161st Air Refueling Wing
Encyclopedia
The United States Air Force
's 161st Air Refueling Wing is an Air National Guard
aerial refueling
unit located at Sky Harbor International Airport, Arizona
.
As a result of the Berlin crisis, the unit was mobilized, and within a month, 750 personnel and 22 F-104 aircraft were in place in Germany as the unit took up flying daily patrol at the edge of the Iron Curtain. With world tension easing, the Phoenix Air Guard returned home in August 1962. Military requirements resulted in an immediate change in mission for the Arizona unit. An end to the jet fighter era came when the Copperheads were redesigned the 161st Air Transport Group. The Group began transition training to fly the giant four-engine Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter
in a passenger/cargo mission for the Military Air Transport Service
(MATS
), later redesignated the Military Airlift Command
(MAC
) in January 1966. Arizona ANG aircraft and crews were soon flying aircraft missions to such places as Honolulu, Hawaii, Tachikawa, Japan and Frankfurt, West Germany.
As war spread over Southeast Asia, Phoenix Air Guardsmen, without being mobilized, flew 65 cargo and passenger airlift missions to combat bases in Vietnam and Thailand between March 1966 and September 1967.
In February 1967 the unit proved its value to the state and emphasized its dual state and federal mission. A national television audience watched crews and planes fly around the clock, airdropping 430 tons of food and supplies to stranded ranchers and their snowed in cattle, after one of the worst winter storms on record blanketed northern Arizona.
The Phoenix Air Guard was re-designated in August 1968 as the 161st Aero Medical Airlift Group. With continued use of the workhorse C-97, the mission for the new organization was medical air evacuation from overseas bases to U.S. hospitals.
In August 1972, the Phoenix group was reequipped with KC-97 Stratotanker
aircraft and reorganized as the 161st Air Refueling Group (161 ARG).
Flying the air tanker version of the C-97, the 161st quickly assimilated normal refueling operations, providing daily service to USAF and other military craft over the western U.S. Four times per year the unit shifted operations for two-week periods to refuel U.S. and NATO aircraft out of Rhein-Main Air Base
, West Germany.
On 1 July 1976, 13 Air National Guard refueling units were reassigned so that they would be operationally-gained by the Strategic Air Command
(SAC). This was the first time the massive bomber command integrated part-time units into its forces and mission. SAC also announced that Air Guard refueling units would begin to integrate a new craft into their inventories: a military version of the Boeing 707 airliner named the KC-135.
During operation Desert Shield, the 161st was amongst the first tanker units to be called up for duty in the Gulf, where it remained throughout the hostilities operating from bases in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates as well as Moron Air Base
, Spain.
In 1992, with the disestablishment of SAC, the unit was redesignated to its current title as the 161st Air Refueling Wing (161 ARW) and assigned as an operationally-gained unit of the newly-established Air Mobility Command
. In 1999 personnel from the 161st, along with six aircraft were activated for deployment in response to the developments in Kosovo.
In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended to distribute the 117th Air Refueling Wing’s KC-135R aircraft from Birmingham International Airport Air Guard Station (AGS), AL and the 161st Air Refueling Wing, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport AGS (two aircraft) and two other bases. Phoenix Sky Harbor (37) scored higher than Birmingham (63) in military value for the tanker mission. This recommendation would take advantage of available capacity at Phoenix by increasing the air refueling squadron size from eight to ten aircraft, increasing the wing's overall capability. It would also capitalize on the favorable recruiting environment of the greater Phoenix region that could sustain this increased squadron size.
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...
's 161st Air Refueling Wing is an Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
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....
unit located at Sky Harbor International Airport, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
History
The 161st Air Refueling Wing traces its lineage to the 412th Fighter Squadron, a unit which was redesignated as the 197th Fighter Squadron. The Phoenix fighter squadron was later expanded to group status and redesigned the 161st Fighter Interceptor Group.As a result of the Berlin crisis, the unit was mobilized, and within a month, 750 personnel and 22 F-104 aircraft were in place in Germany as the unit took up flying daily patrol at the edge of the Iron Curtain. With world tension easing, the Phoenix Air Guard returned home in August 1962. Military requirements resulted in an immediate change in mission for the Arizona unit. An end to the jet fighter era came when the Copperheads were redesigned the 161st Air Transport Group. The Group began transition training to fly the giant four-engine Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter
C-97 Stratofreighter
The 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...
in a passenger/cargo mission for the 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...
(MATS
MATS
MATS is an acronym standing for Measurements with an Advanced Trapping System, which is a Helmholtz research group for young investigators...
