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6th Air Refueling Squadron | |
|---|---|
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| Active | 1940-1946; 1947-1949; 1951-1951; 1957-1967; 1989 – present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Aerial refueling |
| Part of | Air Mobility Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Travis Air Force Base |
| Nickname | XTNDRs |
| Motto | Vis Extensa (Latin for 'Strength Extended') (1960-present) |
| Colors | Blue and Yellow |
| Mascot | Pegasus |
| Engagements | World War II Antisubmarine Pacific Theater of Operations[1] |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lt Col Daniel W. McLaughlin |
| Notable commanders | Maj GenHugo P. Rush Maj Gen Stanley T. Wray Col Rowland H. Worrell Jr. Lt Gen Brooks L. Bash Brig Gen Joel D. Jackson |
| Insignia | |
| 6th Air Refueling Squadron emblem[a][1] |  |
| Patch with 6th Air Refueling Squadron emblem[b][2] | .png) |
| 6th Bombardment Squadron emblem[c][3] |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Tanker | KC-46 Pegasus |
The6th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the60th Air Mobility Wing atTravis Air Force Base, California. It operates theBoeing KC-46 Pegasus aircraft, conductingmobility andair refueling missions.
The 6th Air Refueling Squadron was awarded the SMSGT Albert L. Evans Trophy for Outstanding Air Refueling Section of the Year in 2017. This distinction has been awarded to the 6th Air Refueling Squadron a record number of 6 times since 1989 -twice that of the 9th Air Refueling Squadron, the next most awarded unit.
The squadron was first activated atLangley Field, Virginia, as the6th Bombardment Squadron in January 1940, one of the originalsquadrons of the29th Bombardment Group. Its organization was part of the pre-World War II buildup of theUnited States Army Air Corps after the breakout of war in Europe. In May, it moved toMacDill Field, Florida, where it was equipped with a mix of pre-production YB-17s and early modelBoeing B-17 Flying Fortresses andDouglas B-18 Bolos. The squadron was still at MacDill when the Japaneseattacked Pearl Harbor, and it began to flyantisubmarine patrol missions in the Gulf of Mexico from January 1942.[3] By the summer of 1942, theU-boat threat in the Gulf began to diminish, with all German submarines being withdrawn from the area by September.[4]
No longer needed in the Gulf, the squadron moved toGowen Field, Idaho, where it became an Operational Training Unit (OTU)[3] The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to providecadres to "satellite groups".[5] The96th,381st,384th and388th Bombardment Groups were all formed at Gowen in the second half of 1942.[6][7]
In 1943, the squadron exchanged its B-17s forConsolidated B-24 Liberators. The squadron mission also changed as theArmy Air Forces' (AAF) need for new units diminished and its need for replacements increased. The squadron became a Replacement Training Unit (RTU).[3] Like OTUs, RTUs were oversized units, but their mission was to train individualpilots andaircrews. However, standard military units, like the 6th Squadron, were based on relatively inflexibletables of organization, and were not proving well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.[8] The 29th Bombardment Group and its squadrons (including the 6th) were inactivated. Its personnel and equipment, along with that of supporting units at Gowen Field were combined into the 212th AAF Base Unit (Combat Crew Training School, Heavy) on 1 April 1944.[3][9][10]
The AAF was organizing newBoeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment units, and the squadron was activated the same day atPratt Army Air Field, Kansas. It briefly returned to flying B-17s until B-29s became available for training. It continued training with the Superfortress until December 1944.[1] Training included long range overwater flights toBorinquen Field, Puerto Rico.[11]
It deployed toNorth Field, Guam, where it became a component of the314th Bombardment Wing ofXXI Bomber Command. Its first combat mission was an attack ofTokyo on 25 February 1945. Until March 1945, it engaged primarily in daytimehigh altitude attacks on strategic targets, such as refineries and factories. The campaign against Japan switched that month and the squadron began to conduct low altitude night raids, usingincendiaries against area targets. The squadron received aDistinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for a 31 March attack against anairfield atOmura, Japan. The squadron earned a second DUC in June for an attack on an industrial area ofShizuoka Prefecture, which included an aircraft factory operated byMitsubishi and the ChigusaArsenal.[9]
