Semper Paratus, which means “always ready” in Latin, is the motto of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. One of the twelve groups comprising the Sixteenth Air Force and under Air Combat Command’s control is the 9th RW at Beale AFB. Delivering persistent, integrated surveys to the country is the goal of this operation, which the U-2S Dragon Lady is mainly carrying out.
The U-2 is a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft that travels at more than 70,000 feet to deliver vital imagery to combatant commanders’ intelligence demands throughout any stage of peacetime or conflict.
Using the sensors it houses, the aircraft carries out task sets from the tactical to the strategic levels. One of the U-2 pilots at Beale is U.S. Air Force Major Kelly, chief of wing weapons and tactics for the 9th Operations Support Squadron.
As a result of using radar energy to construct an image of the target, ASARS, also known as the advanced synthetic aperture radar sensor, is an all-weather, day or night sensor, according to Kelly.
SYERS [Senior Year Electro-Optical Reconnaissance System] is an electro-optical/infrared imaging sensor that captures actual “enhanced” images by taking visible and infrared spectra pictures. The standard signals intelligence sensor known as ASIP [Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload] gathers and analyses electronic signals sent by a range of targets.
When gathering information on adversary actions, the U-2 satisfies both narrow and broad imaging demands, letting them know we are watching them. Due to the airframe’s presence, persistence, and adaptability, enemies must cease operations or accept defeat by disclosing their resources and actions.
According to Kelly, the U-2 uses unprecedented operational altitudes, translating to unparalleled sensor ranges from an airborne asset. “Add a proficient pilot who can access the intelligence community’s abundant information and is connected to a small ground crew. The U-2 can see farther than any other airborne asset thanks to this combination, enabling it to modify collection in response to changing conditions instantly.
All high-altitude intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, or ISR, aircrew for the U-2 are to be trained by the 1st RS, and the 99th RS is to use ISR capabilities to support U-2 operations around the world. In peace and wartime, ISR is essential to the success of missions.
ISR is crucial in two ways, according to Kelly. “ISR provides and updates the orders of battle that planners rely on to comprehend the foe and prepare for a fight before hostilities start. ISR is crucial for locating, fixing, tracking, aiming, and evaluating targets once combat operations start. ISR is the essential thread that identifies, manages, and develops targets before determining whether or not the target was successfully engaged.
The U-2 has called Beale home for more than 50 years, and it continues to play a vital part in supplying the ISR requirements of combatant commanders and various command national authorities.
