908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force
(USAF) unit. It was last known to be assigned to the 380th Expeditionary Operations Group
, Al Dhafra Air Base
, United Arab Emirates
. Its current status is undetermined.
at Kincheloe AFB, Michigan
and equipped with Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers. Its mission was to provide air refueling to the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers of its parent 4239th Strategic Wing and other USAF units as directed. The squadron was transferred to the 449th Bombardment Wing in 1963 when SAC redesignated its parent wing to an AFCON organization. It was deployed to the Western Pacific region between 1966 and 1968 to support combat operations of deployed SAC units and tactical aircraft over Indochina
during the Vietnam War
. It was inactivated on 30 September 1977 with the closure of Kincheloe AFB; with personnel and equipment reassigned to other units.
The squadron was reactivated as a provisional squadron in about 2002 as a part of the War on Terror
, equipped with a mixture of KC-135s and McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extenders; and was active as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom conducting combat air refueling.
The squadron's current status is undetermined.
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...
(USAF) unit. It was last known to be assigned to the 380th Expeditionary Operations Group
380th Expeditionary Operations Group
The 380th Expeditionary Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 380th Air Expeditionary Wing...
, Al Dhafra Air Base
Al Dhafra Air Base
Al Dhafra Air Base is a military installation in the United Arab Emirates. The base is located approximately south of Abu Dhabi and is operated by the United Arab Emirates Air Force.-Facilities:The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. Its current status is undetermined.
History
The squadron was established on 2 February 1959 by Strategic Air CommandStrategic 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...
at Kincheloe AFB, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and equipped with Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers. Its mission was to provide air refueling to the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers of its parent 4239th Strategic Wing and other USAF units as directed. The squadron was transferred to the 449th Bombardment Wing in 1963 when SAC redesignated its parent wing to an AFCON organization. It was deployed to the Western Pacific region between 1966 and 1968 to support combat operations of deployed SAC units and tactical aircraft over 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...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. It was inactivated on 30 September 1977 with the closure of Kincheloe AFB; with personnel and equipment reassigned to other units.
The squadron was reactivated as a provisional squadron in about 2002 as a part of the War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
, equipped with a mixture of KC-135s and McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extenders; and was active as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom conducting combat air refueling.
The squadron's current status is undetermined.