The 70th Air Refueling Squadron is an

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 commiss ...

unit, assigned to the 349th Operations Group at

Travis Air Force Base Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district of the city of Fairfield, in Solano County, Californi ...

, California. It is an associate of the active duty

9th Air Refueling Squadron The 9th Air Refueling Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California, where it operates the McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender as part of the 60th Operations Group. The squadron was first act ...

, United States Air Force, and operates the

McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is an American aerial refueling tanker aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). A military version of the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 was developed from the Advanced Tanker Cargo A ...

aircraft conducting mobility, and

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 ...

missions. The squadron has served in this role since 1994. The squadron was activated as a

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 ...

unit in August 1955. It provided global

for

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) with the KC-97, and later 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 ...

. After 1970, it also provided airborne command and control support for SAC. It supported contingency operations and deployed aircraft and aircrews for

Desert Storm The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. In 1985, the squadron was consolidated with the 470th Bombardment Squadron, 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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 ...

training unit. The squadron was inactivated in 1993, as

Grissom Air Force 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 was transferred to

History

World War II bomber training

The 470th Bombardment Squadron was activated on 16 July 1942 at

Columbia Army Air Base Columbia Army Air Base was a World War II United States Army Air Forces base. It was primarily used for advanced combat training of B-25 Mitchell medium bomber units and replacement pilots. It was used as a training base in early 1942 for Doo ...

, South Carolina as one of the original components of the 334th Bombardment Group, and was equipped with

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in e ...

s.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', p. 214Craven & Cate, Introduction, p. xxxvi The 470th acted as a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) for the B-25. However, the AAF found that standard military units, whose manning was based on relatively inflexible

tables of organization A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is the specified organization, staffing, and equipment of units. Also used in acronyms as 'T/O' and 'T/E'. It also provides information on the mission and capabilities of a unit as well as the un ...

were not well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, in the Spring of 1944, the 334th Group, its components and supporting units at Greenville, were disbanded on 1 May and replaced by the 330th AAF Base Unit (Medium, Bombardment). The emblems of the four squadrons of the 334th Bombardment Group, featuring "Bomby-the-Bear" were featured in the

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

Magazine in June 1943

Air Refueling operations

Strategic Air Command

The 70th Air Refueling Squadron was activated at

Little Rock Air Force Base Little Rock Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas. Little Rock AFB is the primary C-130 Hercules training base for the Department of Defense, training C-130 pilots, naviga ...

, Arkansas on 1 August 1955 and assigned to the

70th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing The SCC68070 is a Philips Semiconductors-branded, Motorola 68000-based 16/32-bit processor produced under license. While marketed externally as a high-performance microcontroller, it has been almost exclusively used combined with the Philips SCC ...

. At the time 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 activated, Little Rock was undergoing major construction and the few elements of the 70th Wing that were crewed operated from

Lockbourne Air Force Base Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation located near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie Rickenbacker. It is the home of ...

, Ohio. With the completion of construction, 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 ...

returned to Little Rock in October 1955 and the squadron finally became operational.Ravenstein, pp. 109-110 The squadron provided

support to the

Boeing RB-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 its parent wing and other SAC units. It deployed as a unit to a forward base at

Ernest Harmon Air Force Base Ernest Harmon Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. The base was built by the United States Army Air Forces in 1941 under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement with the United Ki ...

, Newfoundland in 1956 and 1957, while the entire 70th Wing deployed to

Sidi Slimane Air Base Sidi Slimane Air Base was a military air base in Sidi Slimane, a city in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region in Morocco. It is also known as the Fifth Royal Air Force Base, operated by the Royal Moroccan Air Force. History Built in 1951 by Atlas C ...

, Morocco from October to December 1956. In February 1958, the 70th Wing began to reduce its

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 ...

missions and in June 1958 began training SAC

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

s in the Stratojet. The 70th Squadron, however continued its deployments with the KC-97, conducting deployments to

Lajes Field Lajes Field or Lajes Air Base (; pt, Base Aérea das Lajes), officially designated Air Base No. 4 (''Base Aérea Nº 4'', BA4) , is a multi-use airfield near Lajes and northeast of Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira Island in the Azores, Portug ...

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

through 1962. In August 1961, the squadron transferred to the

384th Bombardment Wing 384th may refer to: * 384th Air Expeditionary Group, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command * 384th Air Expeditionary Wing, inactive unit of the United States Air Force * 384th Air Refueling Squadron (384 ARS) i ...

, which was also stationed at Little Rock, and continued to operate under that wing until the 384th inactivated on 1 September 1964 as B-47 operations at Little Rock came to an end, although it ended KC-97 operations in 1963. In response to 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 ...

