC sponsored all USAF programs at White Sands and an AFSWC office was located at White Sands Missile Range for day-to-day operations. The AFSWC provided flight test support from Kirtland, and mission control support and drone launch from the Air Force Missile Development Center at Holloman AFB.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: By the mid-1970s, missile development support within the AFSWC reached a plateau—with advanced missiles work entirely focused through the AFSC's Space and Missile Systems Organization (SAMSO) at Los Angeles Air Force Station. SAMSO was a precursor to today's


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Space and Missile Systems Center at what is now known as Los Angeles Air Force Base. By September 1974 the function of the AFSWC had become largely obsolete, and in 1976 the center was officially disestablished by the AFSC.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In the wake of the full-scale tests and signing of the test ban treaty, the Air Force Weapons Laboratory (AFWL) was created from elements of the Special Weapons Center. The AFWL was responsible for researching nuclear weapons and the vulnerability of U.S. weapons systems to nuclear attack. Because atmospheric testing had been prohibited in 1963, weapons vulnerability testing now focused on nuclear weapons effects simulations. AFWL's original mission was to explore the military uses of nuclear power, weapons, and


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: support equipment, and to reduce the vulnerability of U.S. systems to nuclear weapons effects. This involved studying nuclear weapons effects through testing, ensuring the compatibility of nuclear weapons with USAF delivery systems, providing advanced nuclear weapons delivery techniques, and investigating nuclear power concepts.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Throughout the 1960s, AFWL scientists built facilities to simulate nuclear effects such as transient radiation, x-rays and electromagnetic pulse. For example, in 1965, AFWL's Civil Engineering Research Branch began studies using conventional high explosives to simulate a nuclear blast to test the hardness or survivability of underground missile silos and command centers. The Weapons Laboratory built facilities during the 1960s to simulate nuclear effects such as transient radiation, x-rays and electromagnetic pulse. To study the latter, the ATLAS-I (better known as TRESTLE), the largest simulation facility ever built, was completed on the east side of Kirtland AFB during the late 1970s.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: AFWL also made important contributions throughout the decade to improve the nuclear systems related to such aircraft as the F-4 Phantom II, F-105 Thunderchief, F-111, and the B-58 Hustler. The weapons systems corresponding to these aircraft included the air-to-ground missiles (AGM) AGM-28 Hound Dog, AGM-69 SRAM "Short-Range Attack Missile," as well as the LGM-25C Titan II and LGM-30 Minuteman ICBMs, and the LIM-49 Spartan ABM.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: On 1 July 1971, Kirtland merged with Sandia Base and Manzano Base, its neighbors to the east. Twelve months after the merger, Kirtland AFB became home to one of the country's most important industrial management units when the Air Force Contract Management Division (a component of Air Force Systems Command) moved to the base from Los Angeles. Early in 1974, at the direction of the Air Force Chief of Staff, the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center was organized at Kirtland to direct and oversee operational testing of aircraft and other equipment.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Laser R&D became a mission for AFWL during the 1960s and was its main focus into the 1970s. The military began to view lasers as potentially superior to conventional weapons because of lasers’ intensity over great distances and envisioned developing them for ballistic missile defense, as well as anti-satellite and anti-aircraft missions. In 1968, the USAF authorized the AFWL to design, build, and fire a GDL capable of engaging targets that were static or in motion. The Advanced Radiation Technology Office at AFWL built its TSL at SOR in 1971, naming it the Air Force Laser (AFL). Mating of the AFL and Field Test Telescope (FTT)—the first step toward shooting down an aerial target with a laser—took place in October 1972. The successful mating of the AFL and FTT in 1972 was a milestone in the USAF high-energy laser research. That same year, AFSC assigned responsibility for the USAF's portion of the DoD's high-energy laser program to AFWL. AFWL scientists were determined to use the AFL to shoot down a drone aircraft. A year later, in November 1973, the AFWL met the three milestones and succeeded in the first shoot down of an aerial target by a laser.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: While a ground laser could track and engage a moving target, an airborne laser had the added difficulties of vibrations, beam propagation, and pointing a laser from an aerial platform. Development of the Airborne Laser Laboratory (ALL) became the centerpiece of AFWL's laser program in the 1970s. The ALL term was coined in 1972, and the ALL program began with Cycle I testing in 1973 and ended with the completion of Cycle III in September 1983. The ALL was a modified NKC-135, and the 4900th Flight Test Group was formed for aircraft operations. Laboratory testing occurred in the 400 area of Kirtland AFB and initial ground tests in hangar 1001, while the hangar at the Advanced Radiation Test Facility (ARTF) at the southeast corner of the runway was being constructed. ARTF was used for later ground tests that aimed the APT from the ARTF test pad to a target in the atmosphere in order to calibrate aircraft instruments in preparation for flight tests. Along with the five NKC-135, the 4900th FTG operated a fleet of five F-4Ds, one RF-4C, three NC-135As, five C-130s, and several A-37s, F-100s, and helicopters.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: These flights tests took place from January to July 1975, with the first "good" beam generation occurring in March. Testing ended in 1976, and although the airborne tests demonstrated the need to upgrade the tracker, the optical quality of the mirrors, and the stabilization of the APT, they clearly proved that a laser could be accurately pointed in an airborne environment. After 1977, work continued on the ALL, which would reach its goal in 1983.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In 1979, AFWL achieved a milestone in the development of airborne high-energy laser weapons. The High Energy Laser Radar Acquisition and Tracking System (HELRATS) was designed specifically to track enemy aircraft and missiles. Installed at North Oscura Peak on the White Sands Missile Range between May and November 1979, HELRATS underwent extensive testing against aircraft and missiles. These tests were critically important steps to developing the DoD's high-energy laser program. Range tests took place from May to December 1979. The most successful of the tests was one that shot an AIM-9B downrange; the beam in the test cell delivered and locked onto the aim point on the missile dome, causing damage to the dome, guidance, and seeker unit inside the AIM-9B. This test demonstrated that


