Until 1983, the Tonopah Test Range was a fairly small facility that was used to test rockets and nuclear weapons.

When the F-117 Stealth Fighter was set to become operational, the Air Force expanded the facility into a major operating location, building over 70 hangars at Tonopah to accomodate the growing squadrons of stealth fighters. The F-117 trained in secrecy between the years of 1983 and 1988, flying only at night and conducting exercises that included the faux-targeting of people's houses in surrounding states.

In December of 1989, six stealth fighters emerged flew from Tonopah to Panama in order to drop some of the first bombs in the U.S. invasion of that country.

Although the stealth fighters moved to Holloman AFB, NM in 1992, the base still remains active. It is unclear what kinds of activities are currently undertaken at Tonopah.

The Tonopah Test Range is jointly operated by Sandia National Laboratories, the Air Force, and the Department of Energy.