![Beale-afb-main-gate-sign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Beale-afb-main-gate-sign.jpg)
Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a
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 ...
base located approximately east of
Marysville, California
Marysville is a city and the county seat of Yuba County, California, located in the Gold Country region of Northern California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 12,072, reflecting a decrease of 196 from the 12,268 counted ...
. It is located outside
Linda
Linda may refer to:
As a name
* Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named)
* Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer
* Anita Linda (born Alice Lake i ...
, about east of the towns of
Marysville and
Yuba City
Yuba City (Maidu: ''Yubu'') is a city in Northern California and the county seat of Sutter County, California, United States. The population was 70,117 at the 2020 census. Yuba City is the principal city of the Yuba City Metropolitan Statistica ...
, and about north of
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
.
The host unit at Beale is the
9th 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 ...
(9 RW), assigned to the
Sixteenth Air Force
The Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) (16 AF) is a United States Air Force (USAF) organization responsible for information warfare, which encompasses intelligence gathering and analysis, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber warfare and ele ...
,
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 ...
. The Wing collects intelligence essential for presidential and Congressional decisions critical to the national defense. The Wing flies the USAF fleet of
Lockheed U-2
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 ...
"Dragon Ladies" and
Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft of the 1990s–2020s. It was initially designed by Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development. The ...
unmanned aircraft, and operates associated
ground support equipment
File:Qatar Airways Airbus A380-800 at Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 before Flying to Doha, 6 Jan 2015.jpg, Qatar Airways Airbus A380-800 on apron outside Heathrow Terminal 4 with a wide range of ground handling equipment around such as aircraft con ...
. It also maintains a high state of readiness in its combat support and combat service support forces, ready to deploy, if ordered, to carry out military operations.
The
940th Air Refueling Wing
The 940th Air Refueling Wing is part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command, is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command, and is home stationed ...
(940 ARW) is a tenant
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
wing at Beale AFB flying the
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, operationally gained by
Air Mobility Command (AMC).
Beale AFB was established in 1942 as Camp Beale and is named for
Edward Fitzgerald Beale
Edward Fitzgerald "Ned" Beale (February 4, 1822 – April 22, 1893) was a national figure in the 19th-century United States. He was a naval officer, military general, explorer, frontiersman, Indian affairs superintendent, California rancher, ...
(1822–1893), a former Lieutenant in the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
and a Brigadier General in the
California Militia who was an explorer and frontiersman in California. Camp Beale became a
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 ...
installation on 1 April 1951 and was renamed Beale Air Force Base.
Role and operations
The
9th 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 ...
is composed of four groups at Beale AFB and various overseas operating locations.
*
9th Operations Group
: Consists of multiple squadrons and detachments. The 9th Operations Group trains, organizes and equips U-2 Dragon Lady and RQ-4 Global Hawk for worldwide employment to include peacetime intelligence gathering, contingency operations, conventional warfighting and Emergency War Order support. Squadrons located at Beale include: the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, 99th Reconnaissance Squadron, 9th Operations Support Squadron, and the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron.
* 9th Maintenance Group
: Consists of the 9th Maintenance Operations Squadron, the 9th Maintenance Squadron, the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 9th Munitions Squadron. The group provides flight line maintenance, shop maintenance and quality assurance in support of U-2 high altitude reconnaissance aircraft, T-38 companion trainers and Global Hawk Unmanned Air Vehicles. The group is responsible for a $5.8 million annual budget. The group is also the Air Force's single focal point for providing mass ammunition production training.
* 9th Mission Support Group
: Provides trained combat support forces to theater commanders- in-chief worldwide. Additionally, the group provides Beale AFB with facilities and infrastructure, communications, security, services, personnel support, contracting and logistical support functions enabling home station sustainment, deployment and global expeditionary operations. Currently, eight squadrons compose the group: 9th Civil Engineer Squadron, 9th Communications Squadron, 9th Contracting Squadron, 9th Mission Support Squadron, 9th Security Forces Squadron, 9th Force Support Squadron, 9th Support Division and 9th Logistics Readiness Squadron.
* 9th Medical Group
: Consists of three squadrons: 9th Medical Operations, 9th Medical Support and 9th Physiological Support Squadrons. They provide for the medical needs of Beale AFB beneficiaries and support Beale's high-altitude flyers in the U-2 aircraft. The Beale Clinic is located at 15301 Warren Shingle Road on a gentle hillside near base housing. The clinic's primary mission is to support the worldwide operational readiness and high altitude mission of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. They provide comprehensive health care, physiological and environmental support and promote health education and wellness to the Beale AFB community. The Beale Clinic is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is dedicated to providing support to active duty members of base tenant organizations and their family members. This outpatient clinic consists of both the 9th Medical Operations and 9th Medical Support Squadrons that provide primary care services with aerospace medicine and limited ancillary (e.g., pharmacy, laboratory, radiology) capabilities. No inpatient or emergency services are available and minimal specialty services exist. However, ambulance services are available by calling
911
911 or 9/11 may refer to:
Dates
* AD 911
* 911 BC
* September 11
** 9/11, the September 11 attacks of 2001
** 11 de Septiembre, Chilean coup d'état in 1973 that outed the democratically elected Salvador Allende
* November 9
Numbers
* 91 ...
or an
on-call
On-call scheduling, sometimes referred to as on-call shifts, are processes used in business where employee work schedules are intentionally unpredictable. Employees who work on-call are expected to be available at any time during their shift, usu ...
doctor or
physician assistant on base. All other care is arranged through referrals to neighboring military hospitals or the
TRICARE
Tricare (styled TRICARE) is a health care program of the United States Department of Defense Military Health System. Tricare provides civilian health benefits for U.S Armed Forces military personnel, military retirees, and their dependents, in ...
network. The clinic's services include family practice/primary care, women's health, pediatrics, flight medicine, dental, life skills support, family advocacy, laboratory, Pharmacy, optometry, physical therapy, public health, radiology, health and wellness, and immunizations.
