HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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 Signal ...
's 6th Air Refueling Wing is the host wing for
MacDill Air Force Base MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...
, Florida. It is part of
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 elements ...
's (AMC)
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's
6th Operations Group The 6th Operations Group (6 OG) is the operational flying component of the 6th Air Refueling Wing, stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. The mission of the 6th OG is the planning and executing global aerial refueling, combatant commande ...
is a successor organization of the 3d Observation Group, one of the seven original combat air groups formed by the
United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...
shortly after the end of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The 6th Air Refueling Wing provides day-to-day mission support to more than 3,000 personnel along with more than 50 mission partners, including the
United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Tas ...
and
United States Special Operations Command The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Arm ...
. It is a force capable of rapidly projecting air refueling power anywhere in the world. The 6 ARW is organized into four unique groups and three operational flying squadrons to carry out its mission to be provide air refueling, airlift, and air base support.


Units

The 6th Air Refueling Wing consists of the following units: * 6th Maintenance Group *
6th Operations Group The 6th Operations Group (6 OG) is the operational flying component of the 6th Air Refueling Wing, stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. The mission of the 6th OG is the planning and executing global aerial refueling, combatant commande ...
:: 50th Air Refueling Squadron KC-135R ::
91st Air Refueling Squadron The 91st Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling missions. The squadron was first activated in January 1941 ...
KC-135R ::
99th Air Refueling Squadron The 99th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, but is stationed at Birmingham Air National Guard Base, Alabama. It is an Active Associate Unit, an active duty component attached to the Ala ...
KC-135R (Active Associate to ANG -
Sumpter Smith Air National Guard Base Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation located at a Birmingham, Alabama in the United States. It hosts the 117th Air Refueling Wing, part of the Air National Guard, which operates the KC-135R Str ...
,
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
) ::
911th Air Refueling Squadron The 911th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 916th Air Refueling Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina. The squadron is the Air Force's very first active duty squadron that is under the command of a reserve wing. In October 2016, th ...
KC-46A (Active Associate to AFRC -
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an airplane crash near Norbeck, Maryland, ...
,
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
) * 6th Medical Group * 6th Mission Support Group * 6th Comptroller Squadron


History


Strategic bomber operations

The 6th Bombardment Wing (Medium) was activated
Walker Air Force Base Walker Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force base located three miles (5 km) south of the central business district of Roswell, New Mexico. It was opened in 1941 as an Army Air Corps flying school and was active during World ...
, New Mexico on 2 January 1951, where it was assigned to
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 ...
(SAC)'s
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
. The 24th, 39th and
40th Bombardment Squadron The Motorola 68040 ("''sixty-eight-oh-forty''") is a 32-bit microprocessor in the Motorola 68000 series, released in 1990. It is the successor to the 68030 and is followed by the 68060, skipping the 68050. In keeping with general Motorola nami ...
s were simultaneously activated. The squadrons were nominally assigned to the wing's
6th Bombardment Group Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film '' GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Ale ...
, but the
group 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 iden ...
was not operational and the squadrons were attached directly to 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 expres ...
's
headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...
until the group was inactivated in June 1952. The wing was equipped with
Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an 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 B-17 Fl ...
bombers. In August, the
307th Air Refueling Squadron The 307th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 410th Bombardment Wing, stationed at K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan. It was inactivated on 1 August 1990. History The 307th ARS was first ac ...
, operating KB-29P Superfortress tankers to refuel the wing's bombers, moved to Walker from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and was also attached to the Wing.Unlike the bomber squadrons, the 307th was not a component of the 6th Group, but was assigned to the
307th Bombardment Wing 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
at MacDill Air Force Base. Ravenstein, ''Combat Wings'', p. 154.
One month after the wing was activated, it was assigned to the
47th Air Division The 47th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated on 27 February 1987. The unit's origins begin with its predecessor, ...
, which was activated at Walker to serve as the headquarters for the 6th and Walker's second wing, the 509th Bombardment Wing. In 1952, the 6th converted from the B-29 to the
Convair B-36 Peacemaker The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber that was 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. It had the longest win ...
. The Peacemaker did not require
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 ...
, so the 307th Squadron's attachment to the wing ended. On 31 October 1955, the entire wing deployed to
Anderson Air Force Base Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific ...
, Guam, remaining there until 26 January 1956, when it returned to Walker. The wing continued to fly the B-36 until 1957, when it began converting to the
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, 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 United States Air ...
.


