UXO Site selected: Luke Air Force Range D, AZ |
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General Area: Yuma, AZ Site Type/Program: FUDS Location: Luke Air Force Range/D/ is located in southwestern, Arizona, just north of the U.S. - Mexican border and encompasses portions of Yuma, Pima and Maricopa Counties. Brief History: Certain tracts of the Luke Air Force Range were originally called the Yuma Aerial Gunnery Range. Established on 5 September 1941, the Yuma Aerial Gunnery Range extended from five miles east of Yuma Army Air Field to the western boundary of the Ajo-Gila Bend Gunnery Range. The Southern Pacific Railroad formed the northern boundary of the range, including the expansion of the range via the acquisition of four ground gunnery ranges in 1942, while the Mexican border formed the southern boundary. During the war years, the main objective of the range was to allow prospective pilots to gain proficiency in air-to-air and air-to-ground gunnery. Following WWII, the Yuma Aerial Gunnery Range was added to the existing Ajo-Gila Bend. Both ranges were inactive until 1951. The combined ranges came to be known as the Luke Air Force Range. Between 1946 and 1956, select tracts of land along the northern boundaries of the former Yuma Aerial Gunnery Range were disposed of in a piecemeal fashion. The total acreage of the disposed land comprising Luke Air Force Range/D/ totaled 127,122.88 acres. Between 1942 and 1944, the Yuma Aerial Gunnery Range was used for air-to-air gunnery training, involving AT-6 single engine planes and T-17 two engine planes. The entire range was comprised of 27 tow target ranges laid out in an east-west direction. According to maps of the Yuma Aerial gunnery Range, none of the tow targets was located on Luke Air Force Range/D/. During the same time frame, four ground gunnery ranges were established and were a part of Luke Air Force Range/D/. In addition to the tow target and ground gunnery ranges, Yuma Auxiliary Landing Field No.1 and portions of the Yuma Army Air Field Moving Target Range also were situated on Luke Air Force Range/D/. |
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Range / Site Description: Associated Munitions: Activities Completed: The Archives Search Report for Luke Air Force Range/D/ was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, in September 1996. Issues: The TAG recommends NOFA for this entire site since the only confirmed ordnance located on this site was small arms and, due to the huge size of this site, realistic sweeps of the area would be impossible. Other Information: NOFA |
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