The
940th Air Refueling Wing
The 940th Air Refueling Wing is part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command, is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command, and is home stationed ...
is composed of three groups, a headquarters element, and a non-group assigned squadron, the 940th Aerospace Medicine Squadron. The 713th Combat Operations Squadron was previously assigned to the 940th Wing and operationally gained by
Pacific Air Forces
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (f ...
. In April 2016, the 713th COS was realigned from the 940th Wing to the newly established 610th Air Operations Group along with two sister squadrons, the 710th COS and 701st COS, when the 940th Wing regained its KC-135 refueling mission.
* 940th Operations Group
: Consists of the
314th Air Refueling Squadron and the 940th Operations Support Flight, providing trained, ready, deployable Air Force Reserve KC-135R flight crews and operations support personnel, prepared to deploy worldwide in response to combatant commander requirements and Air Mobility Command tasking as part of the Total Force.
* 940th Maintenance Group
: Consists of the 940th Maintenance Squadron and the 940th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The group provides flight line maintenance, shop maintenance and quality assurance in support of eight KC-135R Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft.
* 940th Mission Support Group
: The 940th Mission Support Group supports the 940th Air Refueling Wing, Beale Air Force Base, California. The group directs and integrates the activities of five subordinate units, each with their own unique mission, to provide infrastructure and support functions in eleven distinct functional areas, both in garrison and while deployed, to enable the 940 ARW to provide aerial refueling and air mobility missions. Currently, the group consists of the 940th Force Support Squadron, 940th Security Forces Squadron, 940th Civil Engineer Squadron, 940th Logistics Readiness Squadron, and the 940th Communications Flight.
*
548th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group
: Maintains, schedules and operates the Distributed Ground Station-2 and Deployable Shelterized System-Film components of the Air Force Distributed Common Ground System. The group comprises the 9th Intelligence Squadron, 13th Intelligence Squadron, 48th Intelligence Squadron, 548th Operations Support Squadron, and 234th Intelligence Squadron (California Air National Guard), all at Beale AFB, in addition to the 152nd Intelligence Squadron (Nevada Air National Guard) in Reno, Nevada. Together, these squadrons process, exploit and disseminate broad-area, long-roll U-2 Ulm imagery and near-real-time U-2, Global Hawk and Predator imagery and signals data to provide actionable, fused all-source intelligence to theater, joint/combined force and component commanders. Although the group provides this support in garrison, it is also capable of deploying its personnel and assets forward as needed by theater commanders. The 548th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group's weapon system spans more than a decade of service to combatant command and service component reconnaissance goals and objectives, including those of Operations ALLIED FORCE, JOINT ENDEAVOR, SOUTHERN WATCH, NORTHERN WATCH, ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. The 548th ISRG's Plans and Programs office accomplishes system integration and block upgrades to the various DCGS components. The group's Standardization and Evaluation office certifies and evaluates the various mission crew positions, and the group's personnel also maintain Beale AFB's Special Security Forces.
* 234th Intelligence Squadron
: A
California Air National Guard
The California Air National Guard (CA ANG) is one of three components of the California National Guard, a reserve of the United States Air Force, and part of the National Guard of the United States.
As militia units, the units in the California ...
squadron whose federal mission is to integrate with and support the 548th Intelligence Group in providing full spectrum imagery exploitation and multi-disciplinary products to the Total Force along with in-garrison communications, computer maintenance and integration and planning support functions for the $1 billion Distributed Ground Station-Two, exploitation arm for U-2, Global Hawk and Predator unmanned aerial vehicles. In addition, it has a state mission which is the protection of life and property, preservation of peace, order, public safety and disaster relief in times of earthquakes, floods and forest fires; search and rescue; protection of vital public services and support to civil defense by order of the Governor of California.
* 7th Space Warning Squadron
: Guards the U.S. West Coast against sea-launched ballistic missiles. The unit is a geographically separated unit of
Space Delta 4
, colors =
, march =
, mascot =
, battles =
, decorations =
, notable_commanders =
, anniversaries ...
based at
Buckley Space Force Base
Buckley Space Force Base is a United States Space Force base in Aurora, Colorado named after United States Army Air Service First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley. The base is run by Space Base Delta 2, with major units including the U.S. Space Fo ...
, Colorado. The squadron detects sea-launched or intercontinental ballistic missiles, and determines the potential number and probable destination. Reports detection information to the
North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...
, Peterson AFB, Colorado;
Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station
Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station (CMSFS) is located in Cheyenne Mountain on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado, next to Colorado Springs, The Cheyenne Mountain Complex, an underground facilit ...
, Colorado; U.S. Strategic Command,
Offutt AFB
Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Air ...
, Nebraska; and the National Command Authorities. Provides defense of the United States against a threat of a limited strategic ballistic missile attack through the use of an Upgraded Early Warning Radar. Detects the location of earth-orbiting satellites. Maintains and operates the Phased Array Warning System radar.
Based units
Flying and notable non-flying units based at Beale Air Force Base.
Units marked GSU are
Geographically Separate Unit
In the United States military a Geographically Separate Unit (GSU) is a base that is physically separate from, yet not autonomous of its "parent" base. GSUs are "owned" by their parent organization and are typically quite small.
Assignment to a ...
s, which although based at Beale, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.
United States Air Force
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 ...
(ACC)
*
Sixteenth Air Force
The Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) (16 AF) is a United States Air Force (USAF) organization responsible for information warfare, which encompasses intelligence gathering and analysis, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber warfare and ele ...
**
9th 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 ...
(host wing)
*** Headquarters 9th Reconnaissance Wing
*** 9th Operations Group
****
1st Reconnaissance Squadron –
U-2S Dragon Lady,
RQ-4B Global Hawk and
T-38A Talon
The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet Supersonic aircraft, 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 (USA ...
****
74th Reconnaissance Squadron
The 74th Reconnaissance Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, part of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California. The squadron was first active during World War II as the 74th Aero Squadron. In 1933 it was ...
