The 99th Reconnaissance Squadron is a squadron of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

. It is assigned to the

9th Operations Group The 9th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The 9th OG's mission is to organize, train and equip Lockheed U-2R, RQ-4 Global Hawk and MC-12W Liberty ...

Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...

, stationed at

Beale Air Force Base Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. It is located outside Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City, and about north of Sacramento. The host ...

, California. The squadron is equipped with the

Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "''Dragon Lady''", is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day ...

reconnaissance aircraft. The 99th is one of the oldest units in the United States Air Force, first being organized as the

99th Aero Squadron The 99th Aero Squadron was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I. The squadron was assigned as a Corps Observation Squadron, performing short-range, tactical reconnaissance over the V Corps ...

on 21 August 1917 at

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. In ...

, Texas. The squadron deployed to France and fought on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as a Corps observation squadron. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the unit served both in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

as an anti-submarine unit and in the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) as part of

Twentieth Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Interco ...

as a

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

bomber squadron. During the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

was part of

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

equipped with

Boeing B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...

medium bombers, and later with the

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation. It was operated by the United States Air Force ...

strategic reconnaissance aircraft.

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

profiled the 99th and its innovation efforts in a 2019 case study.

Mission

The 99th Reconnaissance Squadron is responsible for providing critical

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

for use by the highest levels of the U.S. government. Squadron pilots fly the

Lockheed U-2S The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "''Dragon Lady''", is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day ...

aircraft as they continuously train to upgrade from normal aircraft commander status to that of instructor pilot status. The current mission statement of the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron is "To deploy and employ warrior Airmen and execute effective and sustained U-2 operations globally in support of National Objectives."

History

World War I

Organized at

, Texas, on 21 August 1917, the 99th Aero Squadron moved to Garden City, New York, in early November and sailed for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

on the fourteenth. After training in the

Sopwith 1½ Strutter The Sopwith Strutter was a British single- or two-seat multi-role biplane aircraft of the First World War.Lake 2002, p. 40. It was the first British two-seat tractor fighter and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised ...

and the

Salmson 2 The Salmson 2 A.2, (often shortened to Salmson 2) was a French biplane reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Salmson to a 1916 requirement. Along with the Breguet 14, it was the main reconnaissance aircraft of the French army in 1918 ...

, the squadron began flying combat missions in June 1918. Assigned to the

V Corps Observation Group The V Corps Observation Group was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the Air Service, First United States Army. It was demobilized in France on 15 February 1919. There is no mo ...

, United States First Army Air Service, the 99th Aero Squadron (Corps Observation) was assigned to the Toul Sector of the French

on 22 June. It served as a school squadron with V Army Corps Infantry Liaison School. On 19 July, was assigned to the St. Die sector during which time one flight of unit, operating in

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

region of Alsace and Lorraine where it participated in combat with French XXXIII Corps.Browne, . Between 12 and 16 September the squadron flew reconnaissance missions and directed artillery fire in support French 8th Army and the American V Army Corps during the

St. Mihiel offensive The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French Army in World War I, French troops under the command of General (United States), Ge ...

. It also participated in the Meuse-Argonne offensive between 26 September – 11 November 1918 when the Armistice with Germany was reached. The 99th Aero Squadron remained in France until 8 May 1919, then moved to

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territory ...

, New York, where the unit was demobilized; the men who had served in France were returned to civilian life.

Inter-war period

The 99th was retained after World War I as part of the permanent

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

, and after a series of administrative moves in which the squadron was an administrative unit, was assigned to

Bolling Field The origins of the surname Bolling: English: from a nickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling "pollard", or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling "excessive drinking". German (Bölling): from a ...

