A live mortar round was found by Department of Transportation workers conducting a prescribed fire along Highway 50 in Silver Springs, Nevada (map) on Friday, March 19. A spokesman for the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department said the eight-inch mortar round, similar to rounds used for training in the military, was found a quarter-mile from the Highway 95 Alternate intersection. The highway was closed for 90 minutes while an Explosive Ordinance and Disposal Unit from Fallon Naval Air Station disposed of the device.
The obvious question is… (you’re thinking: why was there a mortar round by the highway in Silver Springs, NV… wrong!) Why is there a Naval Air Station in the Nevada desert, 300 miles from the ocean?
Thanks Barb
“Why is there a Naval Air Station in the Nevada desert, 300 miles from the ocean?”
1. Training flights with military jets kinda ticks off the people who live in populated areas next to the ocean.
2. How many minutes does it take a fighter jet to reach the ocean from Fallon?
3. Check out their website. “… the only facility in existence where an entire carrier air wing can conduct comprehensive training while integrating every element of the wing into realistic battle scenarios. Fallon enjoys more than 300 clear flying days per year …” Fallon’s got four bombing ranges, an electronic warfare range, and a 14,000-foot runway, the longest in the Navy.