434th Air Refueling Wing
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The 434th Air Refueling Wing is an Air Reserve Component of the
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 Si ...
. It is assigned to the
Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Res ...
,
Air Force Reserve Command 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 ...
, stationed at
Grissom Air Reserve Base Grissom Air Reserve Base is a United States Air Force base, located about north of Kokomo in Cass and Miami counties in Indiana. The facility was established as a U.S. Navy installation, Naval Air Station Bunker Hill, in 1942 and was an active ...
, Indiana. The 434th Air Refueling Wing principal mission is
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 ...
. If mobilized, the Wing is gained by the
Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elemen ...
. In July 1949,
Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary augm ...
(ConAC) reopened Atterbury Air Force Base, Indiana, a
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
field, as a training base for
reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US ...
flying units and activated the 434th Troop Carrier Wing there the wing initially flew the
Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF 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 and remained ...
, but soon converted to
Curtiss C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a twin-engine transport aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company pub ...
s, and is now operating the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Today, the 434th is one of the Air Force's busiest air refueling reorganizations, frequently deploying its personnel and aircraft around the world to support combat forces as part of the
Global War on Terrorism The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...
. Most recently, the wing has been mobilized in support of
Operation Inherent Resolve Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) is the U.S. military's operational name for the International military intervention against IS, including both a campaign in Iraq and a campaign in Syria, with a closely-related campaign in Libya. Throu ...
. The wing has also deployed in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 a ...
,
Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
, Operation New Dawn, and
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.. ...
.


Overview

The 434th Air Refueling Wing principal mission is
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 ...
. The
wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...
enhances the Air Force's capability to accomplish its primary missions of global reach and global power. It also provides air refueling support to Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps aircraft as well as aircraft of allied nations. The wing is also capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients using patient support pallets during aeromedical evacuations. It also has special taskings to generate aircraft and crews in support of the
Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elemen ...
.
Air Force Reserve Command 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 ...
, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and 4th Air Force,
March Air Reserve Base March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB) is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's ...
, California, provide command and supervisory guidance prior to mobilization. The 434th Air Refueling Wing regularly participates in exercises and front-line operations to support America's national interests. The
Air Force Reserve Command 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 ...
provides a substantial portion of the Department of Defense's total aerial refueling capability. Hence, the 434th receives its share of taskings both during peacetime and times of crisis to support our nation's active duty military forces. It holds the record for most air refuelings in a one-week period when the unit performed 290 aerial refuelings, with over one million pounds of fuel offloaded. The unit also set a single day record of refueling 90 aircraft, with over 283,000 pounds of fuel offloaded. These records were established in 1981. In addition to being a self-contained combat-ready unit, the 434th Air Refueling Wing also has the responsibility to operate and maintain
Grissom Air Reserve Base Grissom Air Reserve Base is a United States Air Force base, located about north of Kokomo in Cass and Miami counties in Indiana. The facility was established as a U.S. Navy installation, Naval Air Station Bunker Hill, in 1942 and was an active ...
. Grissom is one of only five Air Force Reserve Bases nationwide


Units

The 434th Air Refueling Wing consists of the following major units: :
434th Operations Group The 434th Operations Group (434 OG) is an active United States Air Force Reserve unit. It is the flying component of the Fourth Air Force 434th Air Refueling Wing, stationed at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana. The unit's World War II predec ...
::434th Operations Support Squadron ::
72nd Air Refueling Squadron The 72nd Air Refueling Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 434th Operations Group, 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom Joint Air Reserve Base, Indiana. The 72nd operates the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircr ...
::
74th Air Refueling Squadron The 74th Air Refueling Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 434th Operations Group, stationed at Grissom Joint Air Reserve Base, Indiana. Overview The 74th ARS operates the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conduc ...
:434th Maintenance Group ::434th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron ::434th Maintenance Squadron :434th Mission Support Group ::434th Force Support Squadron ::434th Security Forces Squadron ::434th Civil Engineer Squadron ::434th Communications Squadron ::434th Operational Contracting Flight ::434th Logistics Readiness Squadron ::49th Aerial Port Squadron :434th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Included in these major organizations are such areas as flight operations, aircraft maintenance, plans and programs, safety, airfield management, security police, military personnel, services, communications, medical support, information management, administration, and civil engineering.