, District of Columbia, where it was organized as 99th Corps Observation Squadron. It was manned largely with veterans of the AEF who remained in the Air Service and was equipped with war surplus

Dayton-Wright DH-4 The Dayton-Wright Company was formed in 1917, on the declaration of war between the United States and Germany, by a group of Ohio investors that included Charles F. Kettering and Edward A. Deeds of Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company ( DELCO ...

s and some British Royal Aircraft Establishment

Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the fast ...

s that had been shipped from Britain during the war as engineering models to license produce in the United States. At Bolling Field, the pilots of the squadron trained in aerial reconnaissance and also trained with Army units in Northern Virginia on battlefield observation maneuvers and artillery spotting and adjustments, similar to the combat missions the squadron flew on the Western Front during the way. However lack of funding for training and the general feeling in the United States that the peace lessened the need for a strong military led to many of the combat veterans to leave the service. As a result, the proficiency of squadron aircrews deteriorated until the 99th had no one proficient enough to participate in the 1929 bombing and gunnery matches. In 1927, the 99th moved to Kelly Field, Texas, where it was assigned to the

Air Corps Training Center The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

. It was inactivated on 31 July. On 9 November 1928, it was reactivated at Mitchell Field, New York, and was equipped with a series of observation aircraft, and performed operational testing on the planes, and various variants over the next several years. With the creation of the

GHQ Air Force The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

on 1 March 1935, the group became the

9th Bombardment Group 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

and the 99th became a bombardment squadron. With the new mission came new airplanes. The new bombardment squadron received American-made

Martin B-10 The Martin B-10 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to be regularly used by the United States Army Air Corps, entering service in June 1934.Jackson 2003, p. 246. It was also the first mass-produced bomber whose performance was superior to ...

s in 1936 and

Douglas B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American heavy bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company f ...

s in 1938. Squadron members trained hard learning the tactics and maneuvers of their new aircraft and new mission.

World War II

Antisubmarine warfare

As part of the buildup of Air Corps forces in the

prior to the United States entry into World War II, the 99th was transferred to

Rio Hato Field Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

, Panama on 13 November 1940. It was almost immediately redesignated as the 99th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), and equipped with Douglas B-18 Bolos. Its mission was to patrol the Pacific approaches to the Panama Canal. Douglas B-18A assigned to 99th Bomb Squadron

Douglas B-18A assigned to 99th Bomb Squadron

Tragedy struck the 99th early in its Panama assignment. On 27 February 1941, one of its B-18As, piloted by 1st Lieutenant Jack L. Schoch and with six other crew members aboard, crashed into Panama Bay just off Venado Beach, with the loss of all on board. The cause of this mysterious loss were never determined, although rescue efforts continued late into the night. With its remaining four B-18As, the unit continued its intensive training program from its base at Rio Hato until, on 25 August 1941, it received one of the new

Boeing B-17B Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

es assigned to the Command. Just before the

Pearl Harbor Attack The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

, on 3 December, the Squadron was ordered to distant

Zandrey Field Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, and locally referred to simply as JAP, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij and hub for airline carrier Surinam Airways, south of Param ...

, Dutch Guiana (by way of Piarco Airport, Trinidad), under an agreement with the Netherlands government-in-exile, by which the United States occupied the colony to protect bauxite mines. However, to the disappointment of the crews, the squadron had to leave its B-17 behind. It was, however, reinforced with additional B-18As, bringing squadron strength up to six aircraft. At Zandry, the unit shuttled from Zandery to Atkinson Field, British Guiana and, by January 1942, had eight

Curtiss P-40C Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was a WWII fighter aircraft that was developed from the P-36 Hawk, via the P-37. Many variants were built, some in large numbers, under names including the Hawk, Tomahawk and Kittyhawk. Allison-engined Model 75 XP ...

s assigned. The P-40s were, in actuality detached for airfield defense by the Trinidad Base Command, under which the 99th fell at the time. The intensive flying of the first two months of the war soon took its toll, however, and by the end of February 1942, the squadron was forced to report that it had but three B-18A's operational at Zandery and that " .... none of them are airworthy at this time." Apparently the unit was quickly reinforced and by 1 March strength was back up to six aircraft, and seven combat crews, all of whom had more than 12 months experience. Operations From Zandry Field consisted of coastal, convoy and anti-submarine patrols until 31 October 1942. Just prior to which time the 4th Antisubmarine Squadron was attached to the Squadron between 9 and 16 October. At this point

AAF Antisubmarine Command The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was formed in the fall of 1942 to establish a single command to control antisubmarine warfare (ASW) activities of the Army Air Forces (AAF). It was formed from the resources of I Bomber Command, which ...

took over the mission of the 99th and the men and aircraft of the squadron were reassigned. The squadron was detached from

Sixth Air Force Sixth is the ordinal form of the number six. * The Sixth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution * A keg of beer, equal to 5 U.S. gallons or barrel * The fraction Music * Sixth interval (music)s: ** major sixth, a musical interval ** minor sixth ...

and reassigned to

Orlando Army Air Base Orlando Executive Airport is a public airport three miles (6 km) east of downtown Orlando, in Orange County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and serves general aviation. Overview Orlando ...

