93d Air Refueling Squadron
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The 93rd Air Refueling Squadron is an active
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 ...
unit, stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, where it is assigned to the 92nd Operations Group and operates the
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 ...
aircraft conducting
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. The earliest predecessor of the squadron is the 493rd Bombardment Squadron, which was activated in India in October 1942 and was equipped with
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 ...
s in January 1943. It participated in combat in the China Burma India Theater with the Liberator until V-J Day, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation in March 1945. Dring the period in which
Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the Bo ...
bombers operated from India, it also transported gasoline to forward bases in China. After the end of hostilities, it returned to the United States for inactivation in January 1946. The 93rd Air Refueling Squadron was activated in March 1949 and equipped with Boeing KB-29 Superfortress tankers. It upgraded to the
Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Design and developme ...
in 1953, and the KC-135 in 1957. For most of its time at Castle Air Force Base, California, it served as the training unit for KC-135 aircrews, but also maintained combat readiness to execute
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 ...
(SAC) missions. In September 1985 the two squadrons were consolidated into a single unit. When SAC inactivated in 1992, the squadron 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, ...
. In March 1995, the squadron was inactivated at Castle, but activated the same day at Fairchild, where it assumed the personnel of another unit.


Mission

The squadron provides
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 ...
, as well as rapid and reliable passenger and cargo airlift and
aeromedical evacuation Aeromedical evacuation (AE) is the use of military transport aircraft to carry wounded personnel. The first recorded British ambulance flight took place in 1917 in the Sinai Peninsula some 30 miles south of El Arish when a Royal Aircraft ...
. It supports U.S. and coalition conventional operations and
United States Strategic Command The United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USSTRATCOM is responsible for Strategic_nuclear_weap ...
strategic deterrence missions. It deploys expeditionary combat support forces to support worldwide contingency requirements.


History


World War II

The 7th Bombardment Group was deploying to the Philippines when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor. With the
air base An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...
s in the Philippines in Japanese hands, it engaged in combat in Australia and the Netherlands East Indies. By late spring 1942, it had moved to India.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 43-45 In India, it was assigned two
medium bomber A medium bomber is a military bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized Aerial bomb, bombloads over medium Range (aeronautics), range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombe ...
squadrons, the 11th and 22d Bombardment Squadrons,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 59-60, 115-116 and two
heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...
squadrons, the 9th and 436th Bombardment Squadrons. In September, the two medium squadrons were reassigned to form the cadre for the new 341st Bombardment Group, while the 492nd and 493rd Bombardment Squadrons were organized to take their places and make the 7th Group an all heavy bomber unit. The 493rd Bombardment Squadron was activated at Camp Malir near
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
, India (now Pakistan). It initially was nominally manned, but after moving to Pandaveswar Airfield, India in January 1943, it drew its cadre from the 9th Bombardment Squadron and received substantial manning by the end of the month. The squadron flew its first combat mission on 26 January 1943 when it bombed docks, shipping, and warehouses at
Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
, Burma. The squadron engaged in strategic bombardment operations, primarily directed against Japanese forces in Burma. with attacks on airfields, fuel and supply dumps, docks, shipping and warehouses. In particular the Burmese rail system was a focus with attacks on railways, locomotive works, and bridges. The squadron also attacked oil refineries and railroads in Thailand and power production facilities in China. It conducted strikes on enemy shipping in the Andaman Sea. As the 1944 monsoon began in June, the squadron moved to Tezgaon Airfield, India (now Bangla Desh). There, it ceased combat operations and began ferrying fuel over
the Hump The Hump was the name given by Allies of World War II, Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from British Raj, India to Republic of China (1912- ...
to
Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizatio ...
in China. Supply operations continued until September, when it returned to Pandaveswar. On 27 December a detachment of the squadron moved to Luliang Airfield, China, where it resumed
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 ...
operations, hauling gasoline to Suichwan Airfield, China until late January 1945. The squadron began practice with VB-1 Azon ("Azimuth only") controllable bombs. B-24s using the Azon were specially equipped with electronics to control the bombs. Azon bombs were radio controlled and could be steered left or right, although their trajectory could not be changed to shorten or lengthen their flight to target. The VB-1 was particularly suited to long and narrow targets like bridges or railways where range errors would be irrelevant. For this reason, the squadron used them almost exclusively for attacks on bridges. 27 bridges in Burma were destroyed with the bomb, including the
Bridge on the River Kwai ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' is a 1957 epic film, epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the novel The Bridge over the River Kwai, ''The Bridge over the River Kwai'', written by Pierre Boulle. Boulle's novel and the film's screen ...
. Perhaps the greatest success with the VB-1 was on 27 December 1944, when 9 of the bombs destroyed the rail bridge at Pyinmana, Burma, which had stood despite a rain of thousands of bombs in the two previous years. On 30 December 1944, the squadron launched four B-24s equipped with Azon bombs along with two regular Liberators. The primary target was the Nyaungchudauk bridge in Burma with its bypass bridge as the first alternate target and the Taungup bridge as second alternate. Direct hits demolished the primary and bypass bridge. The regular B-24s failed in their attempt to destroy the nearby Okshitpin bridge, but the Azon crews destroyed it in two passes. The Azon equipped planes then crossed the mountains to drop a span of the Taungup road bridge. In all, four major bridges were disabled with a few Azon bombs still remaining. The squadron made its first Azon attack on 27 December 1944. On 19 March, the 493rd earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for attacks against rail lines and bridges in Thailand. The squadron also dropped propaganda leaflets in Thailand from June through September 1945 for the
Office of War Information The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...
. After V-J Day the 493rd Squadron staged through Dudhkundi Airfield, India, Kanchrapara Airfield, India, and Camp Angus (near
Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
), India, departing Calcutta aboard the on 7 December 1945. The vessel reached the Port of Embarkation on 5 January 1946 and the squadron inactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, the following day