History

: ''for related history, see
434th Operations Group The 434th Operations Group (434 OG) is an active United States Air Force Reserve unit. It is the flying component of the Fourth Air Force 434th Air Refueling Wing, stationed at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana. The unit's World War II predec ...
''


Initial activation and Korean War mobilization

In July 1949,
Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary augm ...
(ConAC) reopened Atterbury Air Force Base, Indiana, a
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
field, as a training base for
reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US ...
flying units and activated the 434th Troop Carrier Wing there. The wing was organized under the wing base organization, and its operational component, the
434th Troop Carrier Group 434th may refer to: *434th Air Refueling Wing, one of the key refueling units in the US Air Force Reserve *434th Bombardment Squadron, an inactive United States Air Force unit *434th Fighter Training Squadron (434 FTS), part of the 47th Flying Trai ...
, moved to Atterbury from
Stout Field Stout is a dark, top-fermented beer with a number of variations, including dry stout, oatmeal stout, milk stout, and imperial stout. The first known use of the word ''stout'' for beer, in a document dated 1677 found in the Egerton Manuscripts ...
, Indiana. President Truman’s reduced 1949 defense budget also required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force, and the wing drew its
cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics) In political contexts a cadre (, , ) consists of a person recognized as a capable militant within a political ...
from the 323d Air Division, which was inactivated at Stout. The wing was manned at 25% of normal strength but its combat group was authorized four squadrons rather than the three of active duty units. The wing trained under the supervision of the 2466th Air Force Reserve Training Center at Atterbury. The wing initially flew the
Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF 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 and remained ...
, but soon converted to
Curtiss C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a twin-engine transport aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company pub ...
s, and training for the most part consisted of transition flying training. Before the transition was completed, the Group spent two weeks in the summer of 1950 (8–22 July) on active duty in a summer encampment. All reserve combat and corollary units, including the 434th Wing, were mobilized for the Korean war. The wing was part of the second wave of reserve activations, which included all
Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...
units. These units were used as fillers for other units, except for 434th. Instead, the wing was one of six C-46 wings mobilized for
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 Ju ...
, which used them to form
Eighteenth Air Force Eighteenth Air Force (Air Forces Transportation) (18 AF) is the only Numbered Air Force (NAF) in Air Mobility Command (AMC) and one of the largest NAFs in the United States Air Force. 18 AF was activated on 28 March 1951, inactivated on 1 Janu ...
. The wing trained at Atterbury until January 1952, when it moved to
Lawson Air Force Base Lawson may refer to: Places Australia * Lawson, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Lawson, New South Wales, a town in the Blue Mountains Canada * Lawson, Saskatchewan * Lawson Island, Nunavut United States * Lawson, Arkansa ...
, Georgia. It flew in
military exercise A military exercise or war game is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat. This also serves the purpose of ensuring the co ...
s and flew missions to support
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
airborne forces training at
Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama– Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employee ...
. In September, the wing began to provide combat crew training for aircrews being assigned to C-46 units with Far East Air Forces. On 1 February 1953, the wing transferred its mission, personnel and equipment to the newly activated 464th Troop Carrier Wing, a regular Air Force unit, and was inactivated.


