99th Air Refueling Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 99th Air Refueling Squadron (99 ARS) is part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing
at Birmingham Air National Guard Base
, Alabama
. It operates the KC-135 Stratotanker
aircraft conducting aerial refueling
missions.
as a heavy bomber Operational Training Unit (OTU). The squadron was assigned primarily to airfields in the Pacific Northwest under II BC; performing training of new units, then becoming a Replacement Training Unit (RTU). Reassigned to III Bomber Command
in November 1943 when Second Air Force
began to exclusively train B-29 Superfortress
aircrews. Continued as a B-17 RTU until the end of heavy bomber training of replacement aircrews in May 1944; was inactivated.
Reactivated in 1957 as a KC-135 Stratotanker
squadron under Strategic Air Command
. It conducted Theater and overseas aerial refueling, beginning in 1958, including support of operations in Southeast Asia
between 1965 and 1973. The 99th also had an airborne command post mission from, 1965–1970. It has flown worldwide aerial refueling missions since 1983 and airborne command post mission between 1984 and 1991.
The 99th supported operations in Grenada
, 23–24 Oct 1983, Panama
, 18–21 Dec 1989, Southwest Asia
, Aug 1990 – Mar 1991, and over Bosnia, Jan–Feb 1995 and Aug 1996. It Provided personnel and aircraft for refueling aircraft enforcing no-fly zone
s over Iraq
in 1996. In 1997 and 1998, unit resources refueled airplanes flying continuing missions along the border of Iraq in Southwest Asia. In 1998 and 1999, the squadron also supported operations over the former Yugoslavia
. The squadron also refueled aircraft involved in antidrug operations over the Caribbean Sea
in 1998. After the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., on 11 September 2001, the squadron supported Operations in Afghanistan
and Iraq, the transportation of Taliban and Al Qaeda detainees to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
, and counter-drug operations in South America.
In 2008, the squadron was inactivated at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. In 2009, it was activated at Birmingham Air National Guard Base, AL under the Chief of Staff of the Air Force's Total Force Integration initiative. The squadron and its personnel remain an active duty Air Force unit with administrative control falling to the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, FL. Operational direction for day-to-day taskings come from the 117th Air Refueling Wing at Birmingham, AL.
6th Air Mobility Wing
The United States Air Force's 6th Air Mobility Wing is the host wing for MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It is part of Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force....
at Birmingham Air National Guard Base
Birmingham Air National Guard Base
Birmingham Air National Guard Base is the home of the United States Air Force 117th Air Refueling Wing.-Overview:Birmingham ANGB consists of approximately 147 acres and essential facilities to support the mission of the 117th Air Refueling Wing and its assigned units...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. It operates the 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...
aircraft conducting aerial refueling
Aerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling , air-to-air refueling or tanking, is the process of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight....
missions.
History
Established in early 1942 initially as a long-range B-17 Flying Fortress reconnaissance squadron, later being redesignated as a heavy bomb squadron before activation in July. Was assigned to II Bomber CommandII Bomber Command
The II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
as a heavy bomber Operational Training Unit (OTU). The squadron was assigned primarily to airfields in the Pacific Northwest under II BC; performing training of new units, then becoming a Replacement Training Unit (RTU). Reassigned to III Bomber Command
III Bomber Command
The III Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
in November 1943 when Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
began to exclusively train B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
aircrews. Continued as a B-17 RTU until the end of heavy bomber training of replacement aircrews in May 1944; was inactivated.
Reactivated in 1957 as a 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...
squadron under Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
. It conducted Theater and overseas aerial refueling, beginning in 1958, including support of 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...
between 1965 and 1973. The 99th also had an airborne command post mission from, 1965–1970. It has flown worldwide aerial refueling missions since 1983 and airborne command post mission between 1984 and 1991.
The 99th supported operations in Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, 23–24 Oct 1983, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, 18–21 Dec 1989, Southwest Asia
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...
, Aug 1990 – Mar 1991, and over Bosnia, Jan–Feb 1995 and Aug 1996. It Provided personnel and aircraft for refueling aircraft enforcing no-fly zone
No-fly zone
A no-fly zone is a territory or an area over which aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in a military context, somewhat like a demilitarized zone in the sky, and usually prohibit military aircraft of a belligerent nation from operating in the region.-Iraq,...
s over Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in 1996. In 1997 and 1998, unit resources refueled airplanes flying continuing missions along the border of Iraq in Southwest Asia. In 1998 and 1999, the squadron also supported operations over the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. The squadron also refueled aircraft involved in antidrug operations over the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
in 1998. After the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., on 11 September 2001, the squadron supported Operations in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Iraq, the transportation of Taliban and Al Qaeda detainees to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, and counter-drug operations in South America.
In 2008, the squadron was inactivated at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. In 2009, it was activated at Birmingham Air National Guard Base, AL under the Chief of Staff of the Air Force's Total Force Integration initiative. The squadron and its personnel remain an active duty Air Force unit with administrative control falling to the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, FL. Operational direction for day-to-day taskings come from the 117th Air Refueling Wing at Birmingham, AL.
