After a nearly three-year period of construction, the Distributed Ground System-2 building addition is now open for business at Beale AFB, Calif. “The new state-of-the-art facility enables significantly more life-saving support to those in harm’s way, be they in armed conflict or in a humanitarian disaster,” said Col. Jenny McGee, commander of the 548th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group that operates DGS-2. DGS-2 is one node in the Air Force’s Distributed Common Ground System. Intelligence analysts in DGS-2 provide imagery and electronic signals data collected from ISR aircraft to warfighters worldwide. During construction and the moving-in phase, DGS-2 analysts continued to operate with almost no interruption of service by temporarily relocating. “At one point, DGS-2 personnel were working simultaneously from five locations around the world,” said McGee. (Beale report by 2nd Lt. Nicole White) (For more on DGS-2, see Beyond Reachback from the Air Force Magazine archives.)
KC-46’s Refueling Boom Damaged While Refueling F-22s
July 8, 2025
A U.S. Air Force KC-46 tanker suffered damage to its boom while refueling F-22 Raptors off the coast of Virginia on July 8, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed, with reported radio communication from the crew indicating the boom “detached.”