Crew training

The air refuelable B-52 brought with it a return of the air refueling mission, this time with the
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 of the 6th Air Refueling Squadron. SAC was expanding the number of its B-52 wings, increasing the number of B-52 crews it had to train. On 1 August 1959, the 4129th Combat Crew Training Squadron was organized and assigned to the wing to conduct ground training of new crews, while the following month, the 24th and 39th Bombardment SquadronsBoth Ravenstein and Robertson list the "30th" Squadron. Since no squadron with this number was assigned to the wing, this would seem to be a repeated typographical error. began flying training. The 40th Bombardment Squadron continued to train for combat missions. On 10 June 1960, the entire wing became non-operational, a status that lasted until 1 December 1961, when the 40th returned to combat status. 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.


Missile operations

The
579th Strategic Missile Squadron The 579th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 6th Strategic Aerospace Wing at Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico The unit was first established in January 1943 as the 579th Bombardm ...
was activated in September 1961 as an SM-65 Atlas-F squadron. This addition of ICBMs resulted in the wing's redesignation as the 6th Strategic Aerospace Wing in May 1962. The squadron received its first ICBM on 24 January 1962. At the beginning of 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 ...
of October 1962 six of the squadron's missile sites had not yet been turned over to SAC by
Air Force Systems Command The Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. It was established in April 1951, being split off from Air Materiel Command. The mission of AFSC was Research and Development for new weapons systems. Ove ...
(AFSC). On 24 October, AFSC began to bring these missiles up to alert status. Once the crisis had abated, these missiles were removed from alert until normal training and testing could be completed. On 1 June 1963, a crew of the 579th was conducting a propellant loading exercise when an explosion occurred, destroying the squadron's launch complex 1. A nearly identical accident on 13 February 1964 destroyed launch complex 5, followed less than a month later, on 9 March 1964, by the destruction of launch complex 2 in another explosion. On 19 November 1964, Secretary of Defense
Robert MacNamara Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He remains the lo ...
announced Project Added Effort which would phase out that all Atlas-F missiles by the end of June 1965. In implementing this project, the 579th Strategic Missile Squadron phased out its missile operations in February and inactivated on 25 March 1965.


Return to bomber operations

The Cuban Missile Crisis impacted the wing's flying force as well. On 20 October each of the wing's B-52 squadrons was directed to put two additional planes on alert. Additional KC-135s were also placed on alert to replace KC-135s devoted to maintaining 1/8 of SAC's B-52 bomber force on airborne alert. On 24 October SAC went to
DEFCON The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces. (DEFCON is not mentioned in the 2010 and newer document) The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and unified and spe ...
2, placing all aircraft on alert. On 21 November SAC returned to its normal alert posture. However, the wing's return to the training mission was short-lived, for on 5 September 1963, the 24th and 39th Squadrons returned to combat status, and three weeks later, on 25 September, the 39th Bombardment Squadron and 4129th Combat Crew Training Squadron were discontinued. In June 1965, the 310th Air Refueling Squadron moved to Walker from
Schilling Air Force Base Salina Regional Airport , formerly Salina Municipal Airport, is three miles southwest of Salina, Kansas, United States. The airport is owned by the Salina Airport Authority. It is used for general aviation, with service by one passenger airline, ...
. The 310th had supported the
Boeing B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...
s of the
310th Bombardment Wing 31 may refer to: * 31 (number) Years * 31 BC * AD 31 * 1931 CE ('31) * 2031 CE ('31) Music * ''Thirty One'' (Jana Kramer album), 2015 * ''Thirty One'' (Jarryd James album), 2015 * "Thirty One", a song by Karma to Burn from the album ''Wild, ...
at Schilling with
Boeing KC-97 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, but in preparation for its move to Walker, had re-equipped with KC-135s during 1964. This made the 6th a double-sized wing and one of the largest in SAC with its 60 heavy jet aircraft. Soon after, on 8 December 1965, the
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
announced that Walker would close in connection with the drawdown of older model B-52s. All operational elements of the wing had ceased operations by 25 January 1957. The 310th Air Refueling Squadron moved to
Plattsburgh Air Force Base Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) base covering 3,447 acres (13.7 km²) in the extreme northeast corner of New York, located on the western shore of Lake Champlain opposite Burlingto ...
, New York while the remaining operational squadrons were discontinued. On 25 March, wing headquarters moved on paper to
Eielson Air Force Base Eielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska. It was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field and rede ...
.


