940th Air Refueling Wing | |
|---|---|
 KC-135E previously operated by the 940 ARW prior to transitioning to the KC-135R | |
| Active | 1963–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Air Refueling |
| Part of | Air Force Reserve Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Beale Air Force Base, California |
| Motto | Citizen Warriors – Always First – Answering America’s Call |
| Engagements | Operation Desert Storm,Operation Allied Force,Operation Noble Eagle,Operation Joint Forge |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm |
| Website | www.940arw.afrc.af.mil |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Richard "Miles" Heaslip |
| Insignia | |
| 940th Air Refueling Wing emblem(approved 11 December 1968)[1] |  |
| Tail code | BB |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Tanker | Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker |
The940th Air Refueling Wing is part of the Air Reserve Component of theUnited States Air Force. It is assigned to theFourth Air Force of theAir Force Reserve Command, is operationally-gained[2] by theAir Mobility Command, and is home stationed atBeale Air Force Base, California.
The 940th is anair refueling unit with eightBoeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft assigned. Its mission is to provide citizen airmen in support of United States national security objectives worldwide.
After May 1959, the Air Force reserve flying force consisted of 45 troop carrier squadrons assigned to 15 troop carrier wings,[note 1] The squadrons were not all located with their parent wings, but were spread over thirty-five Air Force, Navy and civilian airfields under what was called the Detached Squadron Concept. The concept offered several advantages: (a) communities were more likely to accept the smallersquadrons than the largewings and (b) the location of separate squadrons in smaller population centers would facilitate local recruiting and manning.[5] However, under this concept, all support organizations were located with the wing headquarters.[6] Although this was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it proved difficult. This weakness was demonstrated in the partial mobilization of reserve units during theBerlin Crisis of 1961. To resolve this, at the start of 1962,Continental Air Command, (ConAC) determined to reorganize its AFRES wings by establishing groups with support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons. This reorganization would facilitate mobilization of elements of wings in various combinations when needed.[7]
As a result, the940th Troop Carrier Group was established atMcClellan Air Force Base, California on 11 February 1963 as the headquarters for the 314th Troop Carrier Squadron, which had been stationed there since October 1955.[8] Along with groupheadquarters, a combat support squadron, materiel Squadron and a tactical infirmary were organized to support the 314th. The group was equipped withFairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars forTactical Air Command airlift operations.
The group was one of four C-119 groups assigned to the349th Troop Carrier Wing in 1963, the others were the938th Troop Carrier Group atHamilton Air Force Base, California;939th Troop Carrier Group, atPortland International Airport, Oregon, and the941st Troop Carrier Group atPaine Air Force Base, Washington.
The 940th performed routine Air Force Reserve airlift operations and was upgraded to theDouglas C-124 Globemaster II intercontinental airlifter in 1965. With the C-124, the group flew overseas missions, particularly to the Far East and Southeast Asia.
In 1972, the group converted toLockheed C-130A Hercules. In 1975, the group changed aircraft again, converting to theBoeing KC-135A Stratotanker, and moving 9.5 miles southeast to nearbyMather Air Force Base, California as a tenant AFRES unit operationally-gained by theStrategic Air Command. At Mather, the 920th joined a SAC tenant unit, the320th Bombardment Wing, and Mather's host wing, theAir Training Command's323d Flying Training Wing. It was at this time the group became the940th Air Refueling Group.
In September 1986, the 940th traded its older KC-135A Stratotankers for the upgraded KC-135E configuration.
The 940th was activated in January, 1991 to support theGulf War with anAirbridge. Critical parts and equipment were first flown or sent toBarksdale AFB in Shreveport, Louisiana and then on toMoron Air Base in southern Spain. From there, additional unit aircraft flew the items to the Middle East to support the war.
Following the inactivation of theStrategic Air Command in 1992, operationally claimancy for the 940th shifted to the newly establishedAir Mobility Command.
When Mather AFB closed in 1993 pursuant to the 1989Base Realignment and Closure Commission, the 940th returned to its former home of nearby McClellan. On 1 October 1994, as part of an Air Force directed restructuring ofAir Force Reserve andAir National Guard flying units, the 940th was redesignated as the 940th Air Refueling Wing. The 940th remained at McClellan from July 1993 until May 1998, when that installation was also closed pursuant to1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission action. The wing then moved to its current home atBeale Air Force Base, California.
In the summer of 2005 the 940th again upgraded its KC-135s from the KC-135E to the KC-135R model. However, shortly following this transition and the approval of the2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations byPresident Bush, the 940th changed missions from flying the KC-135 to an "associate" unit to the9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale, supporting theNorthrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, as well as assuming other command and control missions.
On 12 March 2005, the13th Reconnaissance Squadron was activated at Beale with the mission of working hand in hand with their active duty counterparts in the 9 RW. On 1 October 2007, the50th Intelligence Squadron was activated with the same underlying mission, but working with the548th Intelligence Group (later the 548th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group). Both units were assigned to the 610th Regional Support Group atNAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas until the wing concluded its tanker mission.
On 1 July 2009 the wing was redesignated as the940th Wing, operating unmanned aerial vehicles/remotely piloted aircraft.
The 940th Maintenance Group, 940th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 940th Maintenance Squadron, 940th Maintenance Operations Flight, and the 314th Air Refueling Squadron also inactivated, thus ending for a time the air refueling mission at Beale. On the same date the 13th Reconnaissance Squadron and the 50th Intelligence Squadron were reassigned to the 940th Operations Group.
The 713th Combat Operations Squadron was also activated on this date and aligned under the 940th. Two additional Air Force Reserve combat operations squadrons that man and operate the AN/USQ-163 Falconer Air and Space Operations Center weapon system were also realigned under the 940th Wing shortly thereafter: the 701st Combat Operations Squadron, atMarch Air Reserve Base, California and the 710th Combat Operations Squadron atLangley Air Force Base, Virginia.[note 2]
On 1 May 2011, the 718th Intelligence Squadron was activated at Langley and aligned with the 940th Wing's command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission.
In 2013, the655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group stood up atWright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The 655th gradually assumed control of all intelligence squadrons under Air Force Reserve Command.
In April 2016, the 940th Wing returned to its air refueling mission and was again designated the 940th Air Refueling Wing (940 ARW) on 29 April 2016[1] as an AFRC unit operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command.
Concurrent with this change, the Air Force Reserve reconnaissance units in support of the RQ-4 Global Hawk at Beale that were gained byAir Combat Command were transferred to the 726th Operations Group atCreech Air Force Base, Nevada.
The first KC-135R returned to Beale on 10 July 2016, with the wing achieving initial operating capability with eight KC-135R aircraft as of October 2016. Concurrently, the wing's maintenance group, with its maintenance and aircraft maintenance squadrons, was reactivated, as was the 314th Air Refueling Squadron in the wing's operations group.[9]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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