Lineage
- Constituted as 9th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942
- Redesignated as 399th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 Apr 1942
- Activated on 15 Jul 1942
- Inactivated on 1 May 1944
- Consolidated (19 Sep 1985) with 99th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy, which was constituted on 12 Feb 1957
- Activated on 1 Jul 1957
- Inactivated on 30 Sep 1973
- Activated on 1 Oct 1983
- Redesignated as 99th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 Sep 1991
- Inactivated on 1 Sep 2008
- Activated on 1 Oct 2009.
Assignments
- 88th Bombardment Group88th Bombardment GroupThe 88th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the III Bomber Command, being stationed at Avon Park Army Airfield, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 May 1944.-History:...
, 15 Jul 1942-1 May 1944 - 4050th Air Refueling Wing, 1 Jul 1957
- 499th Air Refueling Wing499th Air Refueling WingThe United States Air Force's 499th Air Refueling Wing was an aerial refueling unit located at Westover AFB, Massachusetts. It was inactivated in 1966....
, 1 Jan 1963 - 99th Bombardment Wing, 1 Jan 1966-30 Sep 1973
- 19th Air Refueling Wing, 1 Oct 1983
- 19th Operations (later, 19th Air Refueling) Group19th Air Refueling GroupThe 19th Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas...
, 1 Sep 1991-1 Sep 2008 - 6th Operations Group6th Operations GroupThe 6th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the 6th Air Mobility Wing, stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida....
, 1 Oct 2009–Present
- Operationally controlled by: 117th Air Refueling Wing117th Air Refueling WingThe United States Air Force's 117th Air Refueling Wing is an Air National Guard air refueling unit located at Birmingham International Airport, Alabama.-Mission:...
Bases stationed
- Salt Lake City Army Air Base, UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, 15 Jul 1942 - Geiger Field, Washington, 1 Sep 1942
- Walla Walla Army Air Base, Washington, 21 Sep 1942
- Rapid City Army Air Base, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, 26 Oct 1942 - Walla Walla Army Air Base, Washington, 28 Nov 1942
- Redmond Army Airfield, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, 1 Jan 1943 - Walla Walla Army Air Base, Washington, 2 Feb 1943
- Madras Army Air Field, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, 11 Jun 1943 - Walla Walla Army Air Base, Washington, 21 Jul 1943
- Avon Park Army Air Field, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, c. 7 Nov 1943-1 May 1944 - Turner AFB, GeorgiaGeorgia (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...
, 1 Jul 1957 - Westover AFB, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, 22 Aug 1957-30 Sep 1973 - Robins AFB, GeorgiaGeorgia (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...
, 1 Oct 1983-1 Sep 2008 - Birmingham ANGB, AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
1 Oct 2009–Present
Aircraft Operated
- B-17 Flying Fortress (1942–1944)
- 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...
(1957–1973, 1983 – Present) - EC-135Boeing EC-135The Boeing EC-135 was a command & control version of the C-135 Stratolifter. Modified for the "Looking Glass" program, during the Cold War EC-135 were airborne 24 hours a day to serve as flying command platforms for the military in the event of nuclear war...
(1965–1970, 1984–1997) - EC-137 (1991–1994)
Operations
- World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
- Operation Arc LightOperation Arc LightOperation Arc Light was the 1965 deployment of B-52D Stratofortresses as conventional bombers from bases in the US to Guam to support ground combat operations in Vietnam...
- Operation Young Tiger
- Operation Urgent Fury
- Operation Just Cause
- Operation Desert Storm
- Operation Deny FlightOperation Deny FlightOperation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization operation that began on April 12, 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina...
- Operation Provide ComfortOperation Provide ComfortOperation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations by the United States and some of its Gulf War allies, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurds fleeing their homes in northern Iraq in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War and deliver humanitarian aid to them.-Operation...
- Operation Northern WatchOperation Northern WatchOperation Northern Watch, the successor to Operation Provide Comfort, was a US European Command Combined Task Force charged with enforcing its own no-fly zone above the 36th parallel in Iraq...
- Operation Southern WatchOperation Southern WatchOperation Southern Watch was an operation conducted by Joint Task Force Southwest Asia with the mission of monitoring and controlling airspace south of the 32nd Parallel in Iraq, following the 1991 Gulf War until the 2003 invasion of Iraq.-Summary:Operation Southern Watch began on 27 August 1992...
- Operation Phoenix Scorpion
- Operation Desert ThunderOperation Desert ThunderOperation Desert Thunder was a response to threats by Iraq's president Saddam Hussein to shoot down U-2 spy planes, and violate the no-fly zone set up over his country. The operation was designed to bring stability to the region by bringing in a military presence during the negotiations between...
- Operation Desert FoxOperation Desert FoxThe December 1998 bombing of Iraq was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from December 16–19, 1998 by the United States and United Kingdom...
- Operation Noble Anvil
- Operation Deliberate Forge
- Operation Allied ForceOperation Allied ForceThe NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
- Operation Constant Vigil
- Operation Enduring Freedom
- Operation Iraqi Freedom