Strategic reconnaissance


Background

SAC had long deployed bombardment and reconnaissance aircraft to the Arctic. In 1955, the tactical and maintenance elements of the
90th Bombardment Wing 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
deployed to
Eielson Air Force Base Eielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska. It was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field and rede ...
, Alaska, and SAC formed the provisional Eielson Task Force to control its forces temporarily stationed there. In August of the following year, the 14th Aviation Depot Squadron (later the 14th Munitions Maintenance Squadron) of
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
moved to Eielson to oversee special weapons there. On 1 July 1960, SAC formed the 4157th Combat Support Group to provide support for forward deployed SAC bombardment and
reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
elements at Eielson. The group was a tenant of the 5010th Air Base Wing (later 5010th Combat Support Group) of
Alaskan Air Command Alaskan Air Command (AAC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command originally established in 1942 under the United States Army Air Forces. Its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise direct ...
. Its original component squadron was the 14th Aviation Depot Squadron. When the focus of the 4157th shifted to reconnaissance with the discontinuance of Reflex operations in August 1962, the 14th was inactivated. In 1962, the group expanded to become the 4157th Strategic Wing, and its commander assumed duties as the commander of the Eielson Task Force. The wing mission had expanded to include air refueling support for B-52s involved with
Operation Chrome Dome Operation Chrome Dome was a United States Air Force Cold War-era mission from 1960 to 1968 in which B-52 strategic bomber aircraft armed with thermonuclear weapons remained on continuous airborne alert and flew routes to points on the Soviet Un ...
operations In 1966 it added a permanently based maintenance squadron was added to the wing to provide maintenance support for deployed aircraft. In July 1965 the wing was reassigned to the
18th Strategic Aerospace Division The 18th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Fifteenth Air Force at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, where it was inactivated on 2 July 1968. History The 18th Composite ...
, However, SAC Major Command Controlled (MAJCON) Strategic Wings could not carry a permanent history or lineage and SAC took the opportunity presented by the drawdown at Walker to replace the 4157th with the 6th Strategic Wing.The 6th Wing is entitled to retain the honors (but not the history or lineage) of the 4157th Strategic Wing.


Move to Eielson

The wing moved on paper to Eielson, where it became the 6th Strategic Wing and assumed the personnel, equipment and mission of the 4157th Strategic Wing. In addition to a maintenance squadron, the wing was assigned the new 24th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron.The 24th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron was newly constituted in December 1966. However, in September 1985, the reconnaissance and bombardment squadrons were consolidated into a single unit. Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 662q, 19 Sep 85, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Tactical Squadrons In Alaska, the wing's 24th Squadron flew RC–135 strategic reconnaissance missions and conducted Alaska Tanker Task ForceThe successor of the Eielson Task Force. missions with deployed KC–135s from SAC, the
Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, 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 ...
and the
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
. Task force aircraft flew missions to support reconnaissance and numerous exercises for the Air Force and
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
. From April 1968 to July 1972 the wing periodically served as the airborne monitor of the Alaskan
Ballistic Missile Early Warning System The RCA 474L Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS, "474L System", Project 474L) was a United States Air Force Cold War early warning radar, computer, and communications system, for ballistic missile detection. The network of twelve ra ...
station at Clear, Alaska. The wing maintained a detachment at
Shemya Air Force Station Eareckson Air Station , formerly Shemya Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force military airport located on the island of Shemya, in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands. The airport was closed as an active Air Force Station on 1 July 1994. Howe ...
, in the
Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...
On two occasions, from February through May 1975 and June through September 1976, the wing moved all operations to Shemya when Eielson closed for repair of earthquake damage. The wing won the P.T. Cullen Award for greatest contributions to SAC's photographic and
signal intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ( ...
effortsthree times, in 1973, 1978 and 1983. On 4 October 1968, exactly 11 years to the day after the launch of Sputnik-1, a wing Rivet Ball aircraft captured the first photographic evidence of a Soviet
ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...
test with three
multiple reentry vehicle A multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) is an exoatmospheric ballistic missile payload containing several warheads, each capable of being aimed to hit a different target. The concept is almost invariably associated with i ...
s. The wing suffered several losses while at Eielson. On 13 January 1969, RC-135S, serial 59-1491 hydroplaned off the end of Runway 28 at Shemya while attempting to land after an operational mission. The aircraft was totally destroyed. No one was seriously injured. On 5 June 1969 an RC-135E crashed in the
Bering Sea The Bering Sea (, ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasses on Earth: Eurasia and The Ameri ...
minutes after leaving Shemya. Nineteen crewmembers died. On 15 March 1981, a
RC-135 Cobra Ball
aircraft, serial 61-2664 departed Eielson for Shemya with 24 people on board. While attempting to land on Shemya they encountered a rapid decline in weather that resulted in a crash landing. Six men lost their lives and several medals were awarded for bravery. On 25 February 1985, an RC-135T, serial 55-3121 Rivet Dandy aircraft crashed into a mountainous area near
Valdez, Alaska Valdez ( ; Alutiiq: ) is a city in the Chugach Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to the 2020 US Census, the population of the city is 3,985, up from 3,976 in 2010. It is the third most populated city in Alaska's Unorganized Borou ...
while on a training mission. All three crewmembers perished. The wreckage was not located until 2 August 1985. On 1 April 1988, SAC renamed the wing the 6th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. In December 1991, it was decided to transfer the wing's reconnaissance mission to the
55th Wing The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The wing is primarily stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, but maintains one of its groups and associated squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz ...
at
Offutt Air Force Base Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Air ...
, Nebraska, and terminate the Alaska Tanker Task. The 24th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron moved to Offutt on 7 July 1992, terminating the wing's operational mission and it was inactivated on 1 September 1992.