, Florida, without personnel or equipment, where it became part of the

Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

(AAFSAT) in central and northern Florida. At the AAFSAT, the squadron trained units at various airfields in central and northern Florida, the squadron trained cadres for 44 bomb groups in organization and operations, performed bombing pattern tests, experimented with 3-plane formations to attack moving ships, and performed over a hundred equipment tests.

B-29 Superfortress era

On 3 March 1944, the squadron was again moved without personnel or equipment to

Dalhart Army Air Field Dalhart Army Air Base is a former World War II military airfield complex near the city of Dalhart, Texas. It operated three training sites for the United States Army Air Forces from 1943 until 1945. The majority of the namesake city of Dalhart, ...

, Texas, where the 99th was assigned to the 313th Bombardment Wing, with a mission to organize and train for

operations in the Western Pacific. The 99th helped to develop operational bombardment tactics and tested special devices and equipment during this time. In 1944 the 99th moved to

, Texas, where it began training on the new Superfortress as part of the 313th Bombardment Wing, to organize and train for B-29 operations in the Western Pacific. The 99th helped to develop operational bombardment tactics and tested special devices and equipment during this time. It then moved to

McCook Army Air Field McCook Army Airfield was activated on 1 April 1943. It is located nine miles (14 km) northwest of McCook, a city in Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States and is southwest of North Platte, Nebraska. It was constructed in 1943 . The ...

, Nebraska, in May 1944 where it trained in earnest for its own combat deployment. After six months in the new B-29, the 99th transferred to

North Field (Tinian) North Field is a former World War II airfield on Tinian in the Mariana Islands. Abandoned after the war, today North Field is a tourist attraction. Along with several adjacent beaches on which Allied forces landed during the Battle of Tinian, t ...

, in the

Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

, just east of the Philippines. Arriving at Tinian on 28 December 1944, the 99th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy flew its first bombing raids on 27, 29 and 31 January 1945, against Japanese installations in the northern Marianas. On 25 February the 99th joined an all-out Allied effort against

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

's port and industrial areas. For the remaining months of the war, squadron B-29s repeatedly struck Japanese aircraft factories, chemical plants, naval bases and airdromes. It also participated in night, low-level incendiary bombing attacks on urban areas. During these months the 99th won two

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...

s. The first came for 15–16 April 1945 bombing raids on Kawasaki, Japan's industrial center, which furnished components for Tokyo and Yokohama's heavy industry. The squadron won the second award in mine-laying operations beginning in mid May 1944 in the Shimonoseki Straits, which controlled access to the Inland Seas. This operation crippled Japan's efforts to ship food, raw materials, war supplies, troops, and combat equipment to and from the homeland. The 99th Bomb Squadron continued its attacks on Japan until flying its last mission, a low-level night incendiary attack on Kumagaya on 14 August 1945. With the end of World War II, the squadron moved to Harmon Air Force Base, Guam on 17 March 1946 and inactivated there on 20 October 1948.

Strategic Air Command

The Air Force established the

9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing The 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command and Sixteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The wing is also the host unit at Beale. Its mission is to ...

Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district of the city of Fairfield, in Solano County, Californ ...

(later Travis Air Force Base, California, on 25 April 1949 and activated it on 1 May as a

(SAC) unit. 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron flew Boeing RB-17 Flying Fortresses and, later, Boeing RB-29 Superfortresses, and a few

Convair RB-36 Peacemaker The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber that was built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built. It had the longest wing ...

s. Their mission was to conduct visual, photographic, electronic, and weather reconnaissance operations. Squadron reconnaissance operations were short-lived, however, as on 1 April 1950, the Air Force redesignated the wing as the 9th Bombardment Wing and the 99th as a bombardment squadron. The 99th continued to fly B-29s at Travic until 1 May 1953, when SAC moved the wing and its squadrons to

Mountain Home Air Force Base Mountain Home Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation in the western United States. Located in southwestern Idaho in Elmore County, the base is southwest of Mountain Home, which is southeast of Boise via Interstate ...