Strategic Air Command


KB-29 operations

The second predecessor of the squadron was the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, which activated at Castle Air Force Base, California on 1 March 1949 and was assigned to the 93rd Bombardment Group. The squadron remained unmanned for over a year, finally receiving personnel in September 1950. It started receiving Boeing KB-29 Superfortress tankers the following month, but was not considered combat ready until October 1951. It primarily provided
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 ...
for the 93rd Bombardment Wing's bombers for their wartime mission, training, exercises and overseas deployments. The 93rd deployed with its KB-29s to RAF Upper Heyford, England from 6 Dec 1951 to 6 Mar 1952. In June 1952, the squadron was reassigned from the 93rd Bombardment Group, which had not been operational since February 1951, directly to the 93rd Bombardment Wing.. The squadron supported Operation Fox Peter II, the movement of the 31st Fighter-Escort Wing from the United States to Japan, in July 1952 using KB-29Ps flying from
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 ...
and Kwajalein to refuel 58 Republic F-84G Thunderjet fighters on their way to the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
.


KC-97 operations

The squadron began to convert from KB-29s to
Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Design and developme ...
s in November 1953 and completed the conversion in December. The squadron frequently deployed its tankers, beginning with a deployment to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona from 1 April to 15 May 1954. It deployed twice to forward locations overseas, including to Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland, from 19 June to 14 August 1954 and to
Thule Air Base Pituffik Space Base ( ; ; ), formerly Thule Air Base (), is a United States Space Force base located on the northwest coast of Greenland in the Kingdom of Denmark under a defense agreement between Denmark and the United States. 150 United Stat ...
, Greenland, from 19 January to March 1955. It also deployed twice to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, from 2 November 1955 to 5 January 1956 and from 27 September to December 1956. The 93rd began training its aircrews to operate
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 in May 1957.


KC-135 operations

The squadron was the first Stratotanker squadron in the Air Force. Shortly after converting to the Stratotanker, it assumed KC-135 aircrew training as primary mission. On 1 July 1959, the 924th Air Refueling Squadron was activated at Castle, drawing its cadre from the 93rd and assuming the training mission. SAC's commander, General Thomas S. Power, had established an initial goal of maintaining one third of SAC's planes on fifteen minute ground alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike,Schake, p. 220 (note 43) and the squadron began placing aircraft on alert. The SAC alert commitment increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962. Soon after 1962 detection of Soviet missiles in Cuba, SAC brought all degraded and adjusted alert sorties were up to full capability. As SAC launched 1/8 of its
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, additional KC-135 were placed on alert to replace KC-135s devoted to refueling the airborne B-52 bombers. On 24 October SAC went to
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, placing all aircraft on alert. On 27 November SAC returned to normal alert posture. On 21 August 1963, the 93rd ceased standing alert and on 26 August again began KC-135 aircrew training as its primary mission, it routinely supported Alaskan, European, and Pacific tanker task forces. It refueled wing B-52s to support their wartime taskings; and other US Air Force, Navy, and Marine aircraft for routine training, operations, exercises, and worldwide contingencies that required tanker support, but did not stand alert. The squadron also provided specialized training of shorter duration to senior officers (such as wing commanders). For a period the 93rd also sent instructor teams to locations where
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 ...
and
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. ...
units were converting to KC-135 tanker operations to help in-house training programs. On 1 September 1991, SAC reorganized its wings in the Objective Wing reorganizationn, and the squadron was reassigned to the 93rd Operations Group.