****
99th Reconnaissance Squadron –
U-2S Dragon Lady
****
427th Reconnaissance Squadron –
RQ-180
**** 9th Operational Support Squadron
*** 9th Maintenance Group
**** 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
**** 9th Maintenance Squadron
**** 9th Munitions Squadron
*** 9th Medical Group
**** 9th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
**** 2nd Dental Squadron
**** 9th Medical Operations Squadron
**** 9th Medical Support Squadron
**** 9th Physiological Support Squadron
*** 9th Mission Support Group
**** 9th Civil Engineer Squadron
**** 9th Communications Squadron
**** 9th Comptroller Squadron
**** 9th Contracting Squadron
**** 9th Force Support Squadron
**** 9th Logistics Readiness Squadron
**** 9th Security Forces Squadron
**
319th Reconnaissance Wing
***
319th Operations Group
**** Detachment 2/Operating Location A (GSU)
****
12th Reconnaissance Squadron –
RQ-4B Global Hawk (GSU)
****
319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
*****Detachment 1 (GSU)
**
480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing
***
548th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group
****
9th Intelligence Squadron
The United States Air Force's 9th Intelligence Squadron is an intelligence unit located at Beale Air Force Base, California. The 9th is associated with Lockheed U-2 and Distributed Common Ground System operations. The squadron was first active du ...
****
13th Intelligence Squadron
The 13th Intelligence Squadron (13 IS) is part of the 548th Intelligence Group at Beale Air Force Base. It is one of the exploitation units for the Lockheed U-2 (operated out of Beale AFB), MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper (operated out of Nellis, ...
****
48th Intelligence Squadron
**** 548th Operations Support Squadron
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
(AFRC)
*
Fourth Air Force
The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California.
4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Res ...
**
940th Air Refueling Wing
The 940th Air Refueling Wing is part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command, is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command, and is home stationed ...
*** Headquarters 940th Air Refueling Wing
*** 940th Operations Group
****
314th Air Refueling Squadron –
KC-135R Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transport ...
**** 940th Operations Support Squadron
*** 940th Maintenance Group
**** 940th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
**** 940th Maintenance Squadron
*** 940th Mission Support Group
**** 940th Civil Engineer Squadron
**** 940th Communications Flight
**** 940th Force Support Squadron
**** 940th Logistics Readiness Squadron
**** 940th Security Forces Squadron
**** 940th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
*
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...
** 610th Air Operations Group
*** 713th Combat Operations Squadron (GSU)
**
655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing
The United States Air Force's 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing (655 ISRW) is an intelligence unit stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Units
The 655th ISR Wing is currently made up of:
* 655th Intelligence ...
***
755th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group
The United States Air Force's 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing (655 ISRW) is an intelligence unit stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Units
The 655th ISR Wing is currently made up of:
* 655th Intelligence ...
**** 38th Intelligence Squadron (GSU) (operates as part of
548th ISR Group)
**** 50th Intelligence Squadron (GSU) (operates as part of 548th ISR Group)
**
926th Wing
The 926th Wing is an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
The unit is a composite organization consisting of two Ope ...
*** 726th Operations Group
****
13th Reconnaissance Squadron –
RQ-4B Global Hawk (GSU)
Air National Guard (ANG)
*
California Air National Guard
The California Air National Guard (CA ANG) is one of three components of the California National Guard, a reserve of the United States Air Force, and part of the National Guard of the United States.
As militia units, the units in the California ...
**
195th Wing
The 195th Wing is a unit of the California Air National Guard, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. If mobilized, the wing would be assigned to Air Force Space Command. It comprises seven subordinate units at five locations throughout ...
*** Headquarters 195th Wing
*** 195th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group
****
234th Intelligence Squadron
United States Space Force
Space Operations Command
Space Operations Command (SpOC) is the United States Space Force's space operations, cyber operations, and intelligence field command. It is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado and serves as the U.S. Space Force's service ...
(SpOC)
*
Space Delta 4
, colors =
, march =
, mascot =
, battles =
, decorations =
, notable_commanders =
, anniversaries ...
**
7th Space Warning Squadron
The 7th Space Warning Squadron (SWS) is the premier Space Domain Awareness sensor on the West Coast. The unit was originally established to guard the U.S. West Coast against sea-launched ballistic missiles from the eastern outskirts of Beale Air ...
(GSU)
History
![BealeAirForceBasePOWHistory](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/BealeAirForceBasePOWHistory.JPG)
The base is named for
Edward Fitzgerald Beale
Edward Fitzgerald "Ned" Beale (February 4, 1822 – April 22, 1893) was a national figure in the 19th-century United States. He was a naval officer, military general, explorer, frontiersman, Indian affairs superintendent, California rancher, ...
(1822–1893), an American Navy Lieutenant and a Brigadier General in the California Militia who was an explorer and frontiersman in California. Beale Air Force Base covers nearly of rolling hills in northern California. It is a large base in terms of land and has five gates providing access on all sides of the base. Visitors enter the base through a main gate that local merchants, individuals and the Beale Military Liaison Committee donated $100,000 to construct. The base is home for approximately 4,000 military personnel.
The base's natural resources are as rich as its significant culture and history. Native Americans lived on this land; the mortar bowls they carved into the bedrock lie embedded in a shallow stream. German
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
(POWs) were held captive on the base during World War II; a block of barred prison cells still stands at the base, and the drawings of the POWs remain vivid on the walls of the prison cells. To preserve these and other historic areas, the base proudly maintains 38 Native American sites, 45 homestead sites, and 41 World War II sites.
United States Army
In 1940, the "Camp Beale" area consisted of grassland and rolling hills and the 19th century mining town of
Spenceville.
Marysville city officials encouraged the
Department of War to establish a military facility in the area. The U.S. government purchased in 1942 for a training post for the
13th Armored Division, the only unit of its kind to be entirely trained in California. Camp Beale also held training facilities for the
81st and
96th Infantry Division, and a 1,000-bed hospital. Dredge tailings from the area's abandoned gold mines were used to build streets at the Camp.
As a complete training environment, Camp Beale had tank maneuvers, mortar and rifle ranges, a bombardier-navigator training, and chemical warfare classes. At its peak 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 ...
, Camp Beale had 60,000 personnel.
Camp Beale also housed a German
POW camp
A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war.
There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...
