What to know about Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California's Mojave Desert

Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert has long been a central hub for U.S. flight research, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles. The site yielded notable milestones, including Bob Stanley’s 1942 first jet-powered U.S. aircraft and Chuck Yeager’s 1947 speed barrier break in the Bell X-1. In the 1960s it recorded extreme speed and altitude records, and in 1981 the Space Shuttle Columbia landed on the same dry lake bed. Today the base remains a national asset for aircraft testing conducted by the Air Force, Navy and Army. In 2025 a B-52 with a modernized AESA radar was sent for tests; it’s unclear if it involved Monday’s crash.