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In July 1980 a "hot firing" test of the system was made being the first airborne test of the system. The flight took place near WSMR at 10,000 feet. A series of airborne systems tests were then made prior to extracting a beam from the ALL. In January 1981 a high-energy laser beam was generated inside the ALL, directed through the APT, and propagated in the air outside the aircraft; this was the first demonstration that the ALL components could work as a unified system and point to a target. The highlight of the ALL program occurred in May 1983, over the Naval Weapons Center Range at China Lake, California, where the laser was combined with a sophisticated pointer and tracker to negate, or disable, five AIM-9 "Sidewinder" missiles. While the missiles did not fall from the sky in pieces, they were disabled to the point that they could no longer locate, track, and strike their target.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Despite its success, weapons planners ignored the ALL because its missions had been categorized as "proof of concept" rather than demonstrations of a viable war tool. The ALL aircraft was retired in 1984 and stored in hangar 760 at Kirtland. Four years later it took its final flight to Wright Patterson AFB, where it is now on display at the United States Air Force Museum. About a decade later, after the Gulf War, the concept of an anti-missile laser was revitalized in the Boeing YAL-1 airborne laser program.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In 1974, the Air Force Test and Evaluation Center (AFTEC) was organized at KAFB "to direct and oversee operational testing of emerging Air Force aircraft and systems". The purpose of AFTEC was to answer questions about how safe, effective, reliable, maintainable, compatible, and logistically supportable new USAF systems would be for acquisition purposes. The F-16 Falcon fighter and the BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile were among the weapons the center tested in the 1970s, and the Kirtland Base Information Resources and Economic


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Impact statement of FY 1984 reported that AFTEC was then "evaluating more than 90 major systems. Among them are the Peacemaker missile, the HH-60 helicopter, a new version of the F-15 advanced medium range air-to-air missile, the Maverick air-to-ground missile, TRI-TAC


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Due to budget restrictions and reorganization, the Special Weapons Center was disestablished during 1976. Its responsibilities as Kirtland AFB's landlord’ were transferred to Contract Management Division, and a new support organization, the 4900th Air Base Wing, was created to discharge those responsibilities.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In 1976, as these organizational changes were being made, the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service moved its 1550th Aircrew Training and Test Wing (later becoming the 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing) to Kirtland AFB from Hill AFB, Utah. That unit's helicopter and fixed wing training brought regular flight operations to Kirtland in addition to the usual support provided for transient military aircraft. The 1550th ATTW was responsible for all USAF advanced helicopter training. The unit also conducted fixed-wing rescue and recovery training in the HC-130 Hercules aircraft, as well as testing new helicopter systems and techniques.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: On 1 July 1977, the base once again changed hands as the 1606th Air Base Wing was created when Military Airlift Command (MAC) took over responsibility for operating Kirtland AFB from Air Force Systems Command.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In the mid-1980s, the wing was equipped with a fleet of 32 aircraft, which included five HC-130 rescue transports, eight H-3 and seven H-53 heavy lift helicopters or "Jolly Green Giants," and six UH-1F and six UH-1N light lift helicopters or "Hueys." Flying training in the 1550th ATTW included basic aircraft qualifications, instrument and transition flying, aerial refueling of the


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Jolly Green Giant helicopters by HC-130 tankers, combat tactics, air drops of pararescue personnel and equipment, land-water helicopter hoist training, simulated search missions, and locating and intercepting lost or distressed aircraft. Initial training for all USAF Pararescuemen was also given at Kirtland. The training included classes in mountain climbing, survival, navigation, scuba-equipped parachute jumps, hoisting from a helicopter, emergency medicine, combat tactics, and weapons. In 1985, the wing


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: On 1 October 1982, the Air Force Space Technology Center (AFSTC) was established at Kirtland to coordinate and manage research into Air Force space systems. It was to plan and execute "Air Force R&D programs in space technology, advanced nonconventional weapons and weapons effects, rocket propulsion and geophysics". The AFSTC operated under the oversight of the Space Systems Division of Air Force Systems Command (AFSC), located at Los Angeles AFB. The AFSTC supervised the AFWL, the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory at Edwards AFB, California, and the Air Force Geophysics Laboratory at Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts. The announcement for the new center was made two days after Secretary of State Alexander Haig revealed that the Soviet Union had made practice runs with several space weapons, including one that could destroy U.S. satellites. The new AFSTC was responsible for military satellites, the anti-satellite program, military payloads orbited by Space Shuttles, the tracking of Soviet satellites, and other related programs.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The militarily strategic value of space became a new focus for AFWL in the early 1980s. In March 1983, President Ronald Reagan announced a major research effort to determine the feasibility of advanced defenses against ballistic missiles. In the mid-1980s, AFWL made