, Idaho. By June 1955, the 99th Bombardment Squadron had replaced its B-29s with new

s. In November 1955 the 99th and other wing squadrons demonstrated SAC's ability to strike anywhere in the world making several deployments to England and

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

. Squadron B-47s flew nonstop from the 8,300 miles from Mountain Home to New Zealand. The 99th flew nuclear deterrent missions for ten years. In November 1965, SAC agreed to transfer Mountain Home to

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...

. The 99th's B-47s were retired and by 1 February 1966 all squadron aircraft were gone. In January 1966 the first production

s had landed at

, California. This new aircraft gave SAC a reconnaissance capability that far exceeded any then available in terms of speed, altitude, and coverage. The SR-71 flew at more than three times the speed of sound (Mach 3+) at altitudes above 80,000 feet. It carried the most advanced observation equipment in the world. The 4200th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was activated at Beale AFB on 1 January 1965 as the SR-71's parent unit. In October 1965

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...

suggested the Air Force redesignate the 9th Bombardment Wing as the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing to continue the wing's proud history. The Air Force agreed and on 25 June 1966 the wing became the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and the 99th a strategic reconnaissance squadron. The 9th replaced the 4200th SRW at Beale AFB. At Beale, the 99th trained with the SR-71 to bring the aircraft and crews to mission-ready status. By March 1967 the aircraft was ready. The SR-71 quickly deployed to

Kadena Air Base (IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its highl ...

, Okinawa, and began flying operational missions over

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

. Squadron pilots and reconnaissance systems operator gathered photographic and electronic data for U.S. commanders in South Vietnam from 1967 until 1 April 1971 when the squadron inactivated. In November 1972, the 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron was re-activated at

U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield U-Tapao–Rayong–Pattaya International Airport ( th, ท่าอากาศยานอู่ตะเภา ระยอง–พัทยา; ) also spelled ''Utapao'' and ''U-Taphao'', is a joint civil–military public airport serving ...

, Thailand. The squadron was equipped a combination of U-2s, DC-130s and CH-3s flying classified missions over Southeast Asia until 30 June 1976. When the U-2 joined the SR-71 under the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, the 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron returned to Beale. The U-2, although slower than the SR-71, cost much less to operate and provided more "on-station" time. As intelligence collection increased throughout the 1980s, 99th U-2 pilots manned detachments at sites around the world. With the SR-71's retirement in 1990, the U-2 assumed responsibility for all of America's manned high-altitude reconnaissance. During

Operation Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

, 99th Squadron pilots immediately deployed to Saudi Arabia and flew their first missions of 19 August 1990, just 17 days after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Throughout Desert Shield/Storm, squadron pilots provided vital reconnaissance that kept coalition commanders informed on the positions and movement of Iraqi troops. This information made air attacks more effective and helped reduce casualties in the ground war.

Modern era

Operational missions include extensive reconnaissance efforts during Operations

Urgent Fury The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a Caribbean Peace Force, coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fur ...

, Just Cause,

Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

Desert Storm The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

and operation Iraqi Freedom as well as

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...

efforts covering

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

and

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

damage in California and

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

s. 99th personnel are currently temporarily assigned to four overseas detachments. The 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron deployed to

RAF Fairford Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Gloucestershire, England which is currently a standby airfield and therefore not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in September 2019.

Lineage

* Organized as the 99th Aero Squadron on 21 August 1917 : Redesignated 99th Aero Squadron (Corps Observation) on 11 March 1918 : Redesignated 99th Aero Squadron on 24 May 1919 : Demobilized on 9 June 1919 : Reconstituted and organized as 99th Corps Observation Squadron on 2 July 1919 : Redesignated: 99th Squadron (Observation) on 14 March 1921 : Redesignated: 99th Observation Squadron on 25 January 1923 : Inactivated on 31 July 1927 * Activated on 9 November 1928 : Redesignated: 99th Bombardment Squadron on 1 March 1935 : Redesignated: 99th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 6 December 1939 : Redesignated: 99th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 20 November 1940 : Redesignated: 99th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 28 March 1944 : Inactivated on 20 October 1948 * Redesignated 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic and activated, on 1 May 1949 : Redesignated: 99th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 1 April 1950 : Redesignated: 99th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 2 October 1950 : Redesignated: 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron on 25 June 1966 : Inactivated on 1 April 1971 * Activated on 1 November 1972 : Redesignated: 99th Reconnaissance Squadron on 1 September 1991