, and served as the main camp for a series of satellite POW camps around northern California. Branch camps were established at
Arbuckle, in Colusa County (200 Germans);
Chico, in Butte County (475 Germans);
Davis
Davis may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Mount Davis (Antarctica)
* Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago)
* Davis Valley, Queen Elizabeth Land
Canada
* Davis, Saskatchewan, an unincorporated community
* Davis Strait, between Nunavut and Gre ...
, in Yolo County (250 Germans);
Napa, in Napa County (250 Germans); and
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
, in Sonoma County (250 Germans). All of the camps provided agriculture manpower to local farms and ranchers. German POWs at Beale also provided manpower for base support operations.
Air Training Command
In 1948, Camp Beale became Beale AFB, its mission being to train bombardier navigators in radar techniques. Beale AFB established six bombing ranges of each and the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
also used Beale for training. From 1951 on, Beale trained Aviation Engineers and ran an Air Base Defense School. These additional activities led to rehabilitation of existing base facilities and construction of rifle, mortar, demolition, and machine gun ranges.
In 1952 Beale AFB was placed in inactive status for conversion to an operational airbase. Headquarters, Aviation Engineer Force administered the base for the next six years while a runway was laid down, and appropriate support facilities (hangars, maintenance shops, warehouses, barracks, and other infrastructure) was laid out and constructed. The 2275th Air Base Squadron was the coordinating organization during the construction period. Also in 1952, Beale stopped being used as a bombing range and the U.S. Government declared portions of Camp Beale/Beale AFB as excess, eventually transferring out .
Eventually excess land from the former Army Camp was sold off to the public. On 21 December 1959, on the eastern side of the Base were sold at auction. An additional was transferred to the State of California between 1962 and 1964, and now comprise the
Spenceville Wildlife and Recreation Area. In 1964–1965, another were sold at auction. In deeds for the former Camp Beale property, the Federal Government recommended that the property have surface use only.
Air Defense Command
![San Francisco Air Defense Sector](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/San_Francisco_Air_Defense_Sector.jpg)
In 1959
Air Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was est ...
(ADC) established a
Semi Automatic Ground Environment
The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of large computers and associated networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image of the airspace over a wide area. SA ...
(SAGE) Data Center (DC-18) was established at Beale AFB. The SAGE system was a network linking Air Force (and later FAA) General Surveillance Radar stations into a centralized center for Air Defense, intended to provide early warning and response for a Soviet nuclear attack. The Ground Air Transmitting Receiving (GATR) Site (R-18) for communications was located at , approximately 1.1 miles south-southwest from the SAGE building. Normally the GATR site was connected by a pair of buried telephone cables, with a backup connection of dual telephone cables overhead.
DC-18 was initially under the
San Francisco Air Defense Sector
The San Francisco Air Defense Sector (SFADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 28th Air Division, being stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California.
The sector was established in February 19 ...
(SFADS), established on 15 February 1959. DC-18 and the SFADS was inactivated on 1 August 1963 as part of an ADC consolidation and reorganization, with its assigned units assigned to other ADC Sectors. The GATR was reassigned to
Mill Valley AFS
Ground Equipment Facility J-33 is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar station of the Joint Surveillance System's Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) with an Air Route Surveillance Radar ( ARSR-4). The facility was previously a USAF ...
(Z-38) as an annex designated OL-A,
666th Radar Squadron. Today the large SAGE building is now building 2145, housing the 9th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron; the GATR was inactivated in 1980 and the building is now part of a Skeet-shooting range.
Strategic Air Command
4126th Strategic Wing
![4126th Strategic Wing - SAC - Emblem](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/4126th_Strategic_Wing_-_SAC_-_Emblem.png)
On 8 February 1959,
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 ...
established Beale as an operational USAF base. It activated the 4126th Strategic Wing to disperse its
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, making it more difficult for the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
to destroy the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.
In May 1959, Colonel (later General) Paul K. Carlton assumed command of the recently activated 4126th Strategic Wing. The first two
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpo ...
aircraft arrived two months later on 7 July 1959 as part of the 903d Air Refueling Squadron. On 18 January 1960, the
31st Bombardment Squadron with its B-52G Stratofortresses arrived at Beale to become part of the wing. The
14th Air Division (14 AD) moved to Beale from
Travis 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, California ...
one week later.
One third of the aircraft were maintained on 15-minute alert, fully fueled, armed, and ready for combat. SAC Strategic Wings were considered a provisional unit by HQ, USAF and could not carry a permanent history or lineage.
HGM-25A Titan I
![851st Strategic Missile Squadron](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/851st_Strategic_Missile_Squadron.PNG)
On 30 January 1959, the Air Force announced plans to conduct surveys in the vicinity of Beale to determine the feasibility for missile bases. On 17 September, Col. Paul Calton, Commander of Beale's 4126th Strategic Wing, announced that the base would be the fifth
HGM-25A Titan I
The Martin Marietta SM-68A/HGM-25A Titan I was the United States' first multistage intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), in use from 1959 until 1962. Though the SM-68A was operational for only three years, it spawned numerous follow-on mo ...
missile installation. Three complexes with three weapons each (3 x 3) were located 25 miles southwest, 37 miles west, and 71 miles northwest of Beale near the respective communities of Lincoln, Live Oak, and Chico.
The Air Force activated the
851st Strategic Missile Squadron
The 851st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was equipped with the HGM-25A Titan I intercontinen ...
(Titan I) on 1 April 1961. The first missile was moved to the 4A complex at Lincoln on 28 February 1962, where workers had difficulty placing the missile in the silo. Follow-on missile installations went smoothly and the last missile was lowered into Chico complex 4C on 20 April 1962.
On 24 May 1962, during a contractor checkout, a blast rocked launcher 1 at complex 4C at Chico, destroying a Titan I and causing heavy damage to the silo. After the investigation, the Air Force concluded that the two separate explosions occurred because of a blocked vent and blocked valve. On 6 June, a flash fire at another silo killed a worker.
In September 1962, the 851st SMS became the last Titan I Squadron to achieve alert status. After damages were repaired, the Chico complex became operational on 9 March 1963. Two months after the squadron became fully operational, SAC subjected the unit to an Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI). The 851st SMS became the first Titan I unit to pass.
