The squadron previously flew the Northrop Grumman E-8C JSTARS,[4] providing airborne battle management, command and control, surveillance, and target acquisition with the last E-8C flight on September 8, 2022.

J-STARS detected, located, classified, tracks and targets ground movements on the battlefield, communicating real-time information through secure data links with combat command posts.

It engaged in the air defense of the San Francisco area as well as acting as a Replacement Training Unit until the end of 1943.

It engaged in hazardous reconnaissance flights over enemy-controlled territory unarmed, gathering intelligence for Allied commanders until the end of combat in Europe, May 1945.

[note 2] It moved to Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina in 1958 where it re-equipped with McDonnell RF-101C Voodoo reconnaissance aircraft.

The squadron deployed to south Florida in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, flying hazardous overflights over Cuba gathering intelligence photos.