Development, renovation, unit moves solidify Grand Forks AFB’s purpose as the center of the service’s ISR mission

Air Power Secretary Frank Kendall not too long ago introduced design and renovation to Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, solidifying its placement as the potential of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for the service.

The middle of that work is the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, which is dependent at Grand Forks and has subordinate models in Ga, California, Italy and Guam.

“We’re psyched to present crucial strategic capabilities to the Joint power,” stated Col. Timothy Curry, 319th RW commander, in a news release. “Grand Forks AFB will stay central to the Air Power core ISR mission nowadays and in the potential.”

Officials assume a arranging stage for most of upcoming yr with development and renovation at Grand Forks to commence in 2023, in accordance to the launch. The full venture should conclude by 2026.

The recent Air Drive finances request appears to be to divest the the aged Joint Surveillance and Concentrate on Attack Radar Technique aircraft and the RQ-4 Block 30 plane, in accordance to the launch. Those cuts are envisioned to free of charge up cash for superior units to counter peer threats.

Despite people divestment plans, the 319th RW will go on operating the RA-4 Block 40 plane into the late 2020s, according to the release.

Outside of development, the strategy will increase the selection of operational units under the 319th RW for “next-generation” missions. All those will include the E-11 Battlefield Airborne Management Node plane mission at Robins Air Force Foundation, Georgia, commencing future calendar year.

Earlier this yr, Air Power Times documented that the Air Force’s options to section out the JSTARS aircraft and radar system would get started with deactivating four ideas in fiscal 2022. Then acting Air Power Secretary John P. Roth estimated it would consider about 5 yrs to section out the whole application.

That change, officials said in May well, would no cost up 2,000 lively responsibility and Nationwide Guard airmen at the Ga foundation for the 4 new missions coming to Robbins AFB. That provided the Sophisticated Battle Administration Method. The technique is an intelligence-accumulating network, still beneath progress, that facilitates authentic-time information and facts sharing concerning satellites, armed forces plane, commanders and floor forces.

“The E-11 delivers strategic capability and pros for the joint force, which is the mission of the 319th RW,” Col. Timothy Curry, 319th RW commander, stated in June.

An additional device, also geographically individual from Grand Forks, but not named in the release will slide less than the 319th RW in the potential.

Back in 2007, the Involved Push described that the assistance experienced despatched a group to Grand Forks, commencing preparations for the base’s “new unmanned aerial auto mission.”

At the time, the base was remaining deemed for Predator and World-wide Hawk drones as very well as the service’s new tanker, then-Air Pressure Main of Personnel Gen. Michael Moseley told the news service.

Air Drive Times’ sister publication, Defense News, documented in 2018 that the first-at any time trans-Atlantic drone flight by a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone was designed from Grand Forks.

The flight, coordinated by Basic Atomics Aeronautical Methods, Inc. coated a lot more than 3,000 miles, sending the MQ-9B from North Dakota to Gloucestershire, England.