Reactivation in the reserves

The wing was reactivated at Atterbury the same day, taking over the aircraft and personnel of the 87th Troop Carrier Wing, which was inactivated. The reserve mobilization for the Korean war had left the Reserve without aircraft until July 1952 and the 87th Wing had been formed at that time. The 434th returned to its previous reserve training role upon its return. During the first half of 1955, the Air Force began detaching Air Force Reserve squadrons from their parent wing locations to separate sites. The concept offered several advantages: communities were more likely to accept the smaller squadrons than the large wings and the location of separate squadrons in smaller population centers would facilitate recruiting and manning. As it finally evolved in the spring of 1955, the Continental Air Command’s plan called for placing Air Force Reserve units at fifty-nine installations located throughout the United States. In time, the detached squadron program proved successful in attracting additional participants Although the 71st and
72d Troop Carrier Squadron 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...
s remained at Bakalar Air Force Base,On 13 November 1954, the base was renamed Bakalar Air Force Base in a formal dedication ceremony in honor of First Lieutenant John Edmond Bakalar. the
73d Troop Carrier Squadron The 73rd Airlift Squadron, sometimes written as 73d Airlift Squadron, is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 932nd Operations Group, stationed at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Originally constituted as the ''73rd Troo ...
moved to Dress Memorial Airport, Indiana in June 1957, then to
Scott Air Force Base Scott Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in St. Clair County, Illinois, near Belleville and O'Fallon, east-southeast of downtown St. Louis. Scott Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the ...
, Illinois in November.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 263–264Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 267–268Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 270 The 434th continued to train with the 2466th Center, converting from Curtiss Commandos to the
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechan ...
in 1957. However, in July 1959 the center was inactivated and some of its personnel were absorbed by the wing. In place of active duty support for reserve units, ConAC adopted the Air Reserve Technician Program, in which a
cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics) In political contexts a cadre (, , ) consists of a person recognized as a capable militant within a political ...
of the unit consisted of full-time personnel who were simultaneously civilian employees of the Air Force and held rank as members of the reserves. This followed a reorganization of the wing under the Dual Deputate organization,Under this plan flying squadrons reported to the wing Deputy Commander for Operations and maintenance squadrons reported to the wing Deputy Commander for Maintenance all flying squadrons were directly assigned to the wing and the 434th Troop Carrier Group was inactivated.


Activation of groups under the wing

Although the dispersal of flying units was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it proved difficult. This weakness was demonstrated in the partial mobilization of reserve units during the
Berlin Crisis of 1961 The Berlin Crisis of 1961 (german: Berlin-Krise) occurred between 4 June – 9 November 1961, and was the last major European politico-military incident of the Cold War about the occupational status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of ...
To resolve this, at the start of 1962, ConAC determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishing
groups A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
with support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons. This reorganization would facilitate mobilization of elements of wings in various combinations when needed. However, as this plan was entering its implementation phase, another partial mobilization, which included the 434th Wing, occurred for the
Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
, with the units being released on 28 November 1962 after a month of active service. The wing's C-119 squadrons began transporting supplies, equipment and Army personnel to Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. The formation of troop carrier groups was delayed until February 1963 for wings that had been mobilized.Cantwell, pp. 189–191 The 930th Troop Carrier Group and 931st Troop Carrier Group at Bakalar and the 932d Troop Carrier Group at Scott, were all assigned to the wing on 11 February. On 1 October 1966, the 932d Group was released from assignment to the 434th and reassigned to the 442d Military Airlift Wing at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri, in preparation for heavy cargo operations. On 1 July 1967, the 434th was redesignated the 434th Tactical Airlift Wing, its subordinate groups and squadrons also being re-designated as Tactical Airlift units. On 13 May 1968, the 930th Tactical Airlift Group was mobilized for combat duty in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, the 71st Tactical Airlift Squadron's C-119 aircraft were selected for modification to the AC-119G Gunship configuration with powerful searchlights and rapid-fire machine guns. The squadron and its Bakalar reservists moved to Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio on 11 June. The 71st was subsequently redesignated as the 71st Air Commando Squadron on 15 June and eventually deployed to
Nha Trang Air Base Nha Trang Air Base (also known as Camp McDermott Airfield and Long Van Airfield) was a French Air Force, Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF), United States Air Force (USAF) and Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) ''(Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet N ...
, South Vietnam on 5 December where it was assigned to the 14th Special Operations Wing. The 71st was the only USAF reserve unit to serve in Vietnam. On 25 June 1969, the 931st Tactical Airlift Group was redesignated as the 931st Tactical Air Support Group and re-equipped with Cessna U-3A Blue Canoe light utility aircraft. The group's C-119s were transferred to the 71st Special Operations Squadron and modified to the AC-119G configuration. Due to funding reductions in 1969, Bakalar Air Force Base was selected for closure. The 434th Tactical Airlift Wing was inactivated on 31 December 1969 with the closure of Bakalar AFB. On 15 January 1971, the 434th was reactivated at Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana, as the 434th Special Operations Wing. Its operational squadron was the 71st Special Operations Squadron, with the AC-119s transferred from Bakalar AFB. The 434th conducted routine reserve training until 30 September 1973 when its 71st SOS was inactivated and its AC-119s retired. The wing was redesignated as the 434th Tactical Fighter Wing with a new tactical air operation mission. The 45th and
46th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 46th Fighter Training Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 917th Operations Group at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. where it was inactivated on 1 October 1993. The squadron was first ...
were equipped with
Cessna A-37 Dragonfly The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is an American light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. The A-37 was introduced during the Vietnam War and remained in pe ...
aircraft for close air support missions. The 46th was inactivated on 1 July 1978. The 434th provided combat crew training for USAF and friendly foreign nations until June 1980. The A-37s were then transferred to other units. In April 1981, the 434th received the
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic ...
aircraft and the wing's mission changed to training forward air controllers. The 45th Squadron provided A-10 tactical fighter training for reserve and guard pilots until June 1987 when the squadron was reassigned to the 930th Tactical Fighter Group at Grissom, which was assigned to the 434th as a subordinate unit until 30 September 1994 when it was inactivated.


