The 64th Air Refueling Squadron is a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

air-refueling squadron assigned to the

22d Operations Group The 22nd Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 22nd Air Refueling Wing. It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, and is part of Air Mobility Command (AMC)'s Eighteenth Air Force. The ...

McConnell Air Force Base McConnell Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located four miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district of Wichita, a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States., effective 2007-12-20 The airbase was named in ...

, Kansas. As part of the Air Force's Total Force Initiative, the 64th is stationed at Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire, where it is operationally controlled by the 157th Air Refueling Wing of the New Hampshire Air National Guard. The 64th is equipped with the

KC-46 Pegasus The Boeing KC-46 Pegasus is an American military aerial refueling and strategic military transport aircraft developed by Boeing from its 767 jet airliner. In February 2011, the tanker was selected by the United States Air Force (USAF) as the ...

. The 64th was first constituted during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, providing transportation and evacuation in the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. From 1953 through 1997, the 64th provided airlift services, including during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. Repurposed as a refueling squadron in 2002, the 64th was active in the

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

from 2003 until 2007, and then reactivated in October 2009.

Mission

The squadron is part of the Total Force Initiative: :The aim of the Total Force Integration effort is to integrate regular U.S. Air Force airlift and tanker flying units with existing Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force Reserve wings, with the intention of sharing operations and maintenance functions, increasing active duty access to aircraft to meet steady state operational requirements, and taking advantage of the opportunity to season Air Force personnel with the operational experience located in Air Reserve Components.

History

World War II

The 64th flew aerial transportation and evacuation in the South and Southwest Pacific from 7 August 1943 until c. 14 August 1945. The squadron received a

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy and United States Coast Guard unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy A navy, naval force, military m ...

for its service at part of the

South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command (SCAT) was a joint command of U.S. military logistics units in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II. It contributed notably to the success of U.S. forces in the campaigns on Guadalcanal (1942–194 ...

(SCAT) from August 1943 to July 1944.

Reserves and Korean mobilisation

The 64th flew aerial transportation and evacuation between Japan and Korea from 19 May through 31 December 1952.

Reserve airlift operations

In 1957, the squadron moved on paper from

Portland International Airport Portland International Airport is a joint civil–military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of the state's passenger air travel and more than 95% of its air cargo. It is within Portland's city li ...

to Niagara Falls Municipal Airport, where is assumed the mission, personnel, and equipment of the 700th Troop Carrier Squadron. The squadron trained and provided

airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of Materiel, supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material lo ...

services from, January 1953 to March 1997, including airlift to Vietnam during the late 1960s and to

Southwest Asia West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenia ...

in 1990–1991. It participated in various training exercises and airlift missions worldwide until inactivation on 31 March 1997.

Reserve air refueling operations

Redesignated as the 64th Air Refueling Squadron on 22 November 2002, the 64th was active in the

from 1 April 2003 until 23 June 2007. During this time, it was part of the 939th Operations Group based at Portland Air Reserve Station in Oregon.

Associate status

Pease_Air_National_Guard_Base_03Sept2013

The 64th Air Refueling Squadron was activated at Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire, on 2 October 2009 as part of the

22d Air Refueling Wing The 22d Air Refueling Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas and also functions as the host wing for McConnell. Its primary missi ...

. It is part of the Total Force Initiative and works with the 157th Air Refueling Wing, New Hampshire Air National Guard. This was the first time that an active duty Air Force unit returned to Pease since the base was closed in 1991. On 9 January 2013, the Air Force announced that Pease would be in the running to host the first

Boeing KC-46 Pegasus The Boeing KC-46 Pegasus is an American military aerial refueling and strategic military transport aircraft developed by Boeing from its 767 jet airliner. In February 2011, the tanker was selected by the United States Air Force (USAF) as the ...

tankers as they entered service. In August 2014, Air Force leaders announced that the 157th would become the first Air National Guard unit to equip with the KC-46A. The Pegasus was scheduled to enter the Air Force inventory during fiscal year 2019; the first KC-46A arrived at Pease on 8 August 2019. The 12th and final KC-46A was delivered on 5 February 2021.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 64th Troop Carrier Squadron on 7 December 1942 : Activated on 12 December 1942 : Inactivated on 15 May 1946 * Activated in the reserve on 5 April 1947 * Redesignated 64th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 27 June 1949 : Ordered to active service on 1 April 1951 : Inactivated on 1 January 1953 * Activated in the reserve on 1 January 1953 : Ordered to active service on 28 October 1962 : Relieved from active service on 28 November 1962 : Redesignated 64th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 July 1967 : Redesignated 64th Airlift Squadron on 1 February 1992 : Inactivated on 31 March 1997 * Redesignated 64th Air Refueling Squadron on 22 November 2002 : Activated in the reserve on 1 April 2003 : Inactivated on 23 June 2007 * Activated on 1 October 2009

Assignments

403d Troop Carrier Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the H ...

