# Beale Air Force Base (BAB)

> Beale Air Force Base, US · IATA: BAB · ICAO: KBAB · Medium Airport

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `BAB` |
| ICAO | `KBAB` |
| City | Beale Air Force Base |
| Country | US |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 34 m |
| Cargo | ❌ |
| GPS | 39.13610, -121.43700 |

## Description

A U-2 settles onto the runway at Beale while a chase car races alongside, calling out the last few feet – the spy plane's bicycle landing gear leaves no margin for error. The base near Marysville is home to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, flying the U-2 Dragon Lady and RQ-4 Global Hawk, though the veteran U-2 fleet is being phased out from 2025–26. Beale once hosted the SR-71 Blackbird and remains closed to civilian aviation, handling no commercial freight; regional air cargo moves through Sacramento (SMF).

---

*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/beale-air-force-base-airport-bab](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/beale-air-force-base-airport-bab)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/beale-air-force-base-airport-bab](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/beale-air-force-base-airport-bab)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/beale-air-force-base-airport-bab/llm-summary*