Post Cold War era

Reflecting the 434th's composite mission, the 434th was redesignated as the 434th Wing on 1 August 1992 and also implemented the Objective Organization Plan. The 434th Operations Group was activated that date. The 434th Wing, consisted of
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 trans ...
and A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and was responsible for air refueling and
close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movemen ...
missions. Changes in the Air Force mission led to the unit being reorganized once again. The 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission directed realignment of Grissom to 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 commi ...
. The wing assumed KC-135s of the active-duty 305th Air Refueling Wing, which moved to
McGuire Air Force Base McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is under the j ...
, New Jersey. With the transfer of the A-10 equipped 930th Group on 30 September 1994, the wing was again redesignated as the 434th Air Refueling Wing on 1 October 1994. During the December 1993 to February 1997 time period, the wing staged four separate deployments to Europe to support Operation Decisive Endeavor, the United Nation's enforcement of the no-fly zone over war-torn Bosnia. In May 1999, the 434th ARW was called upon to provide aerial refueling support to Operation Allied Force as personnel and aircraft were deployed to various European locations. In 1997 Grissom was reassigned to
Air Force Reserve Command 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 ...
.


Global War on Terrorism

Today, the 434th is one of the Air Force's busiest air refueling reorganizations, frequently deploying its personnel and aircraft around the world to support combat forces as part of the
Global War on Terrorism The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...
. Most recently, the wing has been mobilized in support of
Operation Inherent Resolve Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) is the U.S. military's operational name for the International military intervention against IS, including both a campaign in Iraq and a campaign in Syria, with a closely-related campaign in Libya. Throu ...
. The wing has also deployed in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 a ...
,
Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
, Operation New Dawn, and
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.. ...
.


Lineage

* Established as the 434th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium and activated in the Reserve on 1 July 1949 : Ordered to Active Service on 1 May 1951 : Inactivated on 1 February 1953 * Activated in the Reserve on 1 February 1953 : Ordered to Active Service on 28 October 1962 : Relieved from Active Duty on 28 November 1962 : Redesignated 434th Tactical Airlift Wing on 1 July 1967 : Inactivated on 31 December 1969 * Redesignated 434th Special Operations Wing on 12 January 1971 : Activated in the Reserve on 15 January 1971 : Redesignated 434th Tactical Fighter Wing on 1 October 1973 : Redesignated 434th Air Refueling Wing, Heavy on 1 July 1987 : Redesignated 434th Air Refueling Wing on 1 February 1992 : Redesignated 434th Wing on 1 August 1992 : Redesignated 434th Air Refueling Wing on 1 October 1994