Assignments

* Post Headquarters, Kelly Field, 21 August 1917 * Aviation Concentration Center, 3 November 1917 * Second Aviation Instruction Center, 12 December 1917 *

First Army Observation Group First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, 11 March 1918 (attached to 3d Artillery Observation School, c. 1 April-31 May 1918) *

, 7 August 1918 * Air Service Headquarters, American Expeditionary Force, 13 December 1918 * 1st Air Depot, American Expeditionary Force, 19 February 1919 * Advanced Section Services of Supply, 5 March 1919 * Post Headquarters, Mitchell Field, 24 May 1919 * Eastern Department, 25 May-9 June 1919 * Eastern Department, 2 July 1919 * Third Corps Area, 20 August 1920 * District of Washington, c. Jan 1922 * 8th Division Air Service, 24 May 1923 * Air Corps Training Center, June-31 July 1927 * Second Corps Area (attached to 9th Observation Group after 9 November 1928) * 9th Observation Group (later 9th Bombardment Group), 15 February 1929 – 20 October 1948 * 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Group (later 9th Bombardment Group), 1 May 1949 (attached to 9th Bombardment Wing after 10 February 1951) * 9th Bombardment Wing (later 9th Strategic Aerospace Wing, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing), 16 June 1952 – 1 April 1971 *

100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing The 100th Air Refueling Wing (100th ARW), nicknamed ''the Bloody Hundredth'', is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Third Air Force, United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. It is stationed at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk ...

, 1 November 1972 – 30 June 1976 (attached to Air Division, Provisional, 17th until 1 January 1975) * 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 30 June 1976 * 9th Operations Group, 1 September 1991 – presentAssignment information in Dollman, except as noted.

Stations

* Kelly Field, Texas, 21 August 1917 *

Aviation Concentration Center Camp Albert L. Mills (Camp Mills) was a military installation on Long Island, New York. It was located about ten miles from the eastern boundary of New York City on the Hempstead Plains within what is now the village of Garden City. In September 1 ...

, Garden City, New York, 3-14 Nov 1917 *

Tours Aerodrome Tours Aerodrome was a complex of military airfields in the French department of Indre-et-Loire, 6 km (3.2 NM) north-northeast of the city of Tours. They were used during World War I as part of the Second Air Instructional Center (2d AIC), Am ...

, France, 12 December 1917 *

Haussimont Aerodrome : ''see also: Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force'' When the United States entry into World War I, United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917, the Air Service of the United States Army existed only as a bra ...

, France, 11 March 1918 *

Amanty Aerodrome : ''see also: Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force'' When the United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917, the Air Service of the United States Army existed only as a branch of the Signal Corps, and was kno ...

, France, 31 May 1918 *

Luxeuil-les-Bains Aerodrome Luxeuil - Saint-Sauveur (french: Base aérienne 116 Luxeuil Saint-Sauveur or BA 116) is a medium size French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'air et de l'espace) base located near Luxeuil-les-Bains in the Franche-Comté region of France. It has t ...

, France, 1 July 1918 : Flight operated from Corcieux Aerodrome, 19-24 Jul 1918 : Flight operated from Dogneville Aerodrome, 24 Jul-26 Aug 1918 *

Souilly Aerodrome Souilly Aerodrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located Northeast of Souilly, in the Meuse department in north-eastern France. Overview With the Battle of Verdun raging on in the early part of 1917, a cluster of new a ...

, France, 7 September 1918 *

Foucaucourt Aerodrome :''Please note there was another temporary WWI aerodrome called Foucaucourt at Foucaucourt-en-Santerre in the Somme department, used by the Germans, then by the RAF at the very end of the war'' Foucaucourt Aerodrome was a temporary World War I ai ...

, France, 20 September 1918 *

Parois Aerodrome : ''see also: Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force'' When the United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917, the Air Service of the United States Army existed only as a branch of the Signal Corps, and was kno ...