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: important contributions to the SDI program through its studies of the laser vulnerability of solid and liquid-fueled ICBM boosters. AFWL used the mid-infrared advanced chemical laser (MIRACL) to demonstrate such vulnerabilities, and successful MIRACL tests destroyed both stationary and rotating reflective targets. By fiscal year 1986, Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) accounted for more than 60 percent of AFWL's budget.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: AFWL carried out tests of its Booster Vulnerability Test Program. In these tests scientists used MIRACL to destroy a decommissioned Titan I second stage booster under simulated flight loads at White Sands Missile Range, and the derived data were used to determine the vulnerabilities of representative solid motor cases and liquid boosters to lasers. In December 1990, the Air Force Space Technology Center and Weapons Laboratory consolidated to become Phillips Laboratory, and later, the Air Force Research Laboratory.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: On 1 October 1991, the 1606th Air Base Wing and 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing merged into one "super" wing called the 542d Crew Training Wing.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In 1992, the Kirtland Underground Munitions Maintenance and Storage Complex (KUMMSC) was activated at Kirtland AFB. The facility provides storage, shipping and maintenance for the United States Air Force. It is operated by the 898th Munitions Squadron (898 MUNS) and the 377th Weapons Systems Security Squadron (377 WSSS). The facility is state of the art, with more than located entirely underground. KUMMSC is the largest storage facility for nuclear weapons in the world. Total number of deliverable nuclear warheads stored there is over 3,000. The majority of the munitions include the B83 and B61 gravity bombs, and W80, W78, and W87 warheads for the Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM), Minuteman III and Peacekeeper ICBMs.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: On 1 January 1993, the base again changed hands as the newly formed Air Force Materiel Command acquired Kirtland AFB from Air Mobility Command. The 377th Air Base Wing was reactivated to become the base's host organization.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: On 1 April 1994 the 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing was re-designated as the 58th Special Operations Wing under Air Education and Training Command (AETC). In addition to the helicopter training, it also trained crews in special operations aircraft, including helicopters and modified C-130 Hercules aircraft. It performed pararescue training and search and rescue missions as well. Additionally, the wing trained for missile site support and airlift for distinguished visitors. At the same time the wing continued to deploy personnel worldwide for contingency and combat operations. The wing airlifted a federal task force to Pennsylvania to investigate the crash site of the fourth airliner following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. Since that time the 58th has deployed personnel and equipment to support Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Today, the 58th SOW trains aircrews in the MC-130J Commando II, MC-130H Combat Talon II, and the CV-22 Osprey for the Air Force Special Operations Command; the HC-130P Combat King, HC-130J Combat King II, and the HH-60G Pavehawk for the Air Combat Command and Pacific Air Forces; the UH-1 Huey for Air Force Space Command; and those aircrew operationally gained to those commands from the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: On 31 March 2006, the Nuclear Weapons Center was created and became the parent organization at Kirtland AFB. The 498th Armament Systems Wing (later the 498th Nuclear Systems Wing) was also created to be the maintenance arm of the NWC, while the 377th ABW remained the host support unit on base. On 1 October 2015, Kirtland AFB was repositioned under Air Force Global Strike Command.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In November 2009 the 377th Air Base Wing, commanded by Colonel Michael S. Duvall, and 498th Nuclear Systems Wing, commanded by Colonel Richard M. Stuckey, failed their nuclear security inspections. The inspections were conducted by Air Force Materiel Command and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: On 27 January 2010 the 898th Munitions Squadron was decertified. The action meant that the squadron could no longer perform its mission of safeguarding the weapons at the Kirtland Underground Munitions Maintenance and Storage Complex until it passed a nuclear surety inspection. The squadron was recertified on 11 June 2010.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The 498 Nuclear Systems Wing was inactivated on 27 Jan 2012 as the Air Force transferred oversight of the nuclear munitions to the Air Force Global Strike Command.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The missions of Kirtland AFB fall into four major categories: munitions maintenance; readiness and training; research, development and testing; and base operating support to more than 100 federal government and private sector associates.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Kirtland, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: A jet fuel leak was discovered at Kirtland Air Force Base in 1999. Suspected to have been leaking undetected for decades, an estimated 6 to 24 million gallons of fuel saturated the soil, posing a serious hazard to wells in the south valley connected to the municipal water supply.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Air Force Manual 85-16 required annual and five-year inspections of the Bulk Fuels Facility. The inspections were not performed for three decades. In 1985, a waiver was issued to not perform pipeline pressure testing. In 1992, leaking was discovered at the fuels facility pump house Bldg. 1033. In 1994, two waivers were issued: one for the annual pipeline testing and another for pressure testing. In 1999, another jet fuel leak was discovered from a broken 16-inch pipe. It was later learned that the pipe had been leaking fuel undetected since 1953. The Air Force initially estimated that pipe leaked roughly between of jet fuel in that 46-year span. However, state environmental officials believe the number may be as high as , which could make the spill more than twice the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. In 2007, 18 inches of fuel floated over the water table when a well was dug.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: The escaped jet fuel is submerged 500 ft beneath the ground in the drinking water aquifer. As of 2010, a 6000 ft long plume of contaminants, the most dangerous chemical being ethylene dibromide (EDB), moved within 4000 ft towards the municipal wells that supply the city's drinking water. EDB causes liver and kidney disease and is a suspected human carcinogen.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: In June 2014, the board of directors of Albuquerque's municipal water utility approved a resolution that "any amount of ethylene dibromide, no matter how small, would be cause to shut down the affected well". It also called for the Air Force "to move more quickly in cleaning up the spill", as the slow progress has frustrated members of the community. The contaminated water plume could reach the nearest drinking water well in between five and 40 years, according to 2014 estimates.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: However, as of January 2020, there had been no incidents of drinking water contamination, and no threats of future contamination.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Several interim measures have already been completed including the removal of approximately 5000 tons of contaminated soil near the source of the leak and the removal of the equivalent of approximately 775,000 gallons of fuel through a combination of soil vapor extraction and bioslurping. In addition, the Air Force replaced the decades-old bulk fueling facility with a state-of-the-art fueling facility.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: To mitigate any potential threats to the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority Ridgecrest drinking water supply wells the Air Force implemented a groundwater pump and treat interim measure to collapse and treat the dissolved-phase ethylene dibromide (EDB) plume in the Target Capture Zone north of Ridgecrest Drive. This interim measure consists of four extraction wells and a groundwater treatment plant, which uses granular activated carbon to remove the EDB. As of January 2020, approximately 800 million gallons of groundwater have been successfully treated and approximately 91% of the EDB mass (approximately 122 grams) in the Target Capture Zone has been removed.


