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The Tolicha Peak Electronic Combat Range is a substantial, but publicly little known, facility of the Nellis Complex.  It is located on Pahute Mesa, about 3 miles northeast of Tolicha Peak, and about 2 miles north and slightly west of Quartz Mountain.  It is at least 20 miles south of the southerly boundary of the Tonopah Test Range.
    Main acces to the facility is via a paved road from Highway 95.  The intersection of this access is about 20 miles north of the town of Beatty.  There are no signs on the access, but after about 2 miles a guard house is reached, blocking further travel.
    The TPECR contains long- and short-range strategic threat systems and associated point defense systems, along with appropriate acquisition and ground controlled intercept radars.  The TPECR simulates the defense of the deep interdiction and offensive counter air targets.  The TPECR is a smaller range than the TECR and has less capability, but it plays an important role in all the major excercises conducted on the North Ranges.
    The Nellis range chart shows a rectangular zone of airspace over this facility labeled TPECR.  The map also shows two semicircular bulges on the north boundary of the TPECR box labeled "FAC ALPHA" and "FAC BRAVO", where FAC is Forward Air Control.  These sections contain installations used for the training of pilots involved in the various Flag exercises.
    It is uncertain just how long this facility has been in operation.  A review of the Landsat Pahute Mesa image published by the USGS in1984, suggests that if the facility was there at that time, it was considerably smaller, although the limited resolution of the image makes positive identification difficult.  If the facility is one that has either been built or greatly expanded in recent years, it may be the source of the stories, most often put forth by John Lear, that the alledged discs of Papoose Lake have been moved to Pahute Mesa.  A small operation was conducted there in the mid 1970s.
    The Air Force started their electronic combat operations at TPECR in the early to mid 70s.  The out growth of these operations is now known as Operation Red Flag and other such training exercises.  The history of this training operation is pretty well documented in various books and other sources.
    Sandia National Labs have no facilities at TPECR, but it does have some at Tonopah Test Range.  TPECR was operated by the 554th Range Group at Nellis and later by Ford Aerospace as a contractor to the 554th.  Ford had lost or sold the contract and it is uncertain to who is now running it.
    The 554th built extensive targets throughout the area, including at least three airfields.  They made as realistic as possible within time and funding constraints, and the knowledge that they would be bombed, sometimes with live ordinance.  Many looked very real from a distance especially from the air, as was intended.  Salvaged vehicles, various portable shelters, plywood tanks, and even the occasional airplane were used to add realism to some realtively crude earth work.

Sources:
    Tom Mahood