Assignments

* Tenth Air Force, 1 July 1949 * Tactical Air Command, 2 May 1951 * Eighteenth Air Force, 1 June 1951 – 1 February 1953 * Second Air Reserve District, 1 February 1953 * Tenth Air Force, 15 April 1953 * Fifth Air Force Reserve Region, 1 September 1960 *
Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to ...
, 28 October 1962 * Fifth Air Force Reserve Region, 28 November 1962 – 31 December 1969 * Central Air Force Reserve Region, 15 January 1971 * Tenth Air Force, 8 October 1976 *
Twenty-Second Air Force Twenty-Second Air Force (22 AF) is a Numbered Air Force component of Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It was activated on 1 July 1993 and is headquartered at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. In the event of mobilization, some of the Twenty ...
, 1 October 1993 *
Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Res ...
, 1 April 1997 – present


Components

; Groups * 98th Air Refueling Group: 1 October 1987 – 1 August 1992 * 434th Troop Carrier Group (later 434th Operations Group): 1 July 1949 – 1 February 1953; 1 February 1953 – 14 April 1959; 1 August 1992 – present * 442d Tactical Fighter Group: 1 October 1982 – 1 February 1984 * 908th Tactical Air Support Group: 1 July – 25 October 1971 (detached after 1 October 1971) * 910th Tactical Air Support Group (later 910th Special OperationsGroup, 910 Tactical Fighter Group): 21 April 1971 – 1 April 1981 * 916th Air Refueling Group: 1 July 1987 – 1 October 1994 * 917th Military Airlift Group (later 917th Special Operations; 917 Tactical Fighter) Group: 25 February 1972 – 1 July 1987 * 926th Tactical Airlift Group (later 926th Tactical Fighter Group): 1 January 1978 – 1 February 1984 * 927th Air Refueling Group: 1 August 1992 – 1 October 1994 * 930th Troop Carrier Group (later 930th Tactical Airlift Group, 930th Special Operations Group, 930th Tactical Fighter Group, 930th Operations Group): 11 February 1963 – 13 May 1968; 18 June-31 December 1969; 15 January 1971 – 1 July 1975; 1 August 1992 – 30 September 1994 * 931st Troop Carrier Group (later 931st Tactical Airlift Group, 931st Tactical Air Support Group 931st Special Operations Group, 931st Tactical Fighter Group): 11 February 1963 – 31 December 1969; 15 January 1971 – 1 July 1975 * 932d Troop Carrier Group: 11 February 1963 – 1 October 1966 ; Squadrons * 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 1 July 1975 – 1 July 1987 * 46th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 1 July 1975 – 1 July 1978 * 71st Troop Carrier Squadron: 14 April 1959 – 11 February 1963 * 72d Troop Carrier Squadron (later 72d Air Refueling Squadron): 14 April 1959 – 11 February 1963; 1 July 1987 – 1 August 1992 * 73d Troop Carrier Squadron: 14 April 1959 – 11 February 1963


Stations

* Atterbury Air Force Base, Indiana, 1 July 1949 * Lawson Air Force Base, Georgia, 23 January 1952 – 1 February 1953 * Atterbury Air Force Base (later Bakalar Air Force Base), Indiana, 1 February 1953 – 31 December 1969 * Grissom Air Force Base (later Grissom Air Reserve Base), Indiana, 15 January 1971 – present


Aircraft

*
Beechcraft T-7 Navigator The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937 to November ...
, 1953–1957 * Beechcraft T-11 Wichita, 1953–1957 * Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1949 * C-46 Commando, 1949–1953; 1953–1957 *
North American T-6 Texan The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air force ...
, 1953 * Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor, 1953–1957 * Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1957–1969 * Cessna U-3 Blue Canoe, 1969, 1971 *
Cessna O-2 Skymaster The Cessna O-2 Skymaster (nicknamed "Oscar Deuce") is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster, used for forward air control (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS) by the US military between 1967 and 2010. Design and develo ...
, 1971 * Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, 1971–1982 *
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shaky", is an American heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. The C-124 was the primary heavy-lift transport for United States Air Force (U ...
, 1972 * Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, 1980–1987, 1992–1994 * Fairchild Republic OA-10 Thunderbolt II, 1980–1987, 1992–1994 * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 1987–present * McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender, 1987–1994


References

; Notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * Rogers, Brian (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications. . {{USAF Air Force Reserve Command Military in units based in Indiana 0434