title: Kirtland Air Force Base

text: Sandia Elementary School (Building # 21000) and Wherry Elementary School (Building #25000) are in the Kirtland AFB boundary while Kirtland Elementary School and Van Buren Junior High School are outside of the Kirtland AFB boundary.


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: "I Wanna Be Your Man" is a Lennon–McCartney-penned song first recorded and released as a single by the Rolling Stones, and then recorded by the Beatles. The song was primarily written by Paul McCartney, and finished by Lennon and McCartney in the corner of a Richmond club while Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were talking.


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: Released as their second single on 1 November 1963, the Stones' version was the group's first UK top-20 hit, peaking at number 12 on the British chart. Their rendition features Brian Jones' distinctive slide guitar and Bill Wyman's driving bass playing. It is one of the few Rolling Stones songs to feature only Brian Jones on backing vocals. In the US, the song was initially released as London 45-LON 9641 (with "Stoned" on the B side) without any success and was soon after re-released on 6 March 1964 as the B-side to "Not Fade Away".


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: According to various accounts, either the Rolling Stones' manager/producer Andrew Loog Oldham or the Rolling Stones themselves ran into Lennon and McCartney on the street as the two were returning from an awards luncheon. Hearing that the band were in need of material for a single, Lennon and McCartney went to their session at De Lane Lea Studio and finished off the song – whose verse they had already been working on – in the corner of the room while the impressed Rolling Stones watched.


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: Released only as a single, the Rolling Stones' rendition did not appear on a studio album. The song was reissued in the UK on the Decca compilation albums "Milestones" (1972) and "" (1975). In 1989, it was issued on the US compilation album "". It is included on the four CD version of the 2012 "GRRR!" compilation.


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: The B-side of the second single was "Stoned", a "Green Onions"–influenced instrumental composed by Nanker/Phelge, the early collective pseudonym for the group. Additionally, it included the 'Sixth Stone' pianist Ian Stewart, making it the first released self-penned composition, with added spoken asides by Mick Jagger. Some original 1963 copies were issued with the misprinted title as "Stones", making it doubly collectable as a rarity.


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: On 1 January 1964, the Stones' "I Wanna Be Your Man" was the first song ever performed on the BBC's "Top of the Pops". The segment was featured in the 1995 docu-series "The Beatles Anthology". A performance of the song on "The Arthur Haynes Show" recorded on 7 February 1964 appears as part of the bonus material on the 2012 documentary film "Crossfire Hurricane".


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: The Beatles' version was sung by Ringo Starr and appeared on the group's second UK album, "With the Beatles", released 22 November 1963 and on the US release "Meet the Beatles!", released on 20 January 1964. It was driven by a heavily tremoloed, open E-chord on a guitar played through a Vox AC30 amplifier. John Lennon was dismissive of the song in 1980, saying:


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: The Beatles also recorded two versions of the song for the BBC. One version was for the "Saturday Club", recorded on 7 January 1964 and first broadcast on 15 February. The second version was for the "From Us to You" show recorded on 28 February and broadcast on 30 March; this was released decades later on the "Live at the BBC" collection. The Beatles also recorded a version for the "Around The Beatles" TV show, recorded on 19 April 1964; this version was released on the "Anthology 1" collection in 1995.


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band have performed the song as a concert staple during their 1989 through 2012–2013 All-Starr Band concerts. The song was on the setlist for the first line-up in 1989. The 1992 line-up did not perform the song. Every All-Starr Band line-up from 1995 to 2012–2013 has included the song on their setlist. The song has appeared on the following compilation albums: "Ringo Starr and His Third All-Starr Band Volume 1", "King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Ringo & His New All-Starr Band", "The Anthology... So Far", "Ringo Starr and Friends", "", "Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band Live 2006", and "Live at the Greek Theatre 2008".


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: McCartney performed the song occasionally, notably on the soundcheck of his 1993 live album "Paul Is Live."


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: McCartney performed the song in his 2022 Glastonbury Festival set with special guest Bruce Springsteen.


