Active 1957-1965 Role Air Refueling | Country United States | |
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Branch United States Air Force | ||
The 431st Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4440th Aircraft Delivery Group at Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, where it was inactivated on 8 Mar 1965.
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History
The 431st Air Refueling Squadron was established at Turner Air Force Base in April 1957 by Tactical Air Command (TAC) to provide a dedicated air refueling capability, initially for F-100 Super Sabres, and later for other in-flight refueling capable TAC bombers, fighters and fighter bombers. The squadron was briefly equipped on activation with KB-29M Stratofortresses transferred from Strategic Air Command's 508th Air Refueling Squadron, formerly assigned to the 31st Strategic Fighter Wing, which was inactivated at Turner in July. These aircraft were bombers converted to tankers using a British-developed hose refueling system.
The 431st re-equipped in June 1957 with the Boeing KB-50 Superfortress, which provided greater speed to refuel jet aircraft. KB-50s were modified about 1960 to KB-50J configuration which added a J-47 turbojet engine underneath each wing in place of the auxiliary fuel tanks to increase the speed of the aircraft.
By 1964 the unit's aircraft were phased out due to age. They were being replaced by SAC Boeing KC-97 Stratotankers and Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers The squadron inactivated in early 1966 and its KB-50Js were sent to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. When inactivated the squadron was the last USAF KB-50 unit.