The Air Force’s 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing is responsible for collecting and analyzing surveillance and intelligence data for U.S. military commanders all around the world:
• Made up of six ISR groups, including the 497th ISR Group at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
• Others are at Fort Gordon, Ga.; Beale Air Force Base, Calif.; Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; and Osan Air Base, South Korea.
• Analysts watch and analyze streaming data from drones, manned aircraft, sensors and intelligence feeds.
• Airmen track insurgents, assess battle damage, and share information and analysis in real time with commanders and troops on the ground, advising them on when they can attack.
• The 490th ISR Wing collects 1,600 hours of video a day.
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• The 497th ISR Group includes about 1,200 airmen, both men and women.
• Analysts work 12-hour shifts; largely 1st and 2nd lieutenants, 19 to 21 years old.
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