On 16 May 1964, Defense Secretary McNamara directed the accelerated phaseout of the Atlas and Titan I ICBMs. On 4 January 1965, the first Beale Titan I was taken off alert status. Within three months, the 851st Strategic Missile Squadron was inactivated.
456th Bombardment Wing
![17th Bombardment Wing - SAC - Emblem](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/17th_Bombardment_Wing_-_SAC_-_Emblem.png)
In 1962, in order to retain the lineage of its MAJCOM 4-digit combat units and to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious
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 ...
records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its MAJCOM strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate AFCON units, most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history.
The 4126th SW was redesignated as the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing (456th SAW) on 1 February 1963 in a name-only redesignation and was assigned to SAC's
Fifteenth Air Force,
14th Strategic Aerospace Division
The 14th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989.
History
World War II
The organization was in ...
. The 456th SAW was placed on operational status upon activation with the 31st BS being redesignated as the
744th Bombardment Squadron
The 744th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 456th Bombardment Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California, and was inactivated on 30 September 1975, when its assets were transferred to an ...
, the wing's former World War II bomb squadron. The 903d ARS and 851st SMS designations were unchanged, however component support units were redesignated to the 456th numerical designation of the newly established wing. As under the Tri-Deputate organization, all operational components were directly assigned to the wing, no operational group element was activated.
The 456th SAW continued the mission of strategic bombardment and missile readiness training. The wing's bombardment and air refueling squadrons frequently deployed aircraft and crews to meet USAF requirements, often having nearly all of the resources of the wing scattered around the world at various operating locations. In 1963 the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing was featured as the fictional 904th Strategic Aerospace Wing in the Hollywood film production ''
A Gathering of Eagles'', with the Air Force, SAC and the wing providing maximum support to the Universal Studios film crews.
In July 1965 the wing was redesignated the 456th Bombardment Wing, Heavy with the inactivation of the Titan I Missile squadron but continued to fly the B-52 and KC-135. During the 1960s and 1970s, SAC used various Air Force bases for dispersal. As part of this effort, the 456th Bombardment Wing at Beale deployed its Detachment 1 to
Hill AFB
Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent t ...
, Utah. A$2 million alert facility large enough to accommodate seven
B-52
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
and
KC-135
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpo ...
aircraft was constructed and the first of four
B-52
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
s assigned there arrived on 28 December 1973. Det 1 was activated 1 January 1973 and discontinued on 1 July 1975.
17th Bombardment Wing
The 456th BW was inactivated on 30 September 1975, and its equipment and personnel were redesignated as the
17th Bombardment Wing, Heavy when the senior unit was inactivated at
Wright-Patterson AFB,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. This was part of a consolidation of resources after the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
due to budget cuts, and the desire by HQ SAC to keep the senior unit on active duty.
100th Air Refueling Wing
At Beale, the 17th continued global strategic bombardment alert to 30 June 1976 when it was inactivated as part of the phaseout of the B-52 at Beale. The wing's KC-135 tanker aircraft were subsequently reassigned to the
100th Air Refueling Wing, which SAC moved to Beale from Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, as part of SAC's phaseout from Davis-Monthan. The mission of the 100th ARW was primarily to refuel SR-71s of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. Concurrent with this action the 100th's U-2 aircraft at Davis-Monthan would merge with the 9 SRW and its SR-71 operations at Beale. The first U-2 arrived from Davis-Monthan on 12 July 1976, and until 26 January 1990, when budget restrictions forced the retirement of the SR-71, Beale was the home of two of the world's most unusual aircraft.
On 1 October 1971, the 1883d Communications Squadron, reassigned from
Kincheloe Air Force Base
Kincheloe Air Force Base was a United States Air Force (USAF) base during the Cold War. Built in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 1943 during World War II, the base was in service
The base was known by various names, including Kinross Munic ...
in
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, arrived at Beale AFB, remaining under the command of the Strategic Communications Area.
The 100 ARW remained at Beale until 15 March 1983 when its assets were absorbed by the senior
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 t ...
, which became a composite wing under the one-base, one-wing concept.
Missile Warning
![PAVE PAWS&BMEWS](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/PAVE_PAWS%26BMEWS.svg)
On 1 July 1979, the 7th Missile Warning Squadron brought a
PAVE
PAVE is a United States Air Force program identifier relating to electronic systems. Prior to 1979, Pave was said to be a code word for the Air Force unit responsible for the project. ''Pave'' was used as an inconsequential prefix identifier for ...
Phased Array Warning System (
PAVE PAWS) radar site to Beale, a Protection Level 1, 10-story structure that can detect possible attack by land-based and sea-launched ballistic missiles. A large three-sided structure, the PAVE PAWS hosted two large AN/FPS-115
phased-array
In antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled array of antennas which creates a beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving th ...
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
antenna
Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to:
Science and engineering
* Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves
* Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...
s.
Located in a
cantonment
A cantonment (, , or ) is a military quarters. In Bangladesh, India and other parts of South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British India, colonial-era). In military of the United States, United Stat ...
area on the outskirts of Beale, the renamed
7th Space Warning Squadron
The 7th Space Warning Squadron (SWS) is the premier Space Domain Awareness sensor on the West Coast. The unit was originally established to guard the U.S. West Coast against sea-launched ballistic missiles from the eastern outskirts of Beale Air ...
is now an
Air Force Space Command
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 ...
(AFSPC) unit and it primarily uses its PAVE PAWS radar to detect submarine-launched ballistic missiles and disintegrating spacecraft and space debris. Mock missile attacks, site emergencies and simulated equipment failures also keep the Canadian and American crew busy. The 9th Security Forces Squadron provide security for the
PAVE PAWS restricted area.
[
]
9th Reconnaissance Wing
![Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird.jpg)
In the early 1970s SAC began to consolidate its B-52 assets as the age of the manned bomber was reduced with the advent of Intercontinental Strategic Ballistic Missiles. In addition, by 1966 the cost of the Vietnam War was forcing a review of the Defense Budget and by consolidating the strategic bomber force, also retiring older Stratofortresses, a significant cost reduction could be achieved.
