The 431st Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

unit. It was last assigned to the 4440th Aircraft Delivery Group at

Biggs Air Force Base Biggs Army Airfield (formerly Biggs Air Force Base) is a United States Army military airbase located on the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas. History Biggs Field/Biggs Army Airfield (1916–47) On 15 June 1919, following an attack b ...

, Texas, where it was inactivated on 8 March 1965. From 1957 to 1965, it operated modified Superfortress bombers to refuel tactical Fighter, reconnaissance, and light bomber aircraft.

History

The 431st Air Refueling Squadron was established at

Turner Air Force Base Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for turnin ...

in April 1957 by

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...

(TAC) to provide a dedicated

air refueling Aerial refueling, 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 one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...

capability, initially for

North American F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...

s, and later for other in-flight refueling capable TAC

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...

fighters Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to: Combat and warfare * Combatant, an individual legally entitled to engage in hostilities during an international armed conflict * Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed to destroy or damage enemy warplan ...

and reconnaissance aircraft. The

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

was briefly equipped on activation with Boeing KB-29M Stratofortresses transferred from

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both 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 ...

's 508th Air Refueling Squadron, formerly assigned to the 31st Strategic Fighter Wing, which was inactivated at Turner in July. These aircraft were bombers converted to tankers using a British-developed hose refueling system. The 431st re-equipped in June 1957 with the

Boeing KB-50 Superfortress The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, and ot ...

, which provided greater speed to refuel jet aircraft. KB-50s were modified about 1960 to KB-50J configuration which added a J-47 turbojet engine underneath each wing in place of the auxiliary fuel tanks to increase the speed of the aircraft. In `958, TAC placed its refueling units under the 4505th Air Refueling Wing, which was located at

Langley Air Force Base Langley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Hampton, Virginia, adjacent to Newport News, Virginia, Newport News. It was one of List of airfields of the Training Section of the United States Army Air Service, thirty-two ...

, Virginia. In 1959, the squadron moved to

, Texas. By 1964 the unit's aircraft were being phased out due to age. They were being replaced by

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 developm ...

s and

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpor ...

s The squadron inactivated in March 1965 and its KB-50Js were sent to the

Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

Davis–Monthan Air Force Base Davis–Monthan Air Force Base (DM AFB) is a United States Air Force base southeast of downtown Tucson, Arizona. It was established in 1925 as Davis–Monthan Landing Field. The host unit for Davis–Monthan AFB is the 355th Wing (355 WG) ass ...

, Arizona. When it inactivated the squadron was the last USAF KB-50 unit.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 431st Air Refueling Squadron, Fighter-Bomber on 8 January 1957 : Activated on 1 April 1957 : Redesignated 431st Air Refueling Squadron, Tactical on 1 July 1958 : Inactivated on 8 March 1965

Assignments

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...

, 1 April 1957 (attached to 31st Fighter-Bomber Wing)Ravenstein, p. 55 * 31st Fighter-Bomber Wing, 1 November 1957 * 4505th Air Refueling Wing, 1 July 1958 * 4440th Aircraft Delivery Group, 8 October 1963 – 8 March 1965

Stations

* Turner Air Force Base, Georgia, 1 April 1957 * Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, 18 July 1959 – 8 March 1965

Aircraft

* Boeing KB-29M Superfortress, 1957 * Boeing KB-50J Superfortress, 1957–1965

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

TacTankers.com - 431st Air Refueling Squadron
{{Tactical Air Command Air refueling squadrons of the United States Air Force