DuringOperation Iceberg, the invasion ofOkinawa, the squadron was diverted from the strategic campaign against Japanese industry and attacked airfields from whichkamikaze attacks were being launched against the landing force. FollowingVJ Day, the squadron dropped food and supplies to Alliedprisoners of war and participated in severalshow of force missions over Japan.[9] It also conducted reconnaissance flights over Japanese cities.[12] The squadron remained on Guam until it was inactivated in March 1946.[1]
In June 1947, the squadron was activated in thereserve atBarksdale Field, Louisiana. Although nominally a bomber unit, the squadron used training aircraft to maintain proficiency under the supervision of the 174th AAF Base Unit (later the 2509th Air Force Reserve Training Center), and it is unclear whether it was fully manned.[1][13] In September, the squadron was assigned to the482d Bombardment Group, which was located atNew Orleans Municipal Airport, Louisiana. PresidentTruman's 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force.[14] At the same time,Continental Air Command was converting its reserve units to thewing-base organization system. As a result, the squadron was inactivated in June 1949, as the392d Bombardment Group absorbed the remaining reservists at Barksdale.[1][13]
The6th Air Refueling Squadron was activated atWalker Air Force Base, New Mexico in April 1951 and began to train with the KB-29 tanker version of the Superfortress. The bombardment squadrons of the 6th's parent6th Bombardment Group were flying B-29s as well, but plans were underway by late summer to convert the group toConvair B-36 Peacemaker bombers, which lacked anair refueling capability. The squadron was inactivated on 1 August and its crews and airplanes were transferred to the307th Air Refueling Squadron, which moved to Walker on paper fromDavis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.[1][15]
By 1957, the6th Bombardment Wing had transitioned to theBoeing B-52 Stratofortress and, therefore, once again had a need for air refueling aircraft.[16] Meanwhile, atBergstrom Air Force Base, Texas,Strategic Air Command (SAC) had transferred thefighters of its27th Strategic Fighter Wing toTactical Air Command in July 1957,[17] but retained the 27th Wing's27th Air Refueling Squadron. On 1 November, the 6th Squadron was again activated at Bergstrom,[1] where it absorbed the remaining personnel of the 27th Squadron.[18][d]
In January 1958, the squadron returned to Walker AFB and the 6th Wing, where it began to fly the newBoeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Until 1962, when tanker training was concentrated atCastle Air Force Base, California, the squadron acted as a combat crew training unit for crews on the KC-135.[1] Once its training mission was transferred, the squadron maintained half its aircraft onalert status. The squadron continued to maintain this alert commitment until shortly before its inactivation.[19] The squadron also flew worldwide air refueling missions, including support of tactical aircraft flying inSoutheast Asia.[1]
During theCuban Missile Crisis, SAC placed 2 additional B-52s from each of its wings on ground alert[e] and placed 1/8 of its B-52 force on airborne alert. To support the expanded bomber alert force, additional KC-135 tankers had to be placed on alert.[20] On 24 October 1962, SAC went toDEFCON 2, placing all the squadron's remaining aircraft on alert.[21]
In December 1965, the first B-52Bs started leaving the operational inventory. This reduction resulted in the end of 6th Wing activities at Walker including the inactivation of the squadron,[1] and the closure of Walker Air Force Base in 1967.[22]
On 19 September 1985 the6th Air Refueling Squadron was consolidated with the6th Bombardment Squadron.[1]
The consolidated squadron was activated in 1989 atMarch Air Force Base, California as aMcDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender unit and assigned to the22d Air Refueling Wing. The squadron again flew worldwide air refueling missions, including support of deployments toSouthwest Asia from 1990 through 1991. In June 1992, the Air Force reorganized its major commands. This reorganization involved the transfer of the 22d Wing to the newAir Mobility Command,[23] which combined air refueling andairlift elements of the Air Force into a single command.[24] Under the new command, the squadron providedhumanitarianairlift toSomalia from 1992 to 1993.[1]