On 15 October 1964, the Department of Defense announced that Beale would be the home of the new, supersonic reconnaissance aircraft, the
SR-71 Blackbird. The provisional 4200th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (4200 SRW) activated on 1 January 1965 in preparation for the realignment, and the new wing received its first aircraft, a
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 ...
, on 8 July 1965. The first SR-71 did not arrive until 7 January 1966. The SR-71 was developed from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s for the Central Intelligence Agency by the Lockheed Skunk Works as a
black project A black project is a highly classified, top-secret military or defense project that is not publicly acknowledged by government, military personnel, or contractors. Examples of United States military aircraft developed as black projects include the ...
. During reconnaissance missions the SR-71 operated at high speeds and altitudes to allow it to outrace threats; if a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, standard evasive action was simply to accelerate.
With the arrival of the SR-71, the strategic bombardment mission at Beale was phased down, being replaced by the Strategic Reconnaissance mission. The 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was moved from Mountain Home AFB, Idaho and reassigned to Beale on 25 June 1966. The 9th RW has been the host unit at Beale to the current day.
With the activation of the 9th SRW at Beale, the wing absorbed the assets of the provisional 4200th SW. This allowed it to stay with the
14th Strategic Aerospace Division
The 14th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989.
History
World War II
The organization was in ...
. The wing performed strategic reconnaissance in Southeast Asia beginning in 1968, frequently deploying the SR-71 to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa where it operated over areas of the Pacific and Asia. The wing provided photographic intelligence for the Son Tay prison camp raid named Operation Ivory Coast, in North Vietnam, November 1970. After the Vietnam War, the SR-71 established a level-flight-at-altitude record at 85,131 feet and a straight-course speed record of 2,194 mph.
On 1 July 1976, the U-2 joined the SR-71 in the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing giving the unit two of the most unusual aircraft in the world. The "Dragon Lady" had gained national and international recognition with flights over the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, and Southeast Asia. The U-2 was the perfect complement to the SR-71. The Blackbird was designed to capture time-sensitive intelligence especially in denied airspace. Whereas the SR-71 was designed for rapid infiltration and exfiltration, the Dragon Lady was designed to loiter in its area of responsibility and continuously collect while in the air.
The SR-71 mission was closed on 1 January 1990. Although it made a brief revival in the mid-1990s, today the aircraft remains retired.
In 1990–91, the wing deployed the largest contingent of U-2s ever to Saudi Arabia to support Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM. The Dragon Lady tracked Iraqi troop and armor buildups, assessed bomb damage, and monitored a massive oil spill in the Persian Gulf. U-2 pilots alerted ground stations of Scud missile launches and guided fighter aircraft to destroy Scud launchers. After the Gulf War, the U-2 stayed in Saudi Arabia to monitor Iraqi compliance with the peace agreement. In 1998, the Dragon Lady set a weight-to-altitude record and in 1999 won the
Collier Trophy
The Robert J. Collier Trophy is an annual aviation award administered by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association (NAA), presented to those who have made "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to im ...
, aviation's most coveted award.
In November 2019, command of the wing moved from the
Twenty-Fifth Air Force
Twenty-Fifth Air Force (25 AF), also known as Air Force Intelligence, was a numbered air force (NAF) within the United States Air Force (USAF), and served as the Air Force's premier military intelligence organization. 25 AF was established on ...
to the newly re-activated
Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber).
From the 1990s
On 1 September 1991, the
14th Air Division inactivated and the
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...
, with a lineage stretching back to the Second World War, activated at Beale. Following the disestablishment 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 ...
, 2 AF inactivated on 1 July 1993 and reactivated at
Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi as part of the
Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine List of major commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was establis ...
(AETC) the same day.
The 1883d Communications Squadron was inactivated in 1991. With the transfer of Air Force Communications Command units to host wings, the 9th Communications Squadron was activated and assigned to the 9th Support Group, 9th SRW, on 1 September 1991.
The 9 SRW was transferred to the newly established
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 ...
(ACC) and was redesignated as the 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RQW), operating the U-2 and
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 ...
, while its
KC-135
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpo ...
Q aircraft and
350th Air Refueling Squadron (350 ARS) were transferred to the newly established
Air Mobility Command (AMC).
In 2001, the historic 12th Reconnaissance Squadron joined the wing as the parent unit for the RQ-4 Global Hawk. An unmanned, remotely piloted high-altitude reconnaissance platform, the Global Hawk can linger over a target for 24 hours. In 2008, Beale received the Block 20 model and 2010 received the Block 30 model.
In 2010, the
MC-12W Liberty
The Beechcraft C-12 Huron is the military designation for a series of twin-engine turboprop aircraft based on the Beechcraft Super King Air and Beechcraft 1900. C-12 variants are used by the United States Air Force, United States Army, United S ...
was moved to Beale Air Force Base and for a time there were two squadrons operating the aircraft. The 427th Reconnaissance Squadron was primarily the operational squadron, while the 489th conducted training. With its role taken over by the growing
MQ-9 Reaper fleet, the Air Force decided to remove the Liberty aircraft from service, turning them over to the U.S. Army and
U.S. Special Operations Command
The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Arm ...
, which was completed by October 2015. The Air Force's final MC-12W deployment for Afghanistan/OEF ended on 13 October 2015.
BRAC actions
In July 1994, the 350 ARS transferred from Beale to
McConnell Air Force Base
McConnell Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located four miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district of Wichita, a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States., effective 2007-12-20 The airbase was named in ...
, Kansas, taking the last of the
KC-135
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpo ...
Q tankers with it. Tanker aircraft returned to Beale in 1998 when the
940th Air Refueling Wing
The 940th Air Refueling Wing is part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command, is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command, and is home stationed ...
(940 ARW), an
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
(AFRC) unit operationally gained by AMC, transferred to Beale with its
KC-135R
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transport ...
aircraft following the closure of its former home stations of
Mather AFB
Mather Air Force Base (Mather AFB) was a United States Air Force Base, which was closed in 1993 pursuant to a post-Cold War BRAC decision. It was located east of Sacramento, on the south side of U.S. Route 50 in Sacramento County, Californ ...
, California in 1993 due to a 1988
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the end ...