Air mobility operations


Base support mission

Following the
1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission The preliminary 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission list was released by the United States Department of Defense in 1991 as part of the ongoing Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The list recommended closing 28 major United States m ...
decision to terminate the
56th Fighter Wing The 56th Fighter Wing is a fighter wing in the United States Air Force. It is the world’s largest Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II wing and one of two Air Force F-35 training locations. Additionally, it is one of two active-duty F-16 training ...
's mission at
MacDill Air Force Base MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...
, Florida by the end of 1993 and relocate it and its
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...
aircraft to
Luke Air Force Base Luke Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States., effective 20 December 2007 It is located west of the central business district of Glendale, and west of Phoenix. Luke AFB is a major training ...
, Arizona,
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 elements ...
assumed responsibility for operating MacDill and providing support for
United States Special Operations Command The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Arm ...
(USSOCOM),
United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Tas ...
(USCENTCOM) and other tenant units from
Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...
. The wing was redesignated the 6th Air Base Wing and activated on 4 January 1994 at MacDill to perform the support mission.


Return to flying operations

On 1 October 1996, the wing returned to a flying mission when the
91st Air Refueling Squadron The 91st Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling missions. The squadron was first activated in January 1941 ...
and its KC-135R aircraft moved from
Malmstrom Air Force Base Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place (CDP) in Cascade County, Montana, United States, adjacent to the city of Great Falls. It was named in honor of World War II POW Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom. ...
, Montana to MacDill. The 6th Bombardment Group was reactivated as the 6th Operations Group to be the headquarters for the 91st Squadron and the wing was renamed the 6th Air Refueling Wing. The following year, the wing also assumed support responsibility for
Boeing EC-135 The Boeing EC-135 is a retired family of command and control aircraft derived from the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter. During the Cold War, the EC-135 was best known for being modified to perform the Looking Glass mission where one EC-135 was always ...
command post aircraft at MacDill supporting USCENTCOM and USSOCOM commanders and a
Boeing T-43 Bobcat The Boeing T-43 is a modified Boeing 737-200 that was used by the United States Air Force for training navigators, now known as USAF combat systems officers, from 1973 to 2010. Informally referred to as the Gator (an abbreviation of "navigator ...
supporting the
United States Southern Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida, Doral, Florida in Greater Miami, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingen ...
commander in
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, Florida. The wing provided refueling support for global air mobility missions. In 1998, it deployed crews and aircraft to support
Operation Northern Watch Operation Northern Watch (ONW), the successor to Operation Provide Comfort, was a Combined Task Force (CTF) charged with enforcing its own no-fly zone above the 36th parallel in Iraq. Its mission began on 1 January 1997. The coalition partners ...
On 1 January 2001, three C-37A Gulfstream V aircraft replaced the Bobcats. with the addition of the C-37s to the wing's EC-135Ys, the 310th Airlift Squadron was activated under the 6th Operations Group, and the wing was redesignated the 6th Air Mobility Wing. Following the
9/11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Suicide attack, suicide List of terrorist incidents, terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, ...
, the wing also provided refueling support for fighters flying homeland security over the southeastern United States. The wing has twice won the
