BATTLE MANAGEMENT CONTROL SQUADRON COMING TO BEALE AIR FORCE BASE

In hopes of modernizing battle management, the Air Force has selected Beale California Air Force Base to bring on a new mission and 140 new personnel to the base within the coming years. The new battle management control squadron will replace two fleets of reconnaissance aircraft that have defined Beale AFB since the 1970s.

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What Will The Squadron Do At Beale California Air Force Base?

The Air Force battle management unit handles data on potential threats, troop movements and other information the military needs to plan and direct operations. The hope of the Air Force is that rather than relying on fleets of purpose-built aircraft and manual analysis, it can leverage a multitude of sensors and new artificial intelligence tools to provide that data.

In terms of what the new battle management control squadron at Beale AFB will do, the Air Force declined to talk specifics. However, it was stated that the squadron will integrate with Beale’s Common Mission Control Center. The center consolidates and analyzes information collected by the military’s network of aircraft, satellites, ships, ground radars and more, such as images, target-tracking data and other communications. The center then shares the information with other units and decision makers.

The Common Mission Control Center is run by 427th Reconnaissance Squadron, and will collaborate with the new battle management unit to “perform battle management of manned and unmanned new and legacy aircraft, and allow greater collaboration between information systems,” according to the Air Force.

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What Will Happen To Aircraft and Airmen From The Retiring Fleets?

The Air Force announced its plans to retire all U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft by fiscal year 2026–just a few months following the anticipated arrival of new Beale California Air Force Base personnel. However, the Air Force did not confirm that the new battle management squadron will be the replacement program for Beale’s 27 U-2 aircraft that are rotated to operational detachments worldwide.

As of right now, it is unclear what the Air Force will do with the retired U-2s, or if a specific aircraft program will take its place at Beale California Air Force Base. It is also unclear whether the new squadron will absorb airmen who operate Beale’s fleet of U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft.

Why Are The U-2 Dragon Lady Aircraft Being Retired?

Last year, the U.S. Department of the Air Force announced its plans to retire all U-2 Dragon Lady spy aircraft by fiscal year 2026 due to issues within the 2025 Air Force budget. U-2s, as they are known today, date back to the 1980s.

According to the Air Force's Total Active Inventory, the fleet's average age is almost 40 years old. Officials and Air Force leaders speculate that it will be harder to upgrade and repair these crafts as they get older as they have considered doing away with U-2s for nearly two decades, asking Congress to retire the "Cold War-era workhorses," the Air Force Times reported.

In addition to the new squadron at Beale California Air Force Base, some airmen anticipate other structural changes to the base. Some anticipate that the base will have at least one squadron shut down, have to balance keeping some men on base while transferring others, and leave some men having to either find somewhere else to work or get out of the Air Force due to Beale AFB not being able to provide any kind of reconnaissance from the U-2 upon its retirement.

The Air Force has not released much detail on this matter just yet. To find out exactly what kind of change will strike Beale California Air Force Base with the addition of a squadron and the retirement of aircraft fleets, we will have to wait and see.

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