(BRAC) decision and its subsequent home station of
McClellan AFB
McClellan Air Force Base (1935–2001) is a former United States Air Force base located in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, California.
History
For the vast majority of its operational lifetime, McClella ...
, California in 1998 due to a 1993 BRAC decision.
Under the subsequent BRAC 2005, the 940 ARW's
KC-135R
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transport ...
aircraft were realigned and the last aircraft departed Beale by the end of 2008. The 940 ARW was redesignated as the
940th Wing
The 940th Air Refueling Wing is part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command, is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command, and is home stationed ...
(940 WG) and converted to an associate reconnaissance wing mission in partnership with the 9 RW, operating the
RQ-4 Global Hawk
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft of the 1990s–2020s. It was initially designed by Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development. The ...
. In this capacity, the wing was responsible for stand up and total force integration as an Air Force Reserve Command's multi-mission wing, including command & control, intelligence and
RQ-4 Global Hawk
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft of the 1990s–2020s. It was initially designed by Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development. The ...
reconnaissance forces in support of
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 ...
,
Pacific Air Forces
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (f ...
and the
Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency.
Return of KC-135 flying mission (post-BRAC)
![940th Air Refueling Wing](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/940th_Air_Refueling_Wing.png)
In 2016, a decision was made to restore the AFRC KC-135 mission at Beale AFB and the 940 WG was again redesignated as the
940th Air Refueling Wing
The 940th Air Refueling Wing is part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command, is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command, and is home stationed ...
(940 ARW), taking custody of its first KC-135R aircraft in July 2016. Seven additional KC-135R aircraft followed and the wing again achieved a fully operational capability with the KC-135R in October 2016.
In June 2016, the 940 WG was redesignated back to its previous title of the
940th Air Refueling Wing
The 940th Air Refueling Wing is part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command, is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command, and is home stationed ...
(940 ARW), reversing the earlier BRAC 2005 decision. The 940 ARW was again an
Air Mobility Command (AMC)-gained unit of the
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
(AFRC) under
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...
(10 AF), with the first KC-135R aircraft arriving at Beale AFB on 10 July 2016. The remaining seven KC-135 aircraft incrementally followed, with the wing achieving full operating strength at Beale by October 2016.
With the redesignation of the 940 ARW to its previous incarnation and its shift in operational claimancy to AMC, the
13th Reconnaissance Squadron (13 RS), which was previously assigned to the former 940 WG, was realigned as a geographically separated unit (GSU) of the
926th Wing
The 926th Wing is an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
The unit is a composite organization consisting of two Ope ...
(926 WG) at
Nellis AFB
Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloq.) is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in " Military Op ...
, Nevada, and further assigned to the wing's 726th Operations Group (726 OG) at
Creech AFB
Creech Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) command and control facility in Clark County, Nevada used "to engage in daily Overseas Contingency Operations …of remotely piloted aircraft systems which fly missions across the globe." ...
, Nevada. In this capacity, the 13 RS continues to concurrently operate
RQ-4 Global Hawk
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft of the 1990s–2020s. It was initially designed by Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development. The ...
at Beale AFB as a concurrent associate element to the 9 RW and remaining an
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 ...
(ACC)-gained unit of AFRC.
Previous names
* Camp Beale (United States Army), 1 October 1942
: Activated by USAF, 10 November 1948
* Beale Bombing and Gunnery Range, 7 October 1949 (inactive, gunnery range use only)
* Beale Air Force Base, 1 December 1951–Current
Major commands to which assigned
*
Air Training Command, 10 February 1948 (inactive, in standby status)
*
Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.
During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary au ...
, 1 April 1951 (placed on active status)
*
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 ...
, 1 July 1956
: Placed on inactive status for construction, 1 July 1956 – 8 February 1959
*
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 ...
, 1 June 1992–present
Major units assigned
* 2275th Air Base Squadron, 20 April 1951
: Various designations until being absorbed into 4126th CSG, 1 February 1963
*
4126th Strategic Wing, 8 February 1959 – 1 February 1963
: Redesignated:
456th Bombardment Wing, 1 February 1963 – 30 September 1975
*
San Francisco Air Defense Sector
The San Francisco Air Defense Sector (SFADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 28th Air Division, being stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California.
The sector was established in February 19 ...
, 15 February 1959 – 1 August 1963
*
14th Air Division, 25 January 1960 – 1 September 1991
*
851st Strategic Missile Squadron
The 851st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was equipped with the HGM-25A Titan I intercontinen ...
, 1 February 1961 – 22 March 1965
* 4200th Strategic Wing, 1 January 1965 – 25 June 1966
*
9th Strategic Reconnaissance (later Reconnaissance) Wing, 25 June 1966 – present
*
17th Bombardment Wing, 30 September 1975 – 30 September 1976
*
100th Air Refueling Wing, 30 September 1976 – 15 March 1983
*
940th Air Refueling Wing
The 940th Air Refueling Wing is part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command, is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command, and is home stationed ...
, 1 October 1997 – present
** previously designated as the
940th Wing
The 940th Air Refueling Wing is part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command, is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command, and is home stationed ...
, 1 July 2008 – 4 June 2016
Intercontinental ballistic missile facilities
![851st Strategic Missile Squadron - Titan I Missile Sites](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/851st_Strategic_Missile_Squadron_-_Titan_I_Missile_Sites.png)
The
851st Strategic Missile Squadron
The 851st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was equipped with the HGM-25A Titan I intercontinen ...
operated three
HGM-25A Titan I
The Martin Marietta SM-68A/HGM-25A Titan I was the United States' first multistage intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), in use from 1959 until 1962. Though the SM-68A was operational for only three years, it spawned numerous follow-on mo ...
ICBM sites (1 February 1961 – 25 March 1965):
* 851-A, 2 miles ESE of Lincoln, California
* 851-B, 4 miles NNE of Sutter Buttes, California
* 851-C, 6 miles N of Chico, California
Today, all three sites remain in various states of abandonment. Site "A" is being encroached by newly built single-family homes as the suburbs of Lincoln; the underground structures (approximately 30 acres) of the facility is currently owned by Placer County who uses the site to store and maintain road maintenance equipment. Since the site was deactivated, groundwater has inundated the facility, flooding the underground spaces. Site B, located in a rural area, is remarkably well preserved with all three launch silos still capped.
