🇺🇸 Beale Air Force Base

Beale Air Force Base (KBAB (BAB)) is an operational United States Air Force installation located in Yuba County, California. The base spans nearly 23,000 acres and is home to approximately 4,000 military personnel.

Type of Facility and Operations: Beale Air Force Base is primarily an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) facility, owned by the USAF and operated by the Air Combat Command (ACC). It serves as the headquarters for the 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW), which deploys Airmen and delivers timely, relevant, and persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance products for national and theater command authorities. The 9th RW operates aircraft such as the U-2 Dragon Lady, RQ-4 Global Hawk, and MC-12 Liberty, with the T-38 Talon also present for training. Beale AFB also hosts the 940th Air Refueling Wing (940 ARW), which flies KC-135 Stratotankers. Additionally, the base is home to the PAVE Phased Array Warning System (PAWS), one of only three in the United States, used for detecting and tracking sea-launched and intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as Earth-orbiting satellites. The base also supports live-fire M-60 machine gun training.

Notable Features and History: Originally established in 1942 as U.S. Army Camp Beale, it served as a crucial training post for armored and infantry divisions during World War II and included a prisoner-of-war camp. The camp was converted to Beale Air Force Base in 1948, initially focusing on bombardier-navigator training. The base is named after Edward Fitzgerald Beale, a 19th-century American Navy Lieutenant and Brigadier General in the California Militia. Over its history, Beale has housed various significant units and aircraft, including B-52 Stratofortress bombers, Titan I ICBM complexes, and famously, the SR-71 Blackbird in 1965. The base maintains numerous historical sites, encompassing those of Indigenous Peoples, World War II, and early homesteads.

Current Status: Beale Air Force Base is currently operational and continues to be at the forefront of USAF reconnaissance missions. Its mission involves providing high-altitude reconnaissance, mission-ready Airmen, and combat ammunition expertise to combatant commands. The 9th Reconnaissance Wing maintains permanent detachments and temporary operating locations worldwide.