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: Keith Richards performed the song live with his group the X-Pensive Winos during their 1988 Talk is Cheap tour of the US. They performed the song at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and at the Hollywood Palladium.


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: The song was parodied in 1964 by the Barron Knights on their hit single "Call Up The Groups (Medley)" (Columbia DB.7317) in which they imitated the Rolling Stones' version. It was also recorded by Adam Faith in 1965, Count Basie and his Orchestra in 1966, the Day Brothers, Terry Manning in 1970, Suzi Quatro in 1973, The Rezillos in 1977, Roger Webb and his Trio, the Sparrows, the Merseyboys, Bob Leaper, the Flamin' Groovies in 1993, Sam Phillips in 2003, Audience (band) in 2005, Les Baronets in French as "Oh! Je Veux Être À Toi", the Rockin' Ramrods, the Smithereens in 2007, and the Stooges on their 2007 album "The Weirdness" featuring Iggy Pop.


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: Bob Dylan recorded a song for "Blonde on Blonde" (1966) called "I Wanna Be Your Lover" as a "tip of the hat" to the Lennon/McCartney song. It was left off the final album, but was eventually released on the compilation boxed set "Biograph" (1985)."I Wanna Be Your Lover" shares the lyric:


title: I Wanna Be Your Man

text: The song contains a heavy Bo Diddley beat. This was acknowledged by Bo Diddley himself in the song "London Stomp" (album "Hey Good Lookin'"). He sings "Hey, Liverpool, we got the London Stomp" over an "I Wanna Be Your Man" background.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: The Volkswagen Lupo ("Typ" 6X) is a city car that was produced by the German car manufacturer Volkswagen, from 1998 to 2005. It shares most of its aspects with the Volkswagen Group's SEAT Arosa, both derived from the Volkswagen Polo Mk3 platform. Main differences are found in styling and equipment. The Lupo name is Latin, meaning wolf, and is named after its home town of Wolfsburg.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: The Lupo was introduced in October 1998, to fill a gap at the bottom of the Volkswagen model range caused by the increasing size and weight of the Polo. It was a badge engineered version of the stablemate, the 1997 SEAT Arosa. The right-hand-drive version for the UK market was launched in the spring of 1999. In Japan, it was launched in July 2001.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: Both Lupo and Arosa use the A00 platform which is a shortened version of the Polo/Ibiza A0 platform. Initially only available in two trim variants, the budget "E" trim and the upgraded S trim; the range later expanded to include a Sport and GTI variant.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: Petrol engines ranged from 1.0 to 1.4 (1.6 for the GTI) with diesels from 1.2 to 1.7. The differences between the E and S trim included painted door mirrors, door handles and strip, central locking, electric windows, double folding seats and opening rear windows.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: Sales of the Lupo were slow and missed Volkswagen's targets, partly because of its high price in the class and it was higher than its sister car SEAT Arosa. In 2001 a Volkswagen source claimed that it was decided the Lupo would eventually be discontinued and replaced by a model built in China.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: Production of the Lupo was discontinued in June 2005, and was replaced on the European market by the Brazilian designed Fox. Due to the decision taken by Volkswagen, to use the Fox instead of developing any genuine replacement for the Lupo, resulted in SEAT being unable to produce their own version, resulting in the end of production of the Arosa in June 2004. The Lupo's spiritual successor, Volkswagen up!, was released in 2011.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: The Volkswagen Lupo 3L ("Typ 6E") was a special edition made with the intent of being the world's first car in series production consuming as little as 3 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres (79 miles per US gallon or 94 miles per Imperial gallon). To achieve this, the 3L was significantly changed from the standard Lupo to include:


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: The 3L, along with the GTI and FSI, had a completely different steel body to other Lupos, using thinner but stronger steel sheet. The car had an automated manual transmission with a Tiptronic mode on the selector and electro-hydraulic actuation system for the clutch and shifting. The car also had an ECO mode. When engaged it limited the power to 41 bhp (31 kW; 42 PS) (excluding kick down) and programmed the transmission to change up at the most economical point.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: ECO mode also activated the start/stop function, a feature that was new to European cars at the time.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: To restart, the driver simply takes his foot off the brake and presses the accelerator. In ECO mode, the clutch was disengaged when the accelerator pedal was released for maximum economy, so the car freewheels as much as possible, with the clutch re engaging as soon as the accelerator pedal or brake pedal is touched. The 3L also has only four-wheel bolts and alloy brake drums at the rear, along with many aluminium suspension components.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: Initially, there were very few options on the 3L, as options added weight which affected fuel consumption. Those available initially were electrically heated and electrically controlled mirrors, fog lights, and different paint colours. In order to increase sales, other options were offered, including all electric steering, electric windows, and air conditioning.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: These options, however, increased fuel consumption slightly. In July 2001, a Japanese economy driver, Dr. Miyano, used it to set a new world record for the most frugal circumnavigation of Britain in a standard diesel production car, with an average fuel economy figure of 119.48 mpg or 2.36 L/100 km.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: In November 2003, Gerhard Plattner covered a distance of 2,910 miles through twenty European countries in a standard Lupo 3L TDI. He achieved his aim of completing this journey, which started in Oslo, Norway, and finished in The Hague in the Netherlands, with just €100 worth of fuel. In fact, all he required was 90.94 euros, which corresponds to an average consumption of 2.78 litres per 100 km (101.6 mpg).