Site "C" was the location of two 1962 accidents. On 24 May during a contractor checkout, a terrific blast rocked launcher 1 at the complex, destroying a Titan I and causing heavy damage to the silo. On 6 June trouble again struck as a flash fire at another silo killed a worker. After the investigation, the Air Force concluded that the two separate explosions occurred because of a blocked vent and blocked valve. The silo was repaired and put back into operational service. Today, the site has all three launch silos capped, but some development has taken place on the launch area with a retention pond, some trees, and some single-story buildings being erected. It appears to be in use for some type of quarrying/grading material which is transported to construction sites in the Chico area.
Geography
![BealeAirForceBaseCows](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/BealeAirForceBaseCows.JPG)
Beale Air Force Base spans of rolling hills in northern California. The base's natural resources are quite rich. Native Americans lived on this land, and the mortar bowls they carved into bedrock lie embedded in a shallow stream. German prisoners of war were held on the base during World War II. A block of prison cells still stands at the base, and the drawings of the POWs remain on the cell walls. The surprisingly detailed images were said to have been drawn with the heels of the prisoners' boots which probably helped protect them. To preserve these and other historic areas, the base maintains 38 Native American sites, 45 homestead sites, and 41 World War II sites.
Demographics
The
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
has designated Beale Air Force Base as a separate
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
(CDP) for statistical purposes, covering the base's residential population. Per the
2020 census, the population was 1,303.
2020 census
''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''
2010 Census
The
2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
reported that Beale AFB had a population of 1,319. The population density was . The racial makeup of Beale AFB was 949 (71.9%)
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 117 (8.9%)
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 32 (2.4%)
Native American, 45 (3.4%)
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 8 (0.6%)
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 50 (3.8%) from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 118 (8.9%) from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 191 persons (14.5%).
The Census reported that 1,319 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 382 households, out of which 289 (75.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 330 (87.4%) were
opposite-sex married couples living together, 26 (6.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 10 (2.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 0 (0%)
unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 4 (3.78%)
same-sex married couples or partnerships. 12 households (3.1%) were made up of individuals, and 0 (0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.45. There were 370
families
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...
(96.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.53.
The population was spread out, with 577 people (43.7%) under the age of 18, 151 people (11.4%) aged 18 to 24, 538 people (40.8%) aged 25 to 44, 51 people (3.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 2 people (0.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.
There were 843 housing units at an average density of , of which 2 (0.5%) were owner-occupied, and 380 (99.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 44.8%. 8 people (0.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,311 people (99.4%) lived in rental housing units.
Government
In the
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...
, Beale AFB is in , and .
In the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
, Beale AFB is in .
Appearances in popular culture
* The 1963 film ''
A Gathering of Eagles'' was filmed at Beale Air Force Base.
* The 1979 documentary ''
First Strike'' was partially filmed, using real Air Force personnel, at the base's PAVE PAWS facility, showing the detection of a Soviet nuclear attack. Much of this footage was also used in the 1983 TV movie ''
The Day After
''The Day After'' is an American television film that first aired on November 20, 1983 on the ABC television network. More than 100 million people, in nearly 39 million households, watched the film during its initial broadcast. With ...
''; this could be considered an error, as it is shown ''after'' an airman at
Whiteman Air Force Base
Whiteman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located just south of Knob Noster, Missouri, United States. The base is the current home of the B-2 Spirit bomber. It is named for 2nd Lt George Whiteman, who was killed during the attack ...
states that Beale (along with its European counterpart,
RAF Fylingdales
Royal Air Force Fylingdales or more simply RAF Fylingdales is a Royal Air Force station on Snod Hill in the North York Moors, England. Its motto is "Vigilamus" (translates to "We are watching"). It is a radar base and is also part of the Ball ...
) has already been destroyed.
* In the video game ''
Call of Duty: Black Ops'', a mission tasks a player with operating an
SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft to assist his comrades. The SR-71 flies out of Beale Air Force Base.
* The base hosted
James May
James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter of the motoring programme '' Top Gear'' alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond from 2003 until 2015. He also ...
for the specials ''
James May on the Moon
''James May on the Moon'' is a British documentary in which James May commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landings. It was first aired on BBC Two on 21 June 2009 and on 10 November 2009 on BBC America in the United States.
The ...
'' and ''
James May at the Edge of Space'', looking at the 40th anniversary of the
Moon landing
A Moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both crewed and robotic missions. The first human-made object to touch the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2, on 13 September 1959.
The United S ...
and highlighting the training necessary for flight at 70,000 ft. in the U-2.
* The
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
series ''
MythBusters
''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television program, developed by Peter Rees and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast internatio ...
'' filmed portions of the season 16 episode "Flights of Fantasy" at the base with the help of the
9th 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 ...
.
* The U-2 takeoff and hangar shots in the 2015 film ''
Bridge of Spies'' were shot at Beale Air Force Base in early December 2014.
See also
*
List of United States Air Force installations
This is a list of installations operated by the United States Air Force located within the United States and abroad. Locations where the Air Force have a notable presence but do not operate the facility are also listed.
Background
The locatio ...
*
California during World War II
California during World War II was a major contributor to the World War II effort. California's long Pacific Ocean coastline provided the support needed for the Pacific War. California also supported the war in Europe. After the Japanese attac ...
References
*
*
* Maurer, Maurer. ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II''. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office 1961 (republished 1983, Office of Air Force History, ).
*
* Ravenstein, Charles A. ''Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977''.
Maxwell Air Force Base,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
: Office of Air Force History 1984. .
* Mueller, Robert, ''Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982'', Office of Air Force History, 1989
Beale AFB Factsheet
Footnotes
External links
*
*
*
{{Authority control
Installations of the United States Air Force in California
Airports in California
Marysville, California
Buildings and structures in Yuba County, California
Census-designated places in Yuba County, California
Geography of the Sacramento Valley
Sacramento metropolitan area
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment sites
Installations of Strategic Air Command
1948 establishments in California