166th Air Refueling Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 166th Air Refueling Squadron flies the KC-135R Stratotanker. It is a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard
. Its parent unit is the 121st Air Refueling Wing
.
and was assigned duties as an air defenders. In 1954, the F-80C Shooting Star arrived and the wing continued with an air defense mission. F-84E aircraft were received in 1955 followed by the F-84F in 1957, which brought with it a fighter-bomber mission.
In October 1961, the squadron was called to active duty for the Berlin Crisis. The 166th and additional augmenting personnel deployed to Étain-Rouvres Air Base
, France
, where they served until August 1962. The unit next converted to the F-100C Super Sabre, which greatly enhanced its mission capabilities. Another call-up to active duty occurred in 1968 as a result of the USS Pueblo Crisis
. One year of the 18-month activation was spent in Kunsan AB, South Korea. During the deployment some pilots flew combat missions in Vietnam while performing temporary assignments with other units. Aircraft and personnel returned home in June 1969. An aircraft upgrade to the F-100D was accomplished in 1971.
Under the “Total Force Policy,” Guard and Reserve units began to receive newer aircraft and equipment in the 1970s. The 121st began conversion to the A-7D Corsair II in 1974 which brought with it additional missions. In the same year Lockbourne AFB was renamed Rickenbacker AFB in honor of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, the WW I “Ace of Aces” and a Columbus, Ohio native. When the active duty units departed in 1979, Rickenbacker became an Air National Guard Base with the 121st as its largest flying unit.
Ohio Air National Guard
The Ohio Air National Guard is a part of the United States National Guard and an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is composed of approximately 5,000 airmen and officers assigned to four flying wings and eight non-flying support units. OHANG units are based in Columbus,...
. Its parent unit is the 121st Air Refueling Wing
121st Air Refueling Wing
The United States Air Force's 121st Air Refueling Wing is an aerial refueling organization assigned to the Ohio Air National Guard and located at Rickenbacker ANGB, Ohio.-Mission:...
.
History
The 166th was activated as a Tactical Fighter Squadron in 1951 for the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and was assigned duties as an air defenders. In 1954, the F-80C Shooting Star arrived and the wing continued with an air defense mission. F-84E aircraft were received in 1955 followed by the F-84F in 1957, which brought with it a fighter-bomber mission.
In October 1961, the squadron was called to active duty for the Berlin Crisis. The 166th and additional augmenting personnel deployed to Étain-Rouvres Air Base
Etain-Rouvres Air Base
Étain - Rouvres Air Base is a former USAF base in France. It is located on the Lorraine Plateau in northeastern France, 1 mile to the west of Étain; on the west side of the Départemental 906 road, adjacent to the village of Rouvres-en-Woevre in the Meuse département about 12 miles east of...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where they served until August 1962. The unit next converted to the F-100C Super Sabre, which greatly enhanced its mission capabilities. Another call-up to active duty occurred in 1968 as a result of the USS Pueblo Crisis
USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
USS Pueblo is an American ELINT and SIGINT Banner-class technical research ship which was boarded and captured by North Korean forces on January 23, 1968, in what is known as the Pueblo incident or alternatively as the Pueblo crisis or the Pueblo affair. Occurring less than a week after President...
. One year of the 18-month activation was spent in Kunsan AB, South Korea. During the deployment some pilots flew combat missions in Vietnam while performing temporary assignments with other units. Aircraft and personnel returned home in June 1969. An aircraft upgrade to the F-100D was accomplished in 1971.
Under the “Total Force Policy,” Guard and Reserve units began to receive newer aircraft and equipment in the 1970s. The 121st began conversion to the A-7D Corsair II in 1974 which brought with it additional missions. In the same year Lockbourne AFB was renamed Rickenbacker AFB in honor of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, the WW I “Ace of Aces” and a Columbus, Ohio native. When the active duty units departed in 1979, Rickenbacker became an Air National Guard Base with the 121st as its largest flying unit.
Lineage
- Constituted as: 364th Fighter Squadron, and activated, on 1 December 1942
- Inactivated on: 20 August 1946.