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: The Lupo 3L shared its engine and special gearbox with the Audi A2 1.2 TDI 3L. As a result of this and other changes, this Audi A2 is also capable of reaching the same results as the Lupo 3L. According to the instruction manual of the Lupo 3L, the 3L engine also runs on Rapeseed Methyl Ester (RME) without any changes to the engine.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: During the period of series production of the Lupo 3L, Volkswagen also presented the 1L Concept, a prototype made with the objective of proving the capability of producing a roadworthy vehicle consuming only 1 litre of fuel per 100 kilometres (235 miles per US gallon).


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: The Lupo FSi was the first direct injection petrol powered production vehicle Volkswagen produced. A 5L/100 km 1.4 16v petrol version of the Lupo 3L with an average consumption of 4.9L/100 km. This direct injection engine next to a conventional engine with similar power uses around 30% less fuel. It had a similar automated gearbox to the 3L but with different gear ratios.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: Outwardly, it was almost identical to a 3L but with a different front grill, slightly wider wheels with a different design and lacked the magnesium steering wheel and rear bumper of the 3L. Early 3L and FSi models had aluminium tailgates which were lighter and more aerodynamic than their standard Lupo counterparts. Early FSi models also had a unique spoiler while later ones without the aluminium tailgates were fitted with the same spoiler as the Lupo GTI. The FSi was only sold in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: The 1.6 L Lupo GTI, introduced for the model year of 2000, has been labelled a true successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk1, one of the first true hot hatches. The GTI can be identified by its fully body coloured bumpers and twin central exhausts. In March 2002, a six speed gearbox was added, together with improved throttle response, and was suggested as a competitor to the Mini Cooper, or the larger Volkswagen Polo GTI.


title: Volkswagen Lupo

text: The GTI features much more standard equipment which was not available on any other in the Lupo range, including bi-xenon headlights, 15 inch Bathurst alloy wheels and an off black interior. With a DOHC sixteen valve four cylinder engine producing , the GTI had a top speed of and could accelerate 0 to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds.


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: Nautanki Saala! () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film directed by Rohan Sippy, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Kunaal Roy Kapur along with Pooja Salvi, Evelyn Sharma and Gaelyn Mendonca. The story is based upon the 2003 French comedy film "Après Vous".


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: The film was produced by Ramesh Sippy, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Roopa de Choudhury under the banner of Super Cassettes Industries Ltd. in association with R.S. Entertainment. The first look of "Nautanki Saala!" was released on 2 October 2012. Ayshmann Khurrana has sung again in "Nautanki Saala!". Upon release, Bhushan Kumar declared the movie as a "winner in all the aspects""."


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: Abhishek Bachchan has done a cameo in the film for his friend, director Rohan Sippy. Bhushan Kumar finalised 12 April 2013 for "Nautanki Saala!". He wanted a longer campaign of eight weeks for promotion. The first promo of "Nautanki Saala!" was attached with "Special 26".


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: The story is about the friendship and the bonding between RP and Mandar and how they face problems and solve them.


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: Ram Parmar a.k.a. RP (Ayushmann Khurrana) is in meeting with a psychiatrist for problems he's experiencing due to three break-ups in last three months. The film runs in a narrative mode. RP is a successful theater artist portraying the role of Raavan. One day while returning home, he witnesses Mandar Lele (Kunaal Roy Kapur) attempting suicide. He saves him and brings home. Mandar is devastated because of his break-up with Nandini (Pooja Salvi) and attempted suicide because he thinks he is worthless. As Ram is a helping guy, he tries solving out Mandar's problems and probes into his life. He offers him the role of Lord Ram in his theater play. He finds Nandini and tries reuniting her with Mandar. While doing this he lies many times to his close friend Sita (Evelyn Sharma) and girlfriend Chitra (Gaelyn Mendonca). The latter ultimately breaks up with him. During this, Ram falls for Nandini who reciprocates his feelings. Meanwhile, Mandar is coming back to normal. Ram feels he is cheating his friend; he breaks-off with Nandini and makes arrangements so that Nandini and Mandar meet. Unfortunately, all this is revealed to Mandar and Nandini. Ram ultimately loses his girlfriend, his love and his friend.


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: Returning to the present day, the psychiatrist suggests RP to apologise to all three, which may suffice in resolving the problems. Mandar returns to RP's play in the role of Hanuman and unites Nandini with RP. After doing so, he lives with Sita.


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: In early 2012, Bhushan Kumar and Rohan Sippy announced their first collaboration of working together to give out a romantic comedy film. Abhishek Bachchan, always a lucky mascot in Rohan Sippy's movies, announced that he would not be a part of the movie as the lead role. Bachchan Jr revealed that he has a cameo in this film. Later in June 2012, Rohan and Bhushan Kumar announced that the lead actors of the movie to be Ayushmann Khurrana ("Vicky Donor" fame) and Kunaal Roy Kapur (last seen in "Delhi Belly").


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: The entire star cast of the movie is young and the leading female actors are also new. This will be Ayushmann's second movie after "Vicky Donor". Prior to movies, he has been a VJ with a popular youth channel as well as an RJ in Chandigarh. Kunaal, on the other hand, was last seen in "Delhi Belly". The leading ladies of the movie are Pooja Salvi, Evelyn Sharma and Gaelyn Mandonca. "Nautanki Saala!" will be MTV VJ Gaelyn's and a number of television ads old model Pooja's debut, while it will be Evelyn's fifth Bollywood film to release.


