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| 46th Air Refueling Squadron | |
|---|---|
%2c_USA_-_Air_Force_AN1137165.jpg) SquadronKC-135A Stratotanker | |
| Active | 1942–1943; 1954–1956; 1961–1996 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Aerial refueling |
| Engagements | Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
| Insignia | |
| Patch with 46th Air Refueling Squadron emblem |  |
The46th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the410th Operations Group, atK. I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan, where it was inactivated on 8 October 1993.
The46th Ferrying Squadron,Air Transport Command, was activated on 2 December 1942 atWadi Seidna Airport, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. The 46th was assigned to the 13th Ferrying Group which was responsible for a region spanningEl Geneine, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, toKarachi, India (now Pakistan), and fromCairo, Egypt, toTehran, Iran. The 46th was responsible for the aerial transportation of personnel, supplies and mail throughout this area.
The squadron was redesignated the46th Transport Squadron on 24 March 1943. With the reorganization of the Africa Middle East Wing, the 46th was disbanded on 30 September 1943 when the group and squadron organizations of the Central African Sector were disbanded and replaced by stations. The 13th Transport Group, its assigned squadrons, and all personnel and equipment were absorbed by the newly created Station 20, Africa Middle East Wing atKhartoum.
Reconstituted and redesignated the46th Air Transport Squadron, Medium,Military Air Transport Service (MATS). The 46th began operations atKelly Air Force Base, Texas in July 1954. The 46th operated primarily as a training squadron until April 1955, at which time it became a full strength squadron. The primary mission of the 46th was to provide air movement of personnel and supplies over almost two-thirds of the globe as designated by higher headquarters. The secondary mission was to train new MATS personnel and to make them an integral part of the squadron. The 46th Air Transport Squadron inactivated on 8 April 1956.
When the923d Air Refueling Squadron was discontinued and inactivated on 1 April 1961, the46th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy was organized and gained the mission, personnel, and equipment of the 923d. Stationed atK.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan the 46th flew regular, reflex, alert, and training refueling missions; its tankers refueledTactical Air Command fighters being deployed or rotated overseas, and those returning to the United States.
Aircrews of the 46th were deployed to assist in refueling operations during theCuban Missile Crisis; it also sent aircraft and crews toSoutheast Asia to support combat missions of SAC bombers and TAC fighters. The 46th deployed aircraft and crews for tanker task forces operating out of Alaska, Spain, Labrador, and in the Great Lakes region. The squadron maintained operational readiness to conduct air refueling operations with theBoeing KC-135A Stratotanker as specified by higher headquarters until its inactivation.[1]
Inactivated in 1993 as part of the postCold War drawdown of the USAF and inactivation of the parent410th Bombardment Wing and closure of K. I. Sawyer.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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