The1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that March be transferred toAir Force Reserve Command. As a result of the turnover to the reserves, the 22d Wing moved toMcConnell Air Force Base, Kansas in January 1994.[23] The squadron remained at March until August 1995, when it moved toTravis Air Force Base, California and became part of the60th Air Mobility Wing. In the interim, it was assigned to the 722d Operations Group, which controlled regular flying units at March until the base was fully converted to a reserve base. Since 2001, the squadron has provided air refueling support for the globalwar on terrorism[1]
In the Summer of 1990, following the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq Dictator Saddam Hussein, 43 KC-10 Extenders were deployed to the Persian Gulf.[25] Members of the 6th ARS conducted round the clock flying operations supporting all aspects of air operations via their versatile refueling capability. Unlike the aging KC-135, which could only be configured to refuel using a Boom, or Drogue, the KC-10 supports both methods simultaneously. This proved immensely valuable in both the Gulf War, and later conflicts which involved a large variety of receiver aircraft from different branches, and coalition partners. The KC-10's versatility in Air Refueling wasn't its only advantage. In a conflict where the Military Airlift Command's cargo transport capability was all but saturated, the KC-10's widebody design allowed for the organic movement of critical cargo loads to support other aircraft in the Air War -including B-52, KC-135, RC-135, and U-2.[26] According to a report by the Government Accountability Office, by the end of the war, U.S. tankers flew 14,000 sorties, offloading 725 million pounds of fuel to roughly 50,000 receiver aircraft throughout the conflict.[26]
Into the Modern Era
Transition to the KC-46 Pegasus
On July 28th, 2023, the 6th Air Refueling Squadron welcomed the firstBoeing KC-46 Pegasustanker aircraft toTravis AFB. TheSecretary of the Air Force at the time,Deborah Lee James, had selected the 6th Air Refueling Squadron, along with its sister squadron, the9th Air Refueling Squadron, as preferred locations for the second round of KC-46 basing locations. In order to be able to accommodate the new aircraft, Travis AFB launched a $136.2 Million construction project in 2018 to build a new 3-bay hangar. The hangar was completed in 2023, and the first new aircraft were flown fromBoeing Field inSeattle, Washington shortly thereafter. By September 2024, the Air Force had completely divested of theKC-10 Extender, and as of September 2025, the 6th ARS shares 17 KC-46 tanker aircraft with the9th Air Refueling Squadron, with plans for a final total of 24 aircraft to be stationed at the base.[27]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | Japan, 31 March 1945 | 6th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | Japan, Japan, 19–26 June 1945 | 6th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
 | Air Force Meritorious Unit Award | 1 July 2005-30 June 2007 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 May 1960-31 May 1962 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 February-30 June 1989 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1989-30 June 1991 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1993-30 June 1995 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 August 1995-30 July 1997 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 31 July 1997-30 June 1999 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1999-30 June 2000 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2000-30 June 2001 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2001-30 June 2003 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2003-30 June 2004 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2004-30 July 2005 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2007-30 June 2009 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2018-30 June 2019 | 6th Air Refueling Squadron |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
.png) | American Theater without inscription | 7 December 1941 – 7 December 1944 | 6th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
 | Antisubmarine | January 1942–24 June 1942 | 6th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
 | Air Offensive, Japan | 17 January 1945 – 2 September 1945 | 6th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Western Pacific | 17 April 1945 – 2 September 1945 | 6th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
 | Global War on Terror | 11 September 2001 – Present | 6th Air Refueling Squadron[1] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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