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: The shoot went on floors on 22 July 2012 and the movie was entirely shot in Mumbai with major part of the movie being night sequences. The first look and announcement of the movie was made in October 2012 by T-Series productions


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: The soundtrack for the film is romantic, lively and situational. Various music composers have made compositions in the album, including Falak, Mikey McCleary, Rashid Khan.


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: Post Khurana's successful singing debut in "Vicky Donor", Bhushan Kumar and Rohan Sippy decided on making Khurana sing in this movie as well. Ayushmann has sung two songs in the movie that are romantic, youthful and connect well with the audience. After "Paani Da Rang", Ayushmann Khurana captures the audience with his "Saadi Galli Aaja" and "Tu Hi Tu" in "Nautanki Saala!"


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: Bhushan Kumar gave the rights of "Dhak Dhak" ("Beta") song to be reinvented the used in "Nautanki Saala!". The song became an instant hit thus connecting highly with the audience and topping the music charts.


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: The soundtrack got a positive critical reception. Well-known music critic Sumit Sharma of Gomolo & DJMaza stated, "The soundtrack is truly noteworthy and a commixture of delightful melodies, sumptuous & scrumptious tracks and some Oaky Chartbusters. It's a Tuneful Soundtrack Of Musical Nautanki." and gave the album a rating of 4.5/5. Goku! of Indibeats!, gave the album a rating of 4/5 saying, "The composers have succeeded in bringing together some smart tracks so rich in melody and so varied in genres with immense repeat quality."


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: The film received positive reviews from various critics praising the comedy of errors factor and lead actors performances. It got an aggregate review score of 3/5 from all sites at reviewbol.com. Sukanya Verma for Rediff.com has given 2.5/5 stars and says "Nautanki Saala!" plot seems better-suited for a sitcom episode. Anupama Chopra on "Hindustan Times" gave it a rating of 2 and a half saying ""Nautanki Saala!" has all the ingredients of a peppy, amiable comedy but this soufflé doesn't quite rise."


title: Nautanki Saala!

text: "Nautanki Saala!" opened slowly while picked up at evening especially at multiplexes on day one and collected around nett. The film raked over its first weekend. During its first week, the movie grossed around .


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: A dimer () ("di-", "two" + "-mer", "parts") is an oligomer consisting of two monomers joined by bonds that can be either strong or weak, covalent or intermolecular. Dimers also have significant implications in polymer chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and biochemistry.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: The term "homodimer" is used when the two molecules are identical (e.g. A–A) and "heterodimer" when they are not (e.g. A–B). The reverse of dimerization is often called dissociation. When two oppositely charged ions associate into dimers, they are referred to as "Bjerrum pairs", after Niels Bjerrum.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Anhydrous carboxylic acids form dimers by hydrogen bonding of the acidic hydrogen and the carbonyl oxygen. For example, acetic acid forms a dimer in the gas phase, where the monomer units are held together by hydrogen bonds. Under special conditions, most OH-containing molecules form dimers, e.g. the water dimer.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Excimers and exciplexes are excited structures with a short lifetime. For example, noble gases do not form stable dimers, but they do form the excimers Ar*, Kr* and Xe* under high pressure and electrical stimulation.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Molecular dimers are often formed by the reaction of two identical compounds e.g.: . In this example, monomer "A" is said to dimerize to give the dimer "". An example is a diaminocarbene, which dimerize to give a tetraaminoethylene:


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Dicyclopentadiene is an asymmetrical dimer of two cyclopentadiene molecules that have reacted in a Diels-Alder reaction to give the product. Upon heating, it "cracks" (undergoes a retro-Diels-Alder reaction) to give identical monomers:


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Many nonmetallic elements occur as dimers: hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and the halogens (i.e. fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine). Noble gases can form dimers linked by van der Waals bonds, such as dihelium or diargon. Mercury occurs as a mercury(I) cation (), formally a dimeric ion. Other metals may form a proportion of dimers in their vapour phase. Known metallic dimers include dilithium (), disodium (), dipotassium (), dirubidium () and dicaesium (). Such elemental dimers are homonuclear diatomic molecules.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Many small organic molecules, most notably formaldehyde, easily form dimers. The dimer of formaldehyde () is dioxetane ().


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: In the context of polymers, "dimer" also refers to the degree of polymerization 2, regardless of the stoichiometry or condensation reactions.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: One case where this is applicable is with disaccharides. For example, cellobiose is a dimer of glucose, even though the formation reaction produces water:


