# 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, California (IATA BAB, ICAO KBAB) is home to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing flying the U-2 Dragon Lady and the RQ-4 Global Hawk, and it once hosted the SR-71 Blackbird. Retirement of the U-2 fleet was planned for fiscal 2026, but Congress capped divestment at eight aircraft in the FY2026 defense appropriations bill, stretching the phase-out further. Beale is closed to civil aviation: no commercial freighters, no cargo terminal, no customs clearance for air freight. Shippers in the northern Sacramento Valley use Sacramento Mather (MHR), the region's dedicated cargo field about 70 km to the south, or Sacramento International (SMF), while San Francisco (SFO) and Oakland (OAK) handle intercontinental air cargo. Road access runs via State Routes 65 and 70 to Interstate 5, the Central Valley's main trucking corridor.

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*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*