940th Air Refueling Wing
940th Air Refueling Wing |
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The 940th Air Refueling Wing is part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command, is operationally-gained[2] by the Air Mobility Command, and is home stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California.
Overview
The 940th is an
Units
- 940th Operations Group[3]
- 314th Air Refueling Squadron[4]
- 940th Operations Support Squadron
- 940th Maintenance Group[3]
- 940th Maintenance Squadron
- 940th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- 940th Mission Support Group[3]
- 940th Force Support Squadron
- 940th Security Forces Squadron
- 940th Civil Engineer Squadron
- 940th Logistics Readiness Squadron
- 940th Communications Flight
- 940th Aerospace Medical Squadron
History
Need for reserve troop carrier groups
After May 1959, the Air Force reserve flying force consisted of 45 troop carrier squadrons assigned to 15 troop carrier wings,
Activation of the 940th Troop Carrier Group
As a result, the 940th Troop Carrier Group was established at McClellan Air Force Base, California on 11 February 1963 as the headquarters for the 314th Troop Carrier Squadron, which had been stationed there since October 1955.[8] Along with group headquarters, a combat support squadron, materiel Squadron and a tactical infirmary were organized to support the 314th. The group was equipped with Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars for Tactical Air Command airlift operations.
The group was one of four C-119 groups assigned to the
The 940th performed routine Air Force Reserve airlift operations and was upgraded to the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II intercontinental airlifter in 1965. With the C-124, the group flew overseas missions, particularly to the Far East and Southeast Asia.
Air Refueling
In 1972, the group converted to
In September 1986, the 940th traded its older KC-135A Stratotankers for the upgraded KC-135E configuration. Following the inactivation of the Strategic Air Command in 1992, operationally claimancy for the 940th shifted to the newly established Air Mobility Command.
When Mather AFB closed in 1993 pursuant to the 1989
In the summer of 2005 the 940th again upgraded its KC-135s from the KC-135E to the KC-135R model. However, shortly following this transition and the approval of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations by President Bush, the 940th changed missions from flying the KC-135 to an "associate" unit to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale, supporting the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, as well as assuming other command and control missions.
On 12 March 2005, the
Composite wing
On 1 July 2009 the wing was redesignated as the 940th Wing, operating unmanned aerial vehicles/remotely piloted aircraft.
The 940th Maintenance Group, 940th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 940th Maintenance Squadron, 940th Maintenance Operations Flight, and the 314th Air Refueling Squadron also inactivated, thus ending for a time the air refueling mission at Beale. On the same date the 13th Reconnaissance Squadron and the 50th Intelligence Squadron were reassigned to the 940th Operations Group.
The 713th Combat Operations Squadron was also activated on this date and aligned under the 940th. Two additional Air Force Reserve combat operations squadrons that man and operate the AN/USQ-163 Falconer Air and Space Operations Center weapon system were also realigned under the 940th Wing shortly thereafter: the 701st Combat Operations Squadron, at March Air Reserve Base, California and the 710th Combat Operations Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.[note 2]
On 1 May 2011, the 718th Intelligence Squadron was activated at Langley and aligned with the 940th Wing's command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission.
In 2013, the
Restoration of air refueling mission
In April 2016, the 940th Wing returned to its air refueling mission and was again designated the 940th Air Refueling Wing (940 ARW) on 29 April 2016[1] as an AFRC unit operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command.
Concurrent with this change, the Air Force Reserve reconnaissance units in support of the RQ-4 Global Hawk at Beale that were gained by Air Combat Command were transferred to the 726th Operations Group at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.
The first KC-135R returned to Beale on 10 July 2016, with the wing achieving initial operating capability with eight KC-135R aircraft as of October 2016. Concurrently, the wing's maintenance group, with its maintenance and aircraft maintenance squadrons, was reactivated, as was the 314th Air Refueling Squadron in the wing's operations group.[9]
Lineage
- Established as the 940th Troop Carrier Group, Medium and activated in the Reserve on 15 January 1963 (not organized)
- Organized on 11 February 1963
- Redesignated 940th Troop Carrier Group, Heavy on 1 April 1965
- Redesignated 940th Air Transport Group, Heavy on 1 December 1965
- Redesignated 940th Military Airlift Group on 1 January 1966
- Redesignated 940th Tactical Airlift Group on 1 April 1972
- Redesignated 940th Air Refueling Group, Heavy on 1 January 1977
- Redesignated 940th Air Refueling Group on 1 February 1992
- Redesignated 940th Air Refueling Wing on 1 October 1994
- Redesignated 940th Wing on 1 July 2009
- Redesignated 940th Air Refueling Wing on 29 April 2016[1]
Assignments
- Continental Air Command, 15 January 1963
- 349th Troop Carrier Wing, 11 February 1963
- 452d Military Airlift Wing(later 452d Tactical Airlift Wing, 452d Air Refueling Wing), 26 January 1968
- Fourth Air Force, 1 October 1994
- Tenth Air Force, 1 October 2008
- Fourth Air Force, 29 April 2016 – present[1]
Components
- 940th Operations Group: 1 August 1992 – present
- 314th Troop Carrier Squadron (later 314th Air Transport Squadron, 314th Military Airlift Squadron, 314th Tactical Airlift Squadron, 314th Air Refueling Squadron): 11 February 1963 – 1 August 1992, 29 April 2016 – present[1]
Stations
- McClellan Air Force Base, California, 11 February 1963
- Mather Air Force Base, California, 1 January 1977
- McClellan Air Force Base, California, 1 July 1993
- Beale Air Force Base, California, 1 October 1997 – present[1]
Aircraft
- Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (1963–1965)
- Douglas C-124 Globemaster II (1965–1972)
- Lockheed C-130 Hercules (1972–1976)
- Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (1976–2008, 2016–present)
- Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk (2008–2016)[1]
Decorations
- Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
- 1 Oct 2003 – 30 September 2005
- 1 Oct 2001 – 30 September 2003
- 1 Oct 1999 – 30 September 2001
- 1 Oct 1998 – 30 September 1999
- 1 Oct 1995 – 30 September 1997
- 31 July 1989 – 30 September 1990
- 1 Jan 1979 – 31 December 1980
- 1 March 1981 – 29 February 1984
- 1 March 1963 – 29 February 1965
References
- Notes
- ^ Plus an additional four rescue squadrons not assigned to the wings. Cantwell, p. 156
- ^ Each squadron also had a detachment at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.
- Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g Bailey, Carl E. (10 June 2016). "Factsheet 940 Air Refueling Wing (AFRC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Air Mobility Command Instruction 10-403, Air Mobility Command Force Deployment" (PDF). Air Mobility Command. 24 July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ a b c "Fact Sheets". 940th Air Refueling Wing. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "News". www.940arw.afrc.af.mil. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ Cantwell, pp. 156, 169
- ^ Cantwell, p. 156
- ^ Cantwell, pp. 189–191
- ^ Maurer, pp. 382–383
- ^ Staff writer, no byline (12 July 2016). "KC-135 tanker mission returns to Beale". 940th Air Refuleing Wing Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Cantwell, Gerald T. (1997). Citizen Airmen: a History of the Air Force Reserve, 1946–1994. Washington, D.C.: Air Force History and Museums Program. ISBN 0-16049-269-6. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. OCLC 72556.
- Mueller, Robert (1989). Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.