Country United States Size Squadron | Type Intelligence Part of Air Combat Command | |
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Active 1942-46; 1947-51; 1954-67; 1992-present Branch United States Air Force | ||
The 20th Intelligence Squadron is a United States Air Force unit, assigned to the National Air Intelligence Center, stationed at Offutt AFB, Nebraska.
Contents
Overview
The mission of the 20th is to provide prompt, precise intelligence enabling warfighters to safely engage and achieve global objectives. The 20th processes and analyzes raw electronic intelligence data, and prepares both operational and technical ELINT reports and studies. The 20th is organized into three flights:
* Target Materials
The Target Material Flight produces precise coordinated measurements and mission-support materials for Air Force bomber, fighter and other airborne platforms engaged in exercise, training or actual combat operations.* Combat Applications
The Combat Applications Flight activities entail providing direct application support for specified combat customers. This includes an AIA node for operational dissemination of near-real time imagery to Air Force and Department of Defense users worldwide. The Combat Applications Flight is also Air Combat Command’s point of contact for premission survivability and threat assessments, target analysis, weaponeering support and post-mission combat assessments for the Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile program.* Operations
The Operations Flight provides the day-to-day operating support to the other flights within the 20th. These activities are dispersed though branches who perform the activities of planning, requirements management, systems maintenance, logistics support and resource management.History
The squadron was originally formed as the 20th Photographic Mapping Squadron in mid-1942. In these early years, the unit worked under several different names and was stationed in the Pacific Theater as an element of Fifth Air Force. The units operated a variety of photographic reconnaissance aircraft in the South Pacific, engaging in combat reconnaissance. It moved to Japan in 1945, carrying out postwar reconnaissance and mapping of the Japanese Home Islands and Korean Peninsula as part of the War Department's Post Hostilities Mapping Project. It was inactivated June 1946
The squadron was allotted to the Air Force Reserve in 1947 as the 20th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, a long range reconnaissance squadron. It was called to active duty during the Korean War at the start of May, 1951. Its personnel were used as fillers for regular United States Air Force units and it was inactivated as administrative unit two weeks later.
The squadron was reactivated in the regular Air Force as the 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in 1954 under the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Group as an RF-80A Shooting Star reconnaissance training squadron at Shaw AFB, SC. It upgraded to RF-84F Thunderstreaks in 1955. The squadron transferred to operational missions in 1959 with reassignment to the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing and re-equipped with RF-101 Voodoos. The unit deployed to Florida in 1962 during Cuban Missile Crisis and flew tactical reconnaissance flights over Cuba during the Crisis. It returned to Shaw in late 1962. The squadron deployed to Tan Son Nhut AB, South Vietnam, 1963-1965 flying tactical reconnaissance in Southeast Asia. It was nactivated in 1965.
The squadron was reactivated and designated the 20th Air Intelligence Squadron under the newly formed Air Combat Command in 1992, operating out of Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. A year later, it was redesignated as the 20th Intelligence Squadron and transferred to the Air Intelligence Agency.