, on 29 October 1962, SAC directed movement of its KC-97 force to forward locations to support its B-47s that had been placed on first cycle alert in the Eastern United States. This required deployment of 87 KC-97s, carrying with them all required supporting personnel, to Harmon, Lajes, and Goose Bay Airport, Labrador. The dispersed aircraft were to be ready to launch within an hour. The dispersed planes began to return to their home bases on 15 November, and all were home by 24 November. Boeing KC-135 J57 takeoff

In 1964, the squadron began to equip with the

. It was attached to the 43d Bombardment Wing, which was equipped with the supersonic

Convair B-58 Hustler The Convair B-58 Hustler, designed and produced by American aircraft manufacturer Convair, was the first operational bomber capable of Mach 2 flight. The B-58 was developed during the 1950s for the United States Air Force (USAF) Strategic Air ...

, on 19 August and assigned to the 43d once the wing moved to Little Rock on 1 September 1964. In 1969, the 43d Wing began to draw down with the removal of the B-58 from the inventory and the forthcoming transfer of Little Rock to

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 ...

as a base for the

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally design ...

.Ravenstein, pp. 70-73 The phase out of the B-58 resulted in the 305th Bombardment Wing at

, Indiana becoming an air refueling wing, and the 70th moved to Grissom on 1 January 1970 to become the wing's third refueling squadron. Shortly afterwards, SAC decided to move the

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 ...

aircraft supporting its alternate airborne command posts from their vulnerable locations near the coastlines of the United States and established the 3rd Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Grissom to operate this element of the

Post Attack Command and Control System The Post Attack Command and Control System (PACCS) was a network of communication sites (both ground and airborne) for use before, during and after a nuclear attack on the United States. PACCS was designed to ensure that National Command Authorit ...

(PACCS). While the primary airborne command post 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 was airborne, these aircraft remained on ground alert. In 1975, the 3rd was inactivated and its PACCS functions at Grissom were absorbed by the 70th,Robertson indicates the squadron began flying command and control missions in 1970. which maintained them until inactivating in 1993. In 1983, the squadron supported

Operation Urgent Fury The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, ...

, providing refueling to the transports, gunships, and fighters operating in

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

.Haulman, p. 141 In September 1985, the squadron was consolidated with the 470th Bombardment Squadron. From December 1989 through January 1990, the squadron provided refueling support for

, the United States intervention in Panama. A few months later it deployed aircrews and aircraft to Europe and the Arabian peninsula during the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. These deployments lasted into 1991. After

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 air refueling operations in 1992, it began to realign its tanker force. As a result of this realignment, Grissom was transferred to

, and the 70th was inactivated on 1 April 1993.

Reserve associate unit

On 1 September 1994, the squadron was reactivated in 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 ...

, California as part of the 349th Air Mobility Wing. The squadron did not have its own aircraft, but flew the

s of the active duty

as an reserve associate unit. After the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

, the squadron supported U.S. sorties during the

War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...

and the homeland defense

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.. ...

. It also deployed to support the

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

and the

Iraq War {{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 ...

. The squadron also supported the

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

relief effort in September 2005.

Lineage

; 470th Bombardment Squadron * Constituted as the 470th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 9 July 1942 : Activated on 16 July 1942 : Disbanded on 1 May 1944 * Reconstituted on 19 September 1985 and consolidated with the 70th Air Refueling Squadron as the 70th Air Refueling Squadron ; 70th Air Refueling Squadron : Constituted as the 70th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium on 3 June 1955 : Activated on 1 August 1955 : Redesignated 70th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 1 November 1963 * Consolidated with the 470th Bombardment Squadron on 19 September 1985 : Redesignated 70th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 September 1991 : Inactivated on 1 April 1993 * Activated in the reserve on 1 September 1994

Assignments

* 334th Bombardment Group, 16 July 1942 – 1 May 1944 * 70th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 1 August 1955 * 384th Bombardment Wing, 1 August 1961 (attached to 43d Bombardment Wing after 19 August 1964) * 43d Bombardment Wing, 1 September 1964 * 305th Air Refueling Wing, 1 January 1970 * 305th Operations Group, 1 September 1991 – 1 April 1993 * 349th Operations Group, 1 September 1994 – present

Stations

* Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina, 16 July 1942 – 1 May 1944 * Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, 1 August 1955 (deployed to Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland 24, June-24 September 1957;Robertson also lists a deployment to Ernest Harmon 26 June-15 August 1945 ic If the day and month are correct and this deployment occurred before the 1957 deployment, this would have occurred in 1956. Lajes Field (later Lajes Air Base), Azores, Portugal, 3 September 1958 – 12 January 1959, 5 October 1960 - 11 January 1961, 31 July-28 September 1962) * Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana, 1 January 1970 – 1 April 1993 * Travis Air Force Base, California, 1 September 1994 – present

Aircraft

* North American B-25 Mitchell (1942–1944) * Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter (1955–1963) * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (1964–1969, 1970–1993) * Boeing EC-135 (1976–1993) * McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender (1994 – present)

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{USAF air refueling units Military units and formations in California 070 Military units and formations established in 1955 Units and formations of Strategic Air Command