Air Mobility Command

In June 1992, the Air Force reorganized its major commands, inactivating SAC. The 93rd Wing and its support and
heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...
units, was assigned to the new
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 ...
, while its refueling units, including the 93rd, 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, ...
(AMC), which activated the 398th Operations Group at Castle as the headquarters for refueling units there. The 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) directed closure of Castle. In addition, BRAC directed AMC to move its tanker training to
Tinker Air Force Base Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, adjacent to Del City and Midwest City. The ba ...
, Oklahoma, where its
97th Air Mobility Wing The 97th Air Mobility Wing (97 AMW) is a United States Air Force (USAF) unit assigned to Nineteenth Air Force of Air Education and Training Command. It is stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing is also the host unit at Altus. It ...
was already conducting
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 ...
crew training. AMC activated the 55th Air Refueling Squadron at Tinker to conduct this training. On 31 Mar 1995, the 93rd was inactivated at Castle, but was activated the same day at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, where it assumed the mission, personnel and equipment of the 96th Air Refueling Squadron, which was inactivated. At Fairchild, the 93rd was assigned to the 92nd Operations Group. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, the squadron deployed tankers and aircrew that refueled combat aircraft for Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. During a 2013 deployment to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, a crew from the squadron perished when their KC-135 crashed near Chaldovar.


Lineage

; 493rd Bombardment Squadron * Constituted as the 493rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 September 1942 : Activated on 25 October 1942 : Redesignated 493rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 6 March 1944 : Inactivated on 6 January 1946 * Consolidated with the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron as the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron on 19 September 1985 ; 93rd Air Refueling Squadron : Constituted as the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Medium on 2 February 1949 : Activated on 1 March 1949 : Redesignated 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 1 February 1955 * Consolidated with the 493rd Bombardment Squadron on 19 September 1985 : Redesignated 93rd Air Refueling Squadron on 1 September 1991 : Inactivated on 31 March 1995 * Activated on 31 March 1995


Assignments

* 7th Bombardment Group, 25 October 1942 – 6 January 1946 * 93rd Bombardment Group, 1 March 1949 (attached to 93rd Bombardment Wing, 15 July 1950 – 30 January 1951 and after 10 February 1951) * 93rd Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952 * 93rd Operations Group, 1 September 1991 * 398th Operations Group, 1 June 1992 – 31 March 1995 * 92nd Operations Group, 31 March 1995 – present


Stations

* Camp Malir, Karachi, India, 25 October 1942 * Pandaveswar Airfield, India, 7 January 1943 * Tezgaon Airfield, India, 17 June 1944 * Pandaveswar Airfield, India, 5 October 1944 (detachment at Luliang Airfield, China 17 December 1944 – 26 January 1945) * Dudhkundi Airfield, India, 31 October 1945 * Kanchrapara Airfield, India, 19 November 1945 * Camp Angus, Calcutta, India, 25 November – 7 December 1945 * Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 5–6 January 1946 * Castle Air Force Base, California, 1 March 1949 – 31 March 1995 (deployed to RAF Upper Heyford, England, 9 December 1951 – 6 March 1952; Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona 1 April – 15 May 1954; Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland, 19 June – 14 August 1954; Thule Air Base, Greenland, 19 January – c. 15 March 1955; Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, 2 November 1955 – 5 January 1956, 27 September – c. 24 December 1956) * Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, 31 March 1995 – present


Aircraft

* Consolidated B-24 Liberator (1943–1945) * Boeing KB-29 Superfortress (1950–1953) * Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter (1953–1957) * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (1957–1995, 1995–present)


Awards and campaigns


See also

*
List of United States Air Force air refueling squadrons This is a list of United States Air Force air refueling squadrons. Air refueling squadrons See also

*List of United States Air Force squadrons {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of United States Air Force Air Refueling Squadrons Lists of United Stat ...
* B-24 Liberator units of the United States Army Air Forces * List of B-29 Superfortress operators * Tail stripe


References


Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * ; Further reading * * {{USAF air refueling units Military units and formations in Washington (state) 093 Military units and formations established in 1949 Units and formations of Strategic Air Command