The 92nd Air Refueling Squadron, officially 92d Air Refueling Squadron, is a squadron of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing's 92nd Operations Group, stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was first activated shortly before the entry of the United States into

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 ...

as the ''2nd Reconnaissance Squadron''. After training in the

Douglas B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American twin-engined medium bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Airc ...

in the southeastern United States, the squadron moved to the Pacific Coast after the

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. At the tim ...

and participated in

antisubmarine Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations a ...

patrols with the

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...

. In April 1942, it was redesignated the 392nd Bombardment Squadron. Starting in mid-1942, it also began training crews on the Liberator. It ended these operations in July 1943 and began to prepare for overseas movement. After three months of training, the squadron moved to the Central Pacific, where it flew its first combat mission in November. The 392nd continued combat operations until March 1945, when it was withdrawn and moved to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, where it conducted routine training and patrol operations until it was inactivated in November 1945. In July 1957, the 92nd Air Refueling Squadron was established at

Bergstrom Air Force Base Bergstrom Air Force Base was located seven miles southeast of Austin, Texas. In its later years, it was a major base for the United States Air Force (USAF) RF-4C Phantom reconnaissance fighter fleet. History Bergstrom was originally act ...

, Texas by assuming the resources of the inactivating 506th Air Refueling Squadron when

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...

transferred its fighter units to

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...

. Three months later, the squadron moved to Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, where it equipped with

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 ...

s, which it has flown for over fifty years. During the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, the squadron maintained half its aircraft on alert. During the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...

, all the squadron's tankers were either on alert, deployed, or supporting

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the ...

es on airborne alert. The squadron also deployed aircraft to the Pacific to refuel strike aircraft 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 ...

. In 1985, the 392nd Bombardment Squadron was consolidated with the 92nd Air Refueling Squadron. In 1992, the squadron ended its long association with

and became part of

Air Mobility Command The Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri, ...

. Since consolidation, the squadron has deployed personnel and aircraft to support most major United States operations, including combat and humanitarian support operations. Although it has not participated as a unit, squadron personnel and aircraft have deployed worldwide to support these operations. The squadron operates the

aircraft conducting worldwide

air refueling Aerial refueling (American English, en-us), or aerial refuelling (British English, en-gb), also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from ...

missions.

History

World War II

The squadron was first activated at

March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 21 m ...

, California in January 1941 as the 2d Reconnaissance Squadron, and was attached to the 30th Bombardment Group per

General Headquarters Air Force The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

's policy of attaching one reconnaissance squadron to each bombardment group. Four months later it moved to New Orleans Airport, Louisiana, where it trained with the

. Following the

, the squadron returned to California where it participated in antisubmarine patrols, re-equipping with

s for operations. It was redesignated the 392d Bombardment Squadron in April 1942 and assigned directly to the 30th Bombardment Group.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp.82–83 In June 1942, the unit added the mission of training

aircrew Aircrew are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions In commercial aviatio ...

s in the B-24 and in the LB-30 Lend Lease version of the Liberator. 392d Bombardment Squadron - B-24 Liberator

In July 1943, these operations ceased and the squadron began training to deploy to the Central Pacific, arriving in Hawaii in October 1943. It began combat operations from Canton Airfield in the

Phoenix Islands The Phoenix Islands, or Rawaki, are a group of eight atolls and two submerged coral reefs that lie east of the Gilbert Islands and west of the Line Islands in the central Pacific Ocean, north of Samoa. They are part of the Kiribati, Republic ...

in November 1943. From Canton, the squadron assisted in the invasion of the

Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands (;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this name applied o ...

by attacking military installations on the islands and by raiding enemy

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

s in the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...

to protect the

amphibious assault Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducte ...

on the Gilberts from attacks by Japanese aircraft stationed there. The 392d "island hopped" to Abemama Airfield in the Gilberts, where it intensified bombing raids against Japanese installations in the

to help prevent the launching of Japanese planes against the amphibious assault on

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Makin Islands, the squadron attacked several atolls in the Marshalls, including Kwajalein, between 14 November 1943 and 1 April 1944 and participated in the invasion of Kwajalein in February 1944. (Reproducing material formerly contained o
the Vandenberg Air Force Base web page
. As the war moved closer to Japan, the squadron attacked airfields and

naval base A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usu ...

s in the Truk Islands to neutralize forces there during invasions in the

Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...

. The 392d also bombed

Wake Island Wake Island (), also known as Wake Atoll, is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean. The atoll is composed of three islets – Wake, Wilkes, and Peale Islands – surrounding a lagoon encircled by a coral reef. The neare ...

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

, and harassed other islands in the Carolines and Marianas bypassed by American amphibious forces. In August 1944, the squadron moved to East Field (Saipan), in the Mariana Islands. During the next six months, the 392d conducted bombing strikes against airfields and shipping at Bonin and Volcano Islands,

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...

