13th Reconnaissance Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 13th Reconnaissance Squadron (13 RS) is part of the 940th Wing at Beale Air Force Base
, California. It operates RQ-4 Global Hawk
unmanned aircraft conducting reconnaissance
and surveillance
missions.
with near-real-time intelligence
, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition data.
from, 28 March 1943 – 26 April 1945. It provided Intra-theater airlift
for high-ranking Pacific Air Forces military and civilian officials and small mission-essential equipment from, 1987–1993. The squadron moved without personnel and equipment to McGuire Air Force Base
, New Jersey
, on 1 October 1993 and absorbed personnel and equipment of the 30th Airlift Squadron
. Equipped with C-141, the squadron took on a new worldwide airlift mission until its deactivation in 2000.
Since 2005 the 13th has operated and maintained deployable, long-endurance RQ-4 Global Hawk
aircraft and ground control elements to fulfill training and operational requirements generated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff
in support of unified commanders and the Secretary of Defense. It currently trains all RQ-4A pilots and sensor operators.
Beale Air Force Base
Beale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. Originally known as Camp Beale....
, California. It operates RQ-4 Global Hawk
RQ-4 Global Hawk
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is an unmanned aerial vehicle used by the United States Air Force and Navy as a surveillance aircraft....
unmanned aircraft conducting reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
and surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
missions.
Mission
The 13 RS provides theater commandersUnified Combatant Command
A Unified Combatant Command is a United States Department of Defense command that is composed of forces from at least two Military Departments and has a broad and continuing mission. These commands are established to provide effective command and control of U.S. military forces, regardless of...
with near-real-time intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition data.
History
The 13th flew combat in the European Theater of OperationsEuropean Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
from, 28 March 1943 – 26 April 1945. It provided Intra-theater airlift
Airlift
Airlift is the act of transporting people or cargo from point to point using aircraft.Airlift may also refer to:*Airlift , a suction device for moving sand and silt underwater-See also:...
for high-ranking Pacific Air Forces military and civilian officials and small mission-essential equipment from, 1987–1993. The squadron moved without personnel and equipment to McGuire Air Force Base
McGuire Air Force Base
JB MDL McGuire is a United States Air Force base located approximately south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. McGuire is under the jurisdiction of the USAF Air Mobility Command...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, on 1 October 1993 and absorbed personnel and equipment of the 30th Airlift Squadron
30th Airlift Squadron
The 30th Airlift Squadron is part of the United States Air Force's 19th Airlift Group, and the first active-duty Associate Unit to an Air National Guard unit, working with the 187th Airlift Squadron at Cheyenne Regional Airport, Wyoming...
. Equipped with C-141, the squadron took on a new worldwide airlift mission until its deactivation in 2000.
Since 2005 the 13th has operated and maintained deployable, long-endurance RQ-4 Global Hawk
RQ-4 Global Hawk
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is an unmanned aerial vehicle used by the United States Air Force and Navy as a surveillance aircraft....
aircraft and ground control elements to fulfill training and operational requirements generated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
in support of unified commanders and the Secretary of Defense. It currently trains all RQ-4A pilots and sensor operators.
Lineage
- 13th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (1942–1943)
- 13th Photographic Squadron (Light) (1943)
- 13th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (1943–1947)
- 13th Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic (1947–1952)
- 13th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium (1952–1987)
- 13th Military Airlift Squadron (1987–1992)
- 13th Airlift Squadron (1992–2005)
- 13th Reconnaissance Squadron (2005 – present)
Assignments
- 3d Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group (1942–1943)
- Attached: 1st Bombardment Wing (2 December 1942 – 16 February 1943)
- Attached: 8th Air Force (16 February – 7 July 1943)
- 7th Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group (1943–1945)
- 65th Reconnaissance Group65th Air Base WingThe 65th Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Lajes Air Base, Azores, Portugal.-Mission:The wing provides base and en route support for Department of Defense, allied nations and other authorized aircraft in transit, including those from the Netherlands, Belgium,...
(1947–1949) - 65th Troop Carrier Group65th Air Base WingThe 65th Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Lajes Air Base, Azores, Portugal.-Mission:The wing provides base and en route support for Department of Defense, allied nations and other authorized aircraft in transit, including those from the Netherlands, Belgium,...
(1952–1953)
- 374th Tactical Airlift Wing (1987–1992)
- 316th Airlift Support Group (1992)
- 18th Wing18th WingThe United States Air Force's 18th Wing is the host wing for Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan and is the Air Force’s largest combat wing. It is the largest and principal organization in the Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force....
(1992–1993) - 438th Airlift Wing (1993–1994)
- 305th Air Mobility Wing305th Air Mobility WingThe 305th Air Mobility Wing is a United States Air Force strategic airlift and air refueling wing under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command...
(1994–2000) - 610th Regional Support Group (2005–2009)
- 940th Wing (2009–present)
Bases stationed
- Colorado Springs, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
(1942) - RAF PodingtonRAF PodingtonRAF Podington is a former World War II United States Army Air Force base in England. It is located six miles south-east of Wellingborough, in Bedfordshire.-Overview:...
, England (1942–1943) - RAF Mount FarmRAF Mount FarmRAF Mount Farm is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located three miles north of Dorchester, Oxfordshire.-USAAF use:Mount Farm was originally a satellite airfield for the RAF Photographic Reconnaissance Unit at RAF Benson. The airfield was originally a grass field, but...
, England (1943–1945) - RAF Chalgrove, England (1945)
- RAF Shepherds GroveRAF Shepherds GroveRAF Shepherds Grove is a former Royal Air Force base in Suffolk England 9 miles NE of Bury St Edmunds.The base was built for the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force during World War II. However the facility was not used by the USAAF and was opened by 3 Group, RAF on 3 April 1944...
, England (1945) - Camp KilmerCamp KilmerCamp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
(1945)
- Rome Army Air Field, New York (1947–1948)
- Chemung CountyChemung County, New YorkChemung County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Chemung County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 88,830. Its name is derived from the name of a Delaware Indian village . Its...
Airport, New York (1948–1949) - Mitchel Air Force BaseMitchel Air Force BaseDecommissioned in 1961, Mitchel Field became a multi-use complex currently home to the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Nassau Coliseum, Mitchel Athletic Complex, Nassau Community College and Hofstra University.-Origins:...
, New York (1952–1953) - Kadena Air BaseKadena Air Base, is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...
, Japan (1987–1993) - McGuire Air Force BaseMcGuire Air Force BaseJB MDL McGuire is a United States Air Force base located approximately south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. McGuire is under the jurisdiction of the USAF Air Mobility Command...
, New Jersey (1993–2000) - Beale Air Force BaseBeale Air Force BaseBeale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. Originally known as Camp Beale....
, California (2005 – present)
Aircraft Operated
- P-38 LightningP-38 LightningThe Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
(1942–1945) - L-4 Grasshopper (1942–1943)
- Supermarine SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
(1943) - P-51 MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
(1945) - C-46 CommandoC-46 CommandoThe Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
(1952–1953) - C-12 HuronC-12 HuronThe 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 States Navy and United States Marine Corps...
(1987–1993) - C-141 StarlifterC-141 StarlifterThe Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
(1993–2000) - RQ-4 Global HawkRQ-4 Global HawkThe Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is an unmanned aerial vehicle used by the United States Air Force and Navy as a surveillance aircraft....
(2005 – present)