, France, 4 November 1918 *

Belrain Aerodrome Belrain Aerodrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located South of Belrain, in the Meuse department in the Lorraine region in northeastern France. Overview Construction of Belrain Aerodrome was originally started by th ...

, France, 31 November 1918 *

Chaumont-sur-Aire Aerodrome : ''see also: Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force'' When the United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917, the Air Service of the United States Army existed only as a branch of the Signal Corps, and was kno ...

, France, 13 December 1918 *

Chaumont Aerodrome : ''see also: Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force'' When the United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917, the Air Service of the United States Army existed only as a branch of the Signal Corps, and was kno ...

, France, c. 25 December 1918 : Flights operated from Prauthoy Aerodrome, Bourbonne-les-Bains Aerodrome, and Montigney-le-Roi Aerodrome, France, until c. 1 February 1919 *

Colombey-les-Belles Airdrome : ''see also: Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force'' When the United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917, the Air Service of the United States Army existed only as a branch of the Signal Corps, and was kno ...

, France, 19 February 1919 * Sadirac, France, 5 Mar-8 May 1919 * Mitchel Field, New York, 24 May 1919 *

Hazelhurst Field Roosevelt Field is a former airport, located east-southeast of Mineola, Long Island, New York. Originally called the Hempstead Plains Aerodrome, or sometimes Hempstead Plains field or the Garden City Aerodrome, it was a training field (Hazel ...

, New York, 25 May-9 Jun 1919 * Mitchel Field, New York, 2 July 1919 * Camp Alfred Vail, New Jersey, Jul 1919 *

, DC, 17 August 1919 * Kelly Field, Texas (1927) * Mitchel Field, New York (1928–1940) * Río Hato Field, Panama (1940–1941) * Piarco Airport, Trinidad (1941) * Zandery Field, Surinam (1941–1942) *

, Florida (1942–1943) * Montbrook Army Air Field, Florida (1943) *

Kissimmee Army Air Field Kissimmee Army Airfield, was a United States Army Air Forces airfield during World War II, located west of Kissimmee, Florida. History The airport opened in April 1940 as the Kissimmee Municipal Airport. By 1941, it was taken over by the Unite ...

, Florida (1943–1944) *

Brooksville Army Air Field Brooksville is the name of several places in the United States: * Brooksville, Blount County, Alabama * Brooksville, Morgan County, Alabama * Brooksville, Florida **Brooksville Army Airfield, named after the Florida town * Brooksville, Georgia * Bro ...

, Florida (1944) * Orlando Army Air Base, Florida (1944) * Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas (1944) * McCook Army Air Field, Nebraska (1944) * North Field, Tinian (1944–1946) *

Clark Field Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

, Philippines (1946–1947) *

Harmon Air Force Base Harmon Air Force Base is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield, and postwar United States Air Force Base on Guam in the Mariana Islands. Originally named "Depot Field", it was renamed in honor of Lieutenant General Millar ...

, Guam (1947–1948) * Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base (later Travis Air Force Base), California (1949–1953) **Detachment at:

Andersen Air Force Base Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific ...

, Guam (c. 7 August – 17 September 1950) **Detachment at: Andersen Air Force Base, Guam (9 April – 19 June 1951) **Detachment at: Andersen Air Force Base, Guam (17 June – 22 September 1952) * Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho (1953–1966) **Deployed:

, United Kingdom (23 May – 9 July 1955) **Deployed: Andersen Air Force Base, Guam (c. 4 October 1957 – c. 12 January 1958) * Beale Air Force Base, California (1966–1971) * U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, Thailand (1972–1976) * Beale Air Force Base, California (1976–present) **Detachment at: RAF Fairford, United Kingdom (September 2019 – present)

Aircraft

* Sopwith 1½ Strutter, 1918 * Salmson 2A2, 1918-1919 * Dayton-Wright DH-4 (1919–1927) * Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 (1919–1927) *

Curtiss O-1 Falcon The Curtiss Falcon was a family of military biplane aircraft built by the American aircraft manufacturer Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company during the 1920s. Most saw service as part of the United States Army Air Corps as observation aircraf ...