, ChiChi Jima, and

Yap Yap (, sometimes written as , or ) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federate ...

. Its final bombing mission was at Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945, the same day three Marine divisions invaded the island. In March 1945, the 392d withdrew from combat and returned to Hawaii, although some of its crews and planes remained in the combat zone, transferring to either of the other Liberator groups in theater, the 11th and 494th Bombardment Groups. Despite rumors that the group was to receive the

Consolidated B-32 Dominator The Consolidated B-32 Dominator (Consolidated Model 34) was an American heavy strategic bomber built for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. A B-32 was involved in the last air combat engagement of the war, resulting in the ...

, the elements in Hawaii conducted training sorties and routine patrols with their Liberators until inactivating in November 1945.

Cold War

The 92d Air Refueling Squadron was activated on 1 July 1957 when it was partially manned by personnel of the inactivating 506th Air Refueling Squadron as

transferred the 42d Air Division and its fighter resources at

. The squadron was assigned to the 92d Bombardment Wing, but was attached to

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...

as a non-operational unit until the middle of September 1957, when it moved on paper to Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, where it acquired a few Boeing KB-29 Superfortress tankers, but became non-operational again in October. At Fairchild, the 92d Bombardment Wing was converting from

Convair B-36 Peacemaker The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built, although it was exceeded in spa ...

s to

es and the 92d began to equip with the

to support the B-52s in February 1958.Ravenstein, pp. 128–130 The squadron was declared combat ready in September 1958. In March 1959, the 92d flew its first mission supporting

Operation Chrome Dome Operation Chrome Dome was a United States Air Force Cold War-era mission from 1961 to 1968 in which Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, B-52 strategic bomber aircraft armed with thermonuclear weapons remained on continuous airborne alert, flying routes ...

. Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962. The squadron maintained aircraft on alert except for periods when its forces were deployed until the end of the

. Soon after detection of Soviet missiles in Cuba in October 1962,

(SAC) placed additional squadron KC-135s on alert to replace tankers devoted to maintaining 1/8 of SAC's B-52 bomber force on airborne alert. With the exception of aircraft deployed to support advanced Tanker Task Forces, all squadron aircraft went on alert on 24 October, as SAC assumed

DEFCON The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces. For security reasons, the U.S. military does not announce a DEFCON level to the public. The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Sta ...

2. On 21 November, SAC returned to normal airborne alert posture. SAC finally returned to its normal alert posture on 27 November. At various times between January 1970 and December 1975, detachments of the unit were organized at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho and at Malmstrom and Glasgow Air Force Bases, Montana, where the 92d maintained part of its tanker alert force. From the 1980s through the termination of the task forces, the squadron deployed aircraft and crews to Tanker Task Forces in Panama, Alaska, Europe and he Pacific.

Vietnam War

As military operations in Vietnam escalated, the demand for

of attacking aircraft increased. Crews from the squadron became actively involved in Operation Young Tiger starting in 1965, refueling combat aircraft in Southeast Asia (after 1966, it was joined by its sister at Fairchild, the 43d Air Refueling Squadron). Shortly thereafter, the mission of refueling B-52s participating in Operation Arc Light was added. The 92d furnished tankers and crews to support combat in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

until 1975. In 1985, the 392d Bombardment Squadron was consolidated with the 92d Air Refueling Squadron into a single unit, retaining the refueling squadron designation.

Desert Storm and the 1990s

Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on 15 August 1990, the squadron deployed personnel for

Operation Desert Shield , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. Operating until April 1991 to support Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, the squadron personnel, along with those of the 43d Air Refueling Squadron, flew a combined total of 4,004 hours, 721 sorties, and off-loaded 22.5 million pounds of fuel to coalition aircraft. In June 1992, as a result of an Air Force reorganization, the squadron was temporarily separated from its parent of 35 years, when SAC's forces were split between

Air Combat Command The Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the prim ...

(ACC) and

(AMC). While the 92d Wing became part of ACC, the squadron was reassigned to AMC's 453rd Operations Group, which was activated at Fairchild to command AMC refueling forces there. Two years later, the 92d retired its B-52s and became the 92d Air Refueling Wing of AMC. The 453d was inactivated and the squadron was reunited with the 92d. Since 1994, the unit has been involved in virtually every contingency, whether combat or humanitarian relief missions. In addition, its KC-135s have routinely supported special airlift missions. Throughout much of the 1990s, the unit was involved in missions in

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 ...

. Squadron personnel participated in

Operation Desert Strike The 1996 cruise missile strikes on Iraq, codenamed Operation Desert Strike, were joint United States Navy–United States Air Force strikes conducted on 3 September against Anti-aircraft warfare, air defense targets in southern Ba'athist Iraq, ...