Air Mobility Rodeo The Air Mobility Rodeo was a biennial, international airlift competition hosted by the United States Air Force (USAF) Air Mobility Command (AMC). AMC gathers wings from active duty, reserve, and Air National Guard units from across the United ...
Best Air Mobility Wing Award; in 2000 and 2005. On 1 October 2008, the
927th Air Refueling Wing The 927th Air Refueling Wing (927 ARW) is an Air reserve component, Air Reserve Component (ARC) unit of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force (4 AF) of Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and is stationed at MacDill Ai ...
moved on paper to MacDill from
Selfridge Air National Guard Base Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Unit ...
, Michigan and became a classic reserve associate unit, providing crews and support personnel sharing operation of the 6th's KC-135R aircraft. The 927th had transferred its existing aircraft to the 127th Wing of the
Michigan Air National Guard The Michigan Air National Guard (MI ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Michigan, United States of America. It is, along with the Michigan Army National Guard, an element of the Michigan National Guard. The Michigan Air National Guard is a ...
at Selfridge. This move resulted from a recommendation by the
2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission preliminary list was released by the United States Department of Defense on May 13, 2005. It was the fifth Base Realignment and Closure ("BRAC") proposal generated since the process was created in ...
. The wing deploys to forward locations to support 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 ...
and performs
medical evacuation Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...
missions from overseas theaters of operations. After the devastating earthquake in Haiti on 12 January 2010, the wing supported Operation United Response providing
humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...
to victims of the earthquake until June 2010.


Regular associate units

In April 2008, the 911th Air Refueling Squadron was activated at
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an airplane crash near Norbeck, Maryland, ...
, North Carolina. The 911th is an "Active Associate" unit, partnering with the
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 vi ...
77th Air Refueling Squadron The 77th Air Refueling Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 916th Operations Group, stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. The unit was first activated during as a Douglas C-47 Skytrain ...
of the
916th Air Refueling Wing The 916th Air Refueling Wing is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. If mobilized, the W ...
and using the 77th's KC-135Rs. The 911th was the first tanker active associate unit to be formed and the 77th received an additional eight airplanes for it to operate with the 911th. The squadron won its second Spaatz Trophy as an associate unit. In October 2009, the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, was activated at
Birmingham Air National Guard Base Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
(since renamed Sumpter Smith ANGB), Alabama, as the wing's second active associate squadron. The 99th operates the KC-135Rs of the 106th Air Refueling Squadron of the
Alabama Air National Guard The Alabama Air National Guard (AL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Alabama, United States of America. It is, along with the Alabama Army National Guard, an element of the Alabama National Guard. As state militia units, the units in t ...
's 117th Air Refueling Wing. On 1 October 2019, due to the deactivation of the 310th Airlift Squadron, the 6th Air Mobility Wing was redesignated as the 6th Air Refueling Wing.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 6th Bombardment Wing on 20 December 1950 * Activated on 2 January 1951 : Redesignated 6th Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 16 June 1952 : Redesignated 6th Strategic Aerospace Wing on 1 May 1962 : Redesignated 6th Strategic Wing on 25 March 1967 : Redesignated 6th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing on 1 April 1988 * Inactivated on 1 September 1992 : Redesignated 6th Air Base Wing on 22 December 1993 * Activated on 4 January 1994 : Redesignated: 6th Air Refueling Wing on 1 October 1996 : Redesignated: 6th Air Mobility Wing on 1 January 2001 : Redesignated: 6th Air Refueling Wing on 1 October 2019