(1928–1936) * Curtiss O-11 Falcon (1928–1936) *

Douglas O-25 The Douglas O-2 was a 1920s American observation aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Development The important family of Douglas observation aircraft sprang from two XO-2 prototypes, the first of which was powered by the 420 hp ...

(1928–1936) *

Loening OA-2 The Loening OL, also known as the Loening Amphibian, was an American two-seat amphibious biplane designed by Grover Loening and built by Loening for the United States Army Air Corps and the United States Navy. Design and development First flown ...

(1928–1936) *

Douglas O-31 The Douglas O-31 was the Douglas Aircraft Company's first monoplane observation straight-wing aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps. Development Anxious to retain its position as chief supplier of observation aircraft to the USAAC, ...

(1928–1936) *

Douglas Y1O-35 The Douglas Y1B-7 was a 1930s American bomber aircraft. It was the first US monoplane given the ''B-'' 'bomber' designation. The monoplane was more practical and less expensive than the biplane, and the United States Army Air Corps chose to expe ...

(1928–1936) *

Douglas O-38 The Douglas O-38 was an observation airplane used by the United States Army Air Corps. Between 1931 and 1934, Douglas built 156 O-38s for the Air Corps, eight of which were O-38Fs. Some were still in service at the time of the Pearl Harbor Attack ...

(1928–1936) * Curtiss O-39 Falcon (1928–1936) * Curtiss Y1O-40B Raven (1928–1936) * Curtiss O-40 Raven (1928–1936) *

Douglas O-43 The Douglas O-43 was a monoplane observation aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps. Development Five Y1O-31A service-test aircraft were ordered in 1931, and delivered to the USAAC in early 1933 designated Y1O-43. They differed from ...

(1928–2936) * Martin B-10 (1936–1938) * Douglas OA-4 Dolphin (1937) * Douglas B-18 Bolo (1938–1942) *

Sikorsky OA-8 The Sikorsky S-43 (sometimes referred to as the Baby Clipper) was a 1930s American twin-engine amphibious flying boat monoplane produced by Sikorsky Aircraft. Design and development The S-43 first flew in 1935, and was a smaller version of the S ...

(1939) *

Boeing P-12 The Boeing P-12/F4B was an American pursuit aircraft that was operated by the United States Army Air Corps , United States Marine Corps, and United States Navy. Design and development Developed as a private venture to replace the Boeing F2B an ...

(1939) * Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (1941–1942) *

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in e ...

(1943) *

Martin B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in t ...

(1943) * Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (1943–1944, 1949–1950) * Boeing B-29 Superfortress (1944–1946, 1946–1947, 1949–1954) * Boeing RB-17 Flying Fortress (1949–1950) * Boeing RB-29 Superfortress (1949–1950) * Boeing B-47 Stratojet (1954–1966) * Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (1966–1971) *

Lockheed DC-130 The Lockheed DC-130 was a variant of the C-130 Hercules, designed for drone control. It could carry four Ryan Firebee drones underneath its wings. Development Origin of the design Since World War I many nations' air forces have investigated ...

(1972–1975) *

Sikorsky CH-3 The Sikorsky S-61R is a twin-engine helicopter used in transport or search and rescue roles. A developed version of the S-61/SH-3 Sea King, the S-61R was also built under license by Agusta as the AS-61R. The S-61R served in the United States ...

(1972–1975) * Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady (1972–present) * Lockheed TR-1 (1981-1991) *

Northrop T-38 Talon The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first, and the most produced, supersonic trainer. The T-38 remains in service in several air forces. The United States Air Force (USAF) operates the most ...

(1976–present)

References

; Notes

Bibliography

* Browne, G. Waldo (1921), The American Army in the World War, a divisional record of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe Overseas Book Company, Manchester, New Hampshire * * * * * {{cite book, last=Ravenstein, first=Charles A., title=Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977, url=https://archive.org/details/airforcecombatwi0000rave, access-date=17 December 2016, year=1984, publisher=Office of Air Force History, location=Washington, DC, isbn=0-912799-12-9, url-access=registration Military units and formations in California 099 Military units and formations in British Guiana in World War II Military units and formations established in 1917

Mission

History

World War I

Inter-war period

World War II

Antisubmarine warfare

B-29 Superfortress era

Strategic Air Command

Modern era

Lineage

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft

See also

References

Bibliography