, the 1996

cruise missile A cruise missile is an unmanned self-propelled guided missile that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large payload over long distances with high precision. Modern cru ...

attacks on Iraq, and Operation Phoenix Scorpion, the positioning of a rapid deployment force to prepare for coercive strikes if needed when Iraq acted to stop

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

(UN) weapons inspections. It routinely deployed in support of Operations Southern and Northern Watch, which required a constant presence of tankers and personnel to enforce the UN-sanctioned no-fly zones in Iraq. The unit also deployed aircraft and personnel in 1999 to support

Operation Allied Force The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...

, the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...

strikes against Serb forces in the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

Operation Enduring Freedom

Following the terrorist attacks on

9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, the squadron began providing around-the-clock air refueling of

combat air patrol Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft. A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, ...

fighter aircraft and began to maintain ground alert operations in support of

Operation Noble Eagle Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) is the United States and Canadian military operation related to homeland security and support to federal, state, and local agencies. The operation began 11 September 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks.. ...

, the expansion of security forces to defend the United States from potential terrorist attacks. Preparations also began for what would become a series of extended

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

deployments as well as Operation New Dawn, operations in Iraq after August 2010. On 1 October 2007, the 141st Air Refueling Wing became an associate unit of the 92d wing and its

116th Air Refueling Squadron The 116th Air Refueling Squadron (116 ARS) is a unit of the Washington Air National Guard 141st Air Refueling Wing located at Fairchild Air Force Base, Spokane, Washington. The 116th was equipped with variants of the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker f ...

began flying the same aircraft as the 92d squadron and the other flying squadrons of the wing. For ten months during 2011, the squadron relocated its operations to Grant County International Airport and

Spokane International Airport Spokane International Airport is a commercial airport in Spokane, Washington, United States, located approximately west-southwest of Downtown Spokane. It is the primary airport serving the Inland Northwest (United States), Inland Northwest, w ...

c while the Fairchild runway reconstruction project was taking place. Despite significant surge operations throughout the year, the unit was able to support all of its major taskings from the split locations. On 25 February 2014, the unit aircraft and aircrews returned from the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, for the last time. Deployments to Manas had begun in 2005.

Lineage

392d Bombardment Squadron * Constituted as the 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 15 January 1941 * Redesignated: 392d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 April 1942 * Redesignated: 392d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 5 May 1943 : Inactivated on 30 November 1945 * Consolidated with the 92d Air Refueling Squadron as the 92d Air Refueling Squadron on 19 September 1985 92d Air Refueling Squadron * Constituted as the 92d Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 12 February 1957 : Activated on 1 July 1957 * Consolidated with the 92d Air Refueling Squadron on 19 September 1985 : Redesignated 92d Air Refueling Squadron on 1 September 1991Lineage, including assignments, stations and aircraft in Kane, AFHRA Factsheet, except as indicated

Assignments

, 15 January 1941 (attached to 30th Bombardment Group) * III Bomber Command, 4 September 1941 (remained attached to 30th Bombardment Group) * 30th Bombardment Group, 22 April 1942 – 30 November 1945 * 92d Bombardment Wing (later 92d Strategic Aerospace Wing, 92d Bombardment Wing), 1 July 1957 (attached to

, 1 July – 13 September 1957) * 92d Operations Group, 1 September 1991 * 453rd Operations Group, 1 June 1992 * 92d Operations Group, 1 July 1994 – present

Stations

* March Field, California, 15 January 1941 * New Orleans Airport, Louisiana, 5 May 1941 * Muroc Army Air Field, California, 25 December 1941 * Hammer Field, California, 27 February 1942 : Detachment operated from San Diego Airport, California, 10 April – 11 May 1942 * March Field, California, 15 July 1942 – 28 September 1943 * Barking Sands Army Air Field, Hawaii, 20 October 1943 * Canton Airfield, Phoenix Islands, 10 November 1943 * Abemama Airfield, Gilbert Islands, 10 January 1944 * Kwajalein Airfield, Marshall Islands, 17 March 1944 * East Field (Saipan), Mariana Islands, 4 August 1944 * Kipapa Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 18 March 1945 * Kahuku Field, Hawaii Territory, 29 September – 30 November 1945 * Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, 1 July 1957 * Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, 14 September 1957 – present

Aircraft

* Douglas B-18 Bolo (1941) *

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

(1941) * Consolidated LB-30 (1942) * Consolidated B-24 Liberator (1943–1945) * Boeing KB-29 Superfortress (1957) * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (1958–present)

Awards and campaigns

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * ; Further reading *

External links

* * {{US Air Force navbox Military units and formations in Washington (state) 092 Units and formations of Strategic Air Command Military units and formations established in 1957