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Disaccharides need not be composed of the same monosaccharides to be considered dimers. An example is sucrose, a dimer of fructose and glucose, which follows the same reaction equation as presented above.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Amino acids can also form dimers, which are called dipeptides. An example is glycylglycine, consisting of two glycine molecules joined by a peptide bond. Other examples include aspartame and carnosine.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Diborane (BH) is a classic example of an inorganic dimer. Borane does not exist alone as BH, even though it is often written in that way. BH exists as a structure where two hydrogen atoms bridge the two boron atoms. The bridging B-H bonds are lower in bond order than what would be expected for a regular B-H bond (they are lower in bond order than the terminal B-H bonds). This is explained by the bond having three centers but only two electrons, "banana bond", instead of the typical single bond with two centers and two electrons.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Organoaluminium complexes can exist as either monomers or dimers based on the steric bulk of the groups attached. For example, methyl or ethylaluminium exists as a dimer, but when a bulkier group is added, the complex exists as a monomer, such as trimesitylaluminium.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Pyrimidine dimers (also known as thymine dimers) are formed by a photochemical reaction from pyrimidine DNA bases when exposed to ultraviolet light. This cross-linking causes DNA mutations, which can be carcinogenic, causing skin cancers. When pyrimidine dimers are present, they can block polymerases, decreasing DNA functionality until it is repaired.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Protein dimers arise from the interaction between two proteins which can interact further to form larger and more complex oligomers. For example, tubulin is formed by the dimerization of α-tubulin and β-tubulin and this dimer can then polymerize further to make microtubules. For symmetric proteins, the larger protein complex can be broken down into smaller identical protein subunits, which then dimerize to decrease the genetic code required to make the functional protein.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: As the largest and most diverse family of receptors within the human genome, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) have been studied extensively, with recent studies supporting their ability to form dimers. GPCR dimers include both homodimers and heterodimers formed from related members of the GPCR family. While not all, some GPCRs require dimerization to function, such as GABA-receptor, emphasizing the importance of dimers in biological systems.


title: Dimer (chemistry)

text: Much like for G protein-coupled receptors, dimerization is essential for receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) to perform their function in signal transduction, affecting many different cellular processes. RTKs typically exist as monomers, but undergo a conformational change upon ligand binding, allowing them to dimerize with nearby RTKs. The dimerization activates the cytoplasmic kinase domains that are responsible for further signal transduction.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: Győri ETO KC (, lit. Concordance Gymnastics Department of Győr Handball Club) is a Hungarian women's handball club from Győr. Since they are sponsored by Audi, the official name for the team is Győri Audi ETO KC.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: On domestic level ETO won 16 Hungarian Championship title, including seven in a row between 2008 and 2014. They are also a fifteen-time Hungarian Cup winners, having won all their finals between 2005 and 2016.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: ETO won the Champions League in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2019. The team also reached the final in 2009, 2012, 2016, and in 2022. In addition, Győr reached the final of the EHF Cup Winners' Cup in 2006 and the final of the EHF Cup in 1999, 2002, 2004, and 2005.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: The ETO was founded in 1904, but the women's handball section wasn't created until 1948. The first edition of the Hungarian Championship was held in 1951.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: After Magda Jóna left the team in 1960, the success seemed to avoid the club as well. Between 1961 and 1965, ETO reached only a 4th and an 11th position, while László Stéger left the bench. His replacement was Jenő Kheim. In 1966, ETO finished 13th and got relegated from the Nemzeti Bajnokság I. They gained promotion to the first league once more for a season, but could not make their good run last long, since they got relegated even from the third division. The club of ETO decided to terminate the handball department.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: Between 1980 and 1992, the handball team in Győr went through several struggles. They either played in the lower championships or were considered as a "middle team" in the first league. There were several names changes in the club's life, including Győri Vasas or Győri Richards. In 1992, Győri ETO Kézilabda Club was established, which was owned by the Municipality of Győr. The president was Attila Vanyus (between 1992 and 2012), who built up the successful club we know today with his persistent, hard work.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: From 1993, a really strong team was formed in Győr. Players like Mariann Horváth, Beáta Hoffmann, Anikó Nagy, Gabriella Szabados, Eszter Mátéfi, and Anna Szántó were playing for ETO. They reached the 5th position, while Eszter Mátéfi became the top scorer of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: Kálmán Róth took over the team from 1994. With his lead, the team played their first ever European Cup match in the City Cup against the Swiss team, ZMC Zürich. Katalin Pálinger, Krisztina Pigniczki or Anita Kulcsár were the key players of their club and the national team as well.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: ETO played in the EHF Cup for the first time in the 1998/99 season. They reached the final, but fell short against the more powerful Danish side, Viborg HK.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: ETO played in the Champions League in the 2000/01 season for the first time. They could not go through from the group phase, on the other hand they finished on the 3rd position in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I. Important players left the team, so the staff decided to fill up the empty gaps with players from their own youth team. Players like: Anita Görbicz, Ibolya Mehlmann, Viktória Petróczi, and Gabriella Kindl.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: In 2002, ETO played the final of the EHF Cup against Ikast, then the semifinal of Cup Winners' Cup in 2003 against ESBF Besançon and the 2004 EHF Cup final against Viborg HK, while more young players joined the squad, like Bernadett Bódi, Orsolya Herr, Renáta Mörtel, Bernadett Temes or Gabriella Juhász.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: In 2005, ETO strengthened their squad with Romanian internationals; Aurelia Brădeanu and Simona Gogîrlă. In the Hungarian Championship, ETO was able to win the title after an exciting fight against Dunaferr, which meant that the gold medal returned to Győr after 46 years.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: Since 2005, the club is sponsored by Audi, therefore the official name for the team is Győri Audi ETO KC. With the help of their new sponsor, they won 6 Hungarian Championship titles and 7 Hungarian Cup during seven seasons.


title: Győri Audi ETO KC

text: In the European Cups, they reached the final of EHF Cup in 2005, where they fell short against Hungarian rivals, Alcoa FKC, then the final of EHF Cup Winners' Cup in 2006, where they lost against ŽRK Budućnost Podgorica.