), later redesignated the Military Airlift Command
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
(MAC
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
) in January 1966. Arizona ANG aircraft and crews were soon flying aircraft missions to such places as Honolulu, Hawaii, Tachikawa, Japan and Frankfurt, West Germany.
As war spread over Southeast Asia, Phoenix Air Guardsmen, without being mobilized, flew 65 cargo and passenger airlift missions to combat bases in Vietnam and Thailand between March 1966 and September 1967.
In February 1967 the unit proved its value to the state and emphasized its dual state and federal mission. A national television audience watched crews and planes fly around the clock, airdropping 430 tons of food and supplies to stranded ranchers and their snowed in cattle, after one of the worst winter storms on record blanketed northern Arizona.
The Phoenix Air Guard was re-designated in August 1968 as the 161st Aero Medical Airlift Group. With continued use of the workhorse C-97, the mission for the new organization was medical air evacuation from overseas bases to U.S. hospitals.
In August 1972, the Phoenix group was reequipped with KC-97 Stratotanker
KC-97 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker was a United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.-Design and development:...
aircraft and reorganized as the 161st Air Refueling Group (161 ARG).
Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base was a U.S. Air Force / NATO military airbase near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It occupied the south side of Frankfurt International Airport. Its airport codes are discontinued....
, West Germany.
On 1 July 1976, 13 Air National Guard refueling units were reassigned so that they would be operationally-gained by the 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...
(SAC). This was the first time the massive bomber command integrated part-time units into its forces and mission. SAC also announced that Air Guard refueling units would begin to integrate a new craft into their inventories: a military version of the Boeing 707 airliner named the KC-135.
During operation Desert Shield, the 161st was amongst the first tanker units to be called up for duty in the Gulf, where it remained throughout the hostilities operating from bases in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates as well as Moron Air Base
Morón Air Base
Morón Air Base is located at in southern Spain, approximately southeast of the city of Seville and northeast of Naval Station Rota. The base gets its name from the nearby town of Morón de la Frontera - although its is actually located in the municipality of Arahal.Morón's massive flight line,...
, Spain.
In 1992, with the disestablishment of SAC, the unit was redesignated to its current title as the 161st Air Refueling Wing (161 ARW) and assigned as an operationally-gained unit of the newly-established Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
. In 1999 personnel from the 161st, along with six aircraft were activated for deployment in response to the developments in Kosovo.
In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended to distribute the 117th Air Refueling Wing’s KC-135R aircraft from Birmingham International Airport Air Guard Station (AGS), AL and the 161st Air Refueling Wing, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport AGS (two aircraft) and two other bases. Phoenix Sky Harbor (37) scored higher than Birmingham (63) in military value for the tanker mission. This recommendation would take advantage of available capacity at Phoenix by increasing the air refueling squadron size from eight to ten aircraft, increasing the wing's overall capability. It would also capitalize on the favorable recruiting environment of the greater Phoenix region that could sustain this increased squadron size.
Major Command
- Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
/Air Mobility CommandAir Mobility CommandAir Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
(since 1992) - Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
/Strategic Air CommandStrategic Air CommandThe 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...
(???-1992) - Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
/Military Airlift CommandMilitary Airlift CommandThe Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
(1966–1972) - Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
/Air Defense Command (19??-1966)
Previous designations
- 161st Air Refueling Wing (since 1995)
- 161st Air Refueling Group (1972–1995)
- 161st Military Airlift Group (1966–1972)
- 161st Fighter Interceptor Group (1946–1966)
Squadrons assigned
- 197th Air Refueling Squadron197th Air Refueling SquadronThe 197th Air Refueling Squadron flies the KC-135R Stratotanker. It is a unit of the Arizona Air National Guard. Its parent unit is the 161st Air Refueling Wing.-Major Command/Gaining Command:*Air National Guard/Air Mobility Command...
(1946–Present) - 396th Aircrew Training Squadron (1999–Present) |USAFX
Bases stationed
- Sky Harbor International Airport, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
(1946–Present) - Luke AAF, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
(1946–1948)
Aircraft & Missiles Operated
- KC-135E Stratotanker (1982–Present)
- KC-135A Stratotanker (1977–1982)
- KC-97L Stratotanker (1972–1977)
- C-97G Stratofreighter (1966–1972)
- F-104A/B Starfighter (1960–1966)
- F-86L Sabre (1957–1960)
- F-86A Sabre (1953–1957)
- F-51D Mustang (1952–1953)
- F-84B Thunderjet (1950–1952)
- F-51D Mustang (1946–1950)