Country United States | Type Aerial refueling | |
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Active 11 December 1940 – 31 July 1945
1 August 1948 – 1 March 1949
14 July 1952 – 21 July 1954
3 August 1961 – 25 June 1967
15 October 1969 – 31 August 1972
1 October 1995 - Present Branch United States Air Force Part of Air Force Reserve Command
Fourth Air Force
507th Air Refueling Wing
931st Air Refueling Group Garrison/HQ McConnell Air Force Base |
The 18th Air Refueling Squadron (18 ARS) is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 931st Operations Group, stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas.
Contents
Overview
The squadron operates the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, conducting aerial refueling missions.
History
During World War II the 18th flew airborne assaults on Sicily, Myitkyina, Burma, and Southern France in addition to supporting partisans in Northern Italy from January to May 1945 and conducting aerial transportation in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) and briefly in the China-Burma-India Theater (CBI). It flew strategic and tactical airlift missions from 1948 to 1954 and 1962 to 1967. The squadron provided tactical airlift training for US and subsequently South Vietnamese pilots and crews from 1969 to 1972.
This unit has flown worldwide air refueling missions since 1995.