, 12 December 1942 – 15 May 1946 * 419th Troop Carrier Group, 3 August 1947 * 403d Troop Carrier Group, 27 June 1949 – 1 January 1953 * 403d Troop Carrier Group, 1 January 1953 *

403d Troop Carrier Wing 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...

, 14 April 1959 *

928th Troop Carrier Group 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

(later 928th Tactical Airlift Group, 928th Airlift Group), 11 February 1963 * 928th Operations Group, 1 August 1992 – 1 July 1997 * 939th Operations Group, 1 April 2003 – 23 June 2007 *

, 1 Oct 2009 – present

Stations

* Bowman Field, Kentucky, 12 December 1942 *

Alliance Army Air Field An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

, Nebraska, 18 December 1942 *

Pope Field Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Fayetteville, in Spring Lake, North Carolina, Spring Lake, Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal A ...

, North Carolina, 3 May 1943 *

Baer Field Baer (or Bär, from ) or Van Baer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Baer * Alan Baer, American tuba player * Arthur "Bugs" Baer (1886–1969), American journalist and humorist * Buddy Baer (1915–1986), American boxer * ...

, Indiana, 20 June – 17 July 1943 * Tontouta Airfield,

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

, 1 August 1943 *

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region ...

, 7 August 1943 * Henderson Field,

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

, 1 November 1943 *

Biak Biak is the main island of Biak Archipelago located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua (province), Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak has many atolls, reefs, and corals. The largest popula ...

, 16 September 1944 (operated from Wakde Airfield, Netherlands East Indies, 2–21 October 1944, and Noemfoor, schouten Islands, 29 October 1944 – 1 January 1945) *

Dulag Airfield Dulag Airfield is a World War II airfield located near Dulag in the Philippine province, province of Leyte province, Leyte, Philippines. It was closed after the war. History The airfield was built by the Japanese during the Occupation of the Ph ...

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

, Philippines, 16 July 1945 *

Clark Field Clark is an English language surname with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland, ultimately derived from the Latin ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educated ...

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

, Philippines, c. January–15 May 1946 *

Olmsted Field Harrisburg Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, located at Harrisburg International Airport, Pennsylvania. It is located west-southwest of Middletown, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Air National Guard facility is sit ...

, Pennsylvania, 5 April 1947 * Portland Municipal Airport, Oregon, 27 June 1949 – 29 March 1952 *

Ashiya Air Base is a military airdrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . It is located north of Ashiya in the Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. History Ashiya Airfield was established as a Japanese Army Air Force facility in 1944 and was used primarily as a de ...

, Japan, 14 April 1952 – 1 January 1953 * Portland International Airport, Oregon, 1 January 1953 * Niagara Falls Municipal Airport, New York, 16 November 1957 * O'Hare International Airport (later O'Hare Reserve Facility, O'Hare Air Reserve Forces Facility, O'Hare Air Reserve Station), Illinois, 25 March 1958 – 31 March 1997 * Portland International Airport, Oregon, 1 April 2003 – 23 June 2007 * Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire, 1 Oct 2009 – present

Aircraft

KC-46_Pegasus_at_Pease_Air_National_Guard_Base_on_8_August_2019

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for tro ...

(1943–1945) *

Curtiss C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a low-wing, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurized high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company p ...

(1945, 1947–1950, 1951–1952) *

Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) is an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, Litter (rescue basket), litte ...

(1952, 1957–1970) *

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

(1970–1997) *

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave ...

(2003–2008, 2009–24 March 2019) * Boeing KC-46A Pegasus, (8 August 2019 – present)

Sources

* * Armstrong, William. (2017). ''Marine Air Group 25 and SCAT (Images of Aviation)''. Arcadia. . * See als
thirsty13th.com
the official website of a sister squadron of the 64th TCS in 1943–1945. The site offers a book with much information about the 64th Troop Carrier Squadron.
AFHRA 64th Air Refueling Squadron History
(accessed 24 December 2009)

References

External links

64 ARS
on

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia (United States), militia of each U.S. ...

website {{USAF air refueling units Military units and formations in New Hampshire 064