Assignments

* Eighth Air Force, 2 January 1951 * 47th Air Division (later 47th Strategic Aerospace Division), 10 February 1951 (attached to
3d Air Division The 3rd Air Division (3d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force, being stationed at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. It was inactivated on 1 April 1992. ...
, 31 October 1955 – 26 January 1956) * 22d Strategic Aerospace Division, 1 July 1963 *
12th Strategic Aerospace Division The 12th Air Division an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Eighth Air Force, based at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. It was inactivated on 31 July 1990. History The division was established as the ...
, 1 July 1965 * 18th Strategic Aerospace Division, 25 March 1967 * 12th Strategic Aerospace Division, 2 July 1968 *
14th Strategic Aerospace Division The 14th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989. History World War II The organization was in ...
, 30 June 1971 * 47th Air Division, 1 October 1976 * 14th Air Division, 1 October 1985 * 3d Air Division, 9 August 1990 *
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
, 1 April 1992 – 1 September 1992 *
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 ...
, 4 January 1994 *
Twenty-First Air Force The 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force (21 EMTF) was one of two EMTFs assigned to the Air Force's Air Mobility Command. It was headquartered at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. The 21 EMTF was a redesignation of Twenty-First Air ...
, 1 October 1996 *
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 ...
, 1 October 2003 – present


Operational Components

; Groups *
6th Bombardment Group Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film '' GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Ale ...
(later 6th Operations Group): 2 January 1951 – 16 June 1952 (not operational), 1 October 1996 – present ; Squadrons * 6th Air Refueling Squadron: 3 January 1958 – 25 January 1967 * 24th Bombardment Squadron (later 24 Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron): attached 2 January 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 25 January 1967; assigned 25 March 1967 – 7 July 1992 * 39th Bombardment Squadron: attached 2 January 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 15 September 1963 * 40th Bombardment Squadron: attached 2 January 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 25 January 1967 * 307th Air Refueling Squadron: attached c. 1 August 1951 – 16 June 1952 * 310th Air Refueling Squadron: 25 June 1965 – 25 January 1967 * 579th Strategic Missile Squadron: 1 September 1961 – 25 March 1965 * 4129th Combat Crew Training Squadron: 1 August 1959 – 15 September 1963


Stations

* Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico, 2 January 1951 * Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, 25 March 1967 – 1 September 1992 * MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, 4 January 1994 – present


Aircraft and missiles

*
Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an 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 B-17 Fl ...
, 1951–1952 *
Boeing KB-29 Superfortress The Boeing KB-29 was a modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress for air refueling needs by the USAF. Two primary versions were developed and produced: KB-29M and KB-29P. The 509th and 43d Air Refueling Squadrons (Walker AFB, NM and Davis-Month ...
, 1951–1952 *
Convair B-36 Peacemaker The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber that was 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. It had the longest win ...
, 1952–1957 *
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, 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 United States Air ...
, 1957–1967 *
SM-65F Atlas The SM-65F Atlas, or Atlas-F, was the final operational variant of the SM-65 Atlas, Atlas missile, only differing from the Atlas E in the launch facility and guidance package used. It first flew on 8 August 1961, and was deployed as an operational ...
, 1962–1965 *
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 ...
, 1958–1967, 1967–1992, 1996–present *
Boeing RC-135 The Boeing RC-135 is a family of large reconnaissance aircraft built by Boeing and modified by a number of companies, including General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems, and L3 Technologies, and used by the United States Air Force and Royal ...
, 1967–1992 * Boeing TC-135, 1985–1992 * Boeing EC-135Y, 1997–2003 * Boeing CT-43 Bobcat, 1997–2001 * VC-37A Gulfstream V, 2001–2019


See also

*
List of B-29 units of the United States Air Force This is a list of Boeing B-29 Superfortress units consisting of nations, their air forces, and the unit assignments that used the B-29 during World War II, Korean War, and post war periods, including variants and other historical information Del ...
*
List of B-52 Units of the United States Air Force The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has been operational with the United States Air Force since 5 June, 1955. This list is of the units it was assigned to, and the bases it was stationed. In addition to the USAF, A single RB-52B (52-008) was flown ...


References


Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * ; Further Reading *Dorr, R. & Peacock, L. (2000). B-52 Stratofortress: Boeing's Cold War Warrior. Osprey Aviation: Great Britain. *Lloyd, A. (1999). A Cold War Legacy: A Tribute to the Strategic Air Command 1946–1992. Pictorial Histories Publishing Co: Missoula, Montana.


External links

*
6th Mobility Wing at www.globalsecurity.org



"A Tale of Two Airplanes"
by Kingdon R. "King" Hawes, Lt Col, USAF (Ret.) * {{USAF air refueling units Military units and formations in Florida 0006