MARK WAITE / PVT U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Tom Strusz, in foreground at left, and Maj. Donn Yates, brief Nye County commissioners about upcoming training missions over Pahrump. Advertisement

TONOPAH -- First Pahrump was the setting for an invasion of aliens from outer space in the UFO spoof, "Mars Attacks."

Now it will be the setting of an Iraqi city, like Mosul or Baghdad, as the U.S. Air Force holds a series of urban close air support training exercises five to six times in the coming year.

The first exercise is scheduled for Nov. 27-29.

Nye County commissioners unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with the air force Tuesday permitting the exercises. Commissioners said they weren't informed when the air force conducted a similar exercise last May, after which Commissioners Butch Borasky and Gary Hollis reported receiving phone calls from concerned residents.

A local hearing is set for this coming Tuesday.

Pahrump residents don't need to worry about getting bombed or strafed. In fact, Air Force personnel won't even be armed.

Strike Eagle pilots flying no lower than 7,000 feet above ground will train in how to track a vehicle supposedly carrying explosives through a city. The scenario could involve a terrorist who has just set off an improvised explosive device, or IED, that hurt some U.S. ground forces and is driving away through the city.

Pilots from the air are trying to follow the vehicle to destroy it outside of a populated area.

"Ground forces are going to be inserted into the Calvada air field. They will jump into military vehicles that are parked out there and drive into the city. The goal of two Strike Eagles is to be able to track those vehicles through the city as they park and drive, to have a constant eye," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Tom Strusz.

The public can't be banned from the site when air force crews land at the Calvada Meadows Air Park or anywhere else the exercise is taking place, air force officials said. The air force allotted two periods when the training can take place, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., also between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., sometime between Nov. 27 and Nov. 29.

Dates for subsequent exercises haven't been announced. The Nye County Sheriff's Office will be notified before the exercises take place. The press isn't being invited to observe the proceedings.

"We're basically supporting ground forces in close proximity to enemy forces and also friendly forces. The F-15 will work directly with joint technical controllers," Strusz said.

"One of our challenges with that mission is how do we support them in a densely populated urban area?" Strusz said. "It's pretty tough to identify friend and foe. When you bring that into an urban setting it gets even tougher."

The close proximity to Nellis Air Force Base and a similar climate to Iraq make Pahrump an attractive site to practice urban warfare, Strusz said. Previous exercises were staged out of Caliente and Panaca, east of the air force training range, he said.

"Pahrump offers us the density we are used to seeing in both Afghanistan and Iraq. If you're looking at the urban areas in both countries, Pahrump does a very good job approximating those areas. It's also close to Nellis Air Force Base, maximizing use of taxpayer dollars," Strusz said.

He predicted there would be minimal noise on the ground due to the height and speed of the aircraft, flying at no faster than 350 knots.

"There will be no laser operations. The pilots will not be carrying weapons of any sort, neither will the ground forces," Strusz said.

The exercise will be the graduation level training for the pilots, who will probably be in Iraq or Afghanistan two weeks later, he said.

The F-15s will be orbiting from two to 15 miles from Pahrump, which gives pilots a better sensor angle to observe the vehicles as the drivers park under buildings to elude detection, then drive away, Strusz said.

The Nevada Test and Training Range doesn't provide an adequate urban training environment, the air force states. Ground teams would consist of six personnel in three military vehicles with radio communication equipment. They will follow traffic laws. A helicopter will orbit east of Pahrump above 1,000 feet to transport instructors to and from Pahrump.

When it came time for the vote approving the memorandum, Commissioner Joni Eastley evoked her sense of patriotism in thanking the Air Force for the job they are doing defending the country.