Editing Beale Air Force Base (section)

== 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]], 1 April 1951 (placed on active status)
* [[Strategic Air Command]], 1 July 1956
: Placed on inactive status for construction, 1 July 1956 – 8 February 1959
* [[Air Combat Command]], 1 June 1992–present

===Major units assigned===
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* 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]], 15 February 1959 – 1 August 1963
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* [[14th Air Division]], 25 January 1960 – 1 September 1991
* [[851st Strategic Missile Squadron]], 1 February 1961 – 22 March 1965
* 4200th Strategic Wing, 1 January 1965 – 25 June 1966
* [[9th Reconnaissance Wing|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]], 1 October 1997 – present
** previously designated as the [[940th Wing]], 1 July 2008 – 4 June 2016
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===Intercontinental ballistic missile facilities===
[[File:851st Strategic Missile Squadron - Titan I Missile Sites.png|thumb|400px|[[HGM-25A Titan I]] Missile sites]]

The [[851st Strategic Missile Squadron]] operated three [[HGM-25A Titan I]] ICBM sites (1 February 1961 – 25 March 1965):

* 851-A, 2 miles ESE of Lincoln, California        {{Coord|38|52|54|N|121|15|56|W|display=inline|name=851-A}}
* 851-B, 4 miles NNE of Sutter Buttes, California  {{Coord|39|16|30|N|121|49|45|W|display=inline|name=851-B}}
* 851-C, 6 miles N of Chico, California            {{Coord|39|49|05|N|121|51|10|W|display=inline|name=851-C}}

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.