150th Fighter Wing - Operating Areas

Operating Areas

The New Mexico Air National Guard owns and uses the Cato/Smitty MOA, southwest of Albuquerque, from 500 feet AGL to 51,000 feet with some supersonic flights conducted above 30,000 feet. The unit also utilizes the very large White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) airspace for both air-to-air and air-to-ground training. In addition to Cato and WSMR, the Tacos make use of the Pecos MOA that is east of Albuquerque and North of Roswell. For air-to-ground training, the NMANG has several options for local flying, including Melrose Bombing Range co-located with the Pecos MOA, Red Rio, Oscura, and Centennial ranges in the WSMR airspace, and Airburst bombing range in southern Colorado.

The 150FW schedules three Military Training Routes (MTR) that are wider than average to help dissipate the environmental effects of overflight. They usually get very few noise complaints. VR-176 is an MTR that accesses the White Sands Missile Range airspace and even though it is very wide, has the most noise avoidance areas. Every attempt is made to brief infrequent or transient users of VR-176 about the noise sensitive areas. VR 1195 and 1107 encompass the majority of eastern New Mexico.

With some of the greatest flying weather in the country, three large supersonic training areas, five air-to-ground ranges (three manned, all scoreable), and three very large Military Training Routes, the New Mexico Air National Guard is unquestionably one of the best locations to base our nation's fighter aircraft.