- Redesignated as: 166th Fighter Squadron, and allotted to Ohio Air National Guard on 21 August 1946
- Received federal recognition and activated, 10 November 1947
- Federalized and placed on active duty, 10 February 1951
- Designated as 166th Fighter Squadron (Jet), 10 February 1951
- Released from active duty and returned to Ohio state control, 1 November 1952
- Redesignated as: 166th Tactical Fighter Squadron in November 1952
- Redesignated as: 166th Air Refueling Squadron on 16 March 1992
- Redesignated as: 166th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 October 1993
Assignments
- 357th Fighter Group357th Fighter GroupThe 357th Fighter Group was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. The 357th operated P-51 Mustang aircraft as part of the U.S. Eighth Air Force and its members were known unofficially as "The Yoxford Boys" after a village near their base...
, December 1942-20 August 1946 - Ohio Air National GuardOhio Air National GuardThe Ohio Air National Guard is a part of the United States National Guard and an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is composed of approximately 5,000 airmen and officers assigned to four flying wings and eight non-flying support units. OHANG units are based in Columbus,...
, 24 May 1946
- 122d Fighter Interceptor Group (ConAC); (ADC, 1950), 10 November 1947
- Federalized and placed on active duty, 10 February 1951
- 122d Fighter Interceptor Group 10 February 1951
- 4706th Air Defense Wing4706th Air Defense WingThe 4706th Air Defense Wing is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division, being stationed at Kincheloe Air Force Base, Michigan...
, 6 February 1952 - 4708th Defense Wing, 1 August 1952
- Released from active duty and returned to Ohio state control, 1 November 1952
- 121st Tactical Fighter Wing (TAC), 1952
- 121st Air Refueling Wing121st Air Refueling WingThe United States Air Force's 121st Air Refueling Wing is an aerial refueling organization assigned to the Ohio Air National Guard and located at Rickenbacker ANGB, Ohio.-Mission:...
(AMC), 1992-Present
Stations
- Hamilton FieldHamilton FieldHamilton Field may refer to:* Hamilton Air Force Base, a former U.S. Air Force Base located on San Francisco Bay, California, United States.* Hamilton Field , an airport located in Derby, Kansas, United States....
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia 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...
, 1 December 1942 - Tonopah Army Air FieldTonopah Army Air FieldTonopah Army Air Field was a World War II United States Army Air Force training airfield located seven miles east of the central business district of Tonopah, a city in Nye County, Nevada, USA. It was active between 1942 and 1945.- Origins :...
, NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, 7 March 1943 - Santa Rosa Army Airfield, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia 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...
, c. 4 June 1943 - Marysville Army Airfield, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia 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...
, 15 August 1943 - Ainsworth Army AirfieldAinsworth Army AirfieldAinsworth Municipal Airport is a public use airport located six nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Ainsworth, in Brown County, Nebraska, United States...
, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, 6 October-10 November 1943 - RAF RaydonRAF RaydonRAF Raydon is a former United States Army Air Force station in England. It is located just to the northeast of the village of Raydon, about 6 miles from Ipswich on the B1070 in Suffolk.-Origins:...
(AAF-157), EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 1 December 1943 - RAF LeistonRAF LeistonRAF Leiston is a former airfield in the United Kingdom. The airfield is located northwest of Leiston and south of Theberton in Suffolk.-USAAF use:...
(AAF-373), EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 2 February 1944 - AAF Station Neubiberg, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, c. 20 July 1945-20 August 1946 - Lockbourne AFB, Ohio, 1946
- Operated from Youngstown Municipal AirportYoungstown-Warren Air Reserve StationYoungstown-Warren Air Reserve Station is a military facility located in Vienna Center, Ohio, 11 miles north of Youngstown and 10 miles east of Warren, in Trumbull County, Ohio, in the United States. The installation is located at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport...
, Ohio, 1 August-1 November 1952 (Federalized Service) - Renamed: Rickenbacker AFB, Ohio, 18 May 1974
- Renamed: Rickenbacker ANGB, Ohio, 30 September 1994-Present
Aircraft Operated
- KC-135R (1992–present)
- A-7D/KA-7 Corsair IIThe Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-based subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the United States Navy's Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, initially entering service during the Vietnam War...
(1974–1993) - F-100C/DF-100 Super SabreThe North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
(1962–1974) - F-84F (1958–1962)
- F-84E (1955–1958)
- F-80C (1953–1955)
- F-51 MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
(1947–1953)