7th Air Refueling Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 7th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. It was last assigned to the 19th Operations Group
, stationed at Robins AFB, Georgia
. It was inactivated on 1 January 1993.
in India, flying C-46 Commando
transports from the Assam Valley in India over the Hump to bases in China
flying supplies, personnel and equipment to support Fourteenth Air Force
combat units in the CBI
.
Reactivated as part of Military Air Transport Service
in 1952. Flew C-54 Skymaster
transports from McChord AFB, Washington to Elmendorf AFB and Ladd AFB, Alaska Territory. Moved to Travis AFB, California in 1953, re-equipped with C-124 Globemaster II
intercontinental strategic transports. Flew very long range strategic airlift missions within MATS Western Transport Air Force area from California
to Japan
, Philippines
, Indochina
and Karachi Airport, ]]West Pakistan]] during the 1950s. Inactivated in 1955 due to budget reductions.
Reactivated at Carswell AFB, Texas on 1 April 1958 when its parent unit, the 7th Bombardment Wing received B-52 Stratofortress
es. Provided air refueling on a worldwide basis for over 30 years with KC-135 Stratotanker
s. Remained assigned to the 7th BMW at Carswell until the closure of the base on 1 June 1992 and the 7th was inactivated. Reassigned to the 19th Operations Group
at Robins AFB, Inactivated in 1993 as part of the post Cold War
drawdown of the USAF.
(Not operational 6 May – 1 December 1965 and 10 Dec 1969 – 31 Mar 1970 due to operations in Southeast Asia
. All aircrews and aircraft were deployed or on loan to provisional units at Kadena AB, Okinawa, Andersen AFB, Guam
or U-Tapao RTNAF, Thailand
.)
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit. It was last assigned to the 19th Operations Group
19th Operations Group
The 19th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 19th Airlift Wing, stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas....
, stationed at Robins AFB, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. It was inactivated on 1 January 1993.
History
Established in 1943 by Air Transport CommandAir Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
in India, flying C-46 Commando
C-46 Commando
The Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
transports from the Assam Valley in India over the Hump to bases in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
flying supplies, personnel and equipment to support Fourteenth Air Force
Fourteenth Air Force
The Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
combat units in the CBI
CBI
- Places and installations :* Cape Breton Island, part of Nova Scotia, Canada* Center for Biomedical Imaging, a research facility of Boston University Medical Center* Central Bukidnon Institute, a secondary school in the Philippines...
.
Reactivated as part of Military Air Transport Service
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
in 1952. Flew C-54 Skymaster
C-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
transports from McChord AFB, Washington to Elmendorf AFB and Ladd AFB, Alaska Territory. Moved to Travis AFB, California in 1953, re-equipped with C-124 Globemaster II
C-124 Globemaster II
The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shakey", was a heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California....
intercontinental strategic transports. Flew very long range strategic airlift missions within MATS Western Transport Air Force area from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
and Karachi Airport, ]]West Pakistan]] during the 1950s. Inactivated in 1955 due to budget reductions.
Reactivated at Carswell AFB, Texas on 1 April 1958 when its parent unit, the 7th Bombardment Wing received B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
es. Provided air refueling on a worldwide basis for over 30 years with KC-135 Stratotanker
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
s. Remained assigned to the 7th BMW at Carswell until the closure of the base on 1 June 1992 and the 7th was inactivated. Reassigned to the 19th Operations Group
19th Operations Group
The 19th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 19th Airlift Wing, stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas....
at Robins AFB, Inactivated in 1993 as part of the post Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
drawdown of the USAF.
(Not operational 6 May – 1 December 1965 and 10 Dec 1969 – 31 Mar 1970 due to operations in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. All aircrews and aircraft were deployed or on loan to provisional units at Kadena AB, Okinawa, Andersen AFB, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
or U-Tapao RTNAF, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.)
Lineage
- Constituted as 77th Air Corps Ferry Squadron on 30 Jan 1943
- Activated 22 Feb 1943
- Redesignated as: 77th Transport Squadron 1 Jul 1943
- Disbanded 1 Dec 1943
- Reconstituted on 16 Sep 1952 as 77th Air Transport Squadron
- Activated on 24 Sep 1952
- Inactivated on 1 Jul 1955
- Consolidated 19 Sep 1985 with 7th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy
- Activated on 1 Apr 1958
- Inactivated on 1 June 1992
- Activated on 1 June 1992
- Inactivated on 1 January 1993
Assignments
- 22nd Ferrying (later Transport) Group 22 Feb 1943-1 Dec 1943
- 1705th Air Transport Group1705th Air Transport GroupThe 1705th Air Transport Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the Western Transport Air Force, Military Air Transport Service, stationed at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated on 18 June 1960...
, 24 Sep 1952-19 Nov 1953 - 1501st Air Transport Wing1501st Air Transport WingThe 1501st Air Transport Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit, being inactivated on 8 January 1966.The 1501st ATW was a heavy cargo transport wing of the Military Air Transport Service , formed on 1 June 1948...
, 20 Nov 1953-1 Jul 1955 - 7th Bombardment Wing, 1 Apr 1958-1 June 1992
- 19th Operations Group19th Operations GroupThe 19th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 19th Airlift Wing, stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas....
, 1 June 1992-1 Jan 1993
Stations
- Chabua Airfield, Assam, India, February-April 1943
- Jorhat Airfield, Assam, India, April-December 1943
- McChord AFB, Washington, 24 Sep 1952-19 Nov 1953
- Travis AFB, California 20 Nov 1953-1 Jul 1955
- Carswell AFB, Texas, 1 Apr 1958-1 June 1992
- Robins AFB, Georgia, 1 Jun 1992-1 Jan 1993
Aircraft
- C-46 CommandoC-46 CommandoThe Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
1943 - C-54 SkymasterC-54 SkymasterThe Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
, 1952-1953 - C-97 StratofreighterC-97 StratofreighterThe Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter was a long range heavy military cargo aircraft based on the B-29 bomber. Design work began in 1942, with the prototype's first flight being on 9 November 1944, and the first production aircraft entered service in 1947. Between 1947 and 1958, 888 C-97s in several...
, 1953-1955 - KC-135 StratotankerKC-135 StratotankerThe Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
, 1958-1992, 1992-1993