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| 26th Air Refueling Squadron (later 26th Expeditionary Air Refueling Flight) | |
|---|---|
 Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter as flown by the squadron | |
| Active | 1952–1955; 1955–1957; 1957–1964 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Aerial refueling |
| Decorations |
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| Insignia | |
| Emblem of the 26th Air Refueling Squadron |  |
The26th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactivesquadron of theUnited States Air Force that flew theBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, An earlyCold Warair refueling squadron, it primarily supportedBoeing B-47 Stratojets of theStrategic Air Command (SAC)Eighth Air Force during the 1950s and early 1960s. The squadron was inactivated in September 1964 as part of the phaseout of the KC-97 from SAC.
The 26th Air Refueling Squadron was formed atLockbourne Air Force Base Ohio in May 1952. Equipped with the newBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, it was assigned as theair refueling component of the26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, primarily supporting the wing'sBoeing RB-47 Stratojets. It provided air refueling support for a variety ofStrategic Air Command (SAC) directed exercises and operations that included numerous simulated combat missions and deployments, ranging from a few days to a few months. The exercises took the squadron's aircraft to such bases asEielson Air Force Base, Alaska;Thule Air Base, Greenland;RAF Upper Heyford andRAF Fairford, United Kingdom;Sidi Slimane Air Base in Morocco;Goose Bay Airport, Laborador; andLajes Field in the Azores.[1]
In August 1953, the squadron refueledRepublic F-84G Thunderjet fighters from the508th Strategic Fighter Wing participating in the Operation Long Stride. They refueled seventeen F-84Gs fromTurner Air Force Base, Georgia toRAF Lakenheath, Great Britain during a non-stop 4,485-mile trip. During the second phase of Operation Long Stride in October 1953, the 26th helped refuel eight F-84s of the31st Strategic Fighter Wing from Turner toNouasseur Air Base, French Morocco. The aircraft covered 3,800 miles in 10 hours and 20 minutes, thanks to in-flight refueling in the vicinity of Bermuda and the Azores. Crews and aircraft from the 26th deployed to Lajes in September 1954 for 45 days to refuel the 26th Wing'sreconnaissance aircraft.
In April 1955, the squadron was reassigned to the new4050th Air Refueling Wing under the57th Air Division atWestover Air Force Base, Massachusetts. From Westover, the squadron carried out air refueling primary for Eighth Air Force B-47s transiting the Atlantic from either the United States or returning from SAC'sOperation Reflex bases in Europe and North Africa. On 22 May 1957, the 26th moved from Westover toPlattsburgh Air Force Base, New York, being reassigned to the380th Bombardment Wing under the820th Air Division.[2]
From its base at Plattsburgh, the squadron continued to support training in air refueling for B-47 and B-52 crews as well as deploying to bases in Newfoundland and Greenland. Aircraft and crews were atSondrestrom Air Base, Greenland, when PresidentJohn F. Kennedy was assassinated, to guard against any potential "sucker punch" that the USSR might try while our country grieved. The squadron was inactivated in September 1964 as part of the retirement of the KC-97 from SAC service.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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