314th Air Refueling Squadron
# 314th Air Refueling Squadron

The 314th Air Refueling Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit within the Air Force Reserve Command. It is currently assigned to the 940th Air Refueling Wing, based at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 July 2009 and reactivated on 1 June 2016.

## Mission

It operates the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions.

## History

### World War II

Activated in late 1943 as a Douglas C-47 Skytrain troop carrier squadron, trained under I Troop Carrier Command in the United States. Was not deployed until the spring of 1945 to England, being assigned to the IX Troop Carrier Command. Was not used in combat operations, however did transport supplies and equipment to the front-line ground forces primarily into Germany and evacuated casualties to rear areas. Returned to the United States in September 1945 and was a transport squadron for Continental Air Forces until its inactivation in September 1946.

### Reserve troop carrier operations

It trained in the reserve for troop carrier missions from, 1949–1951, for fighter-bomber missions from, 1952–1957, and resumed its current role as an airlift squadron in 1957 until 1976.

### Reserve air refueling operations

The squadron has performed air refueling missions worldwide since 1977 and maintained an alert responsibility for Strategic Air Command until the command's inactivation in June 1992. It deployed aircraft and personnel to Saudi Arabia and European locations in support of the Gulf War and later contingency operations in Somalia and the Balkans.

The squadron was inactivated in 2009 pursuant to 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission action that eliminated the 940th Air Refueling Wing's KC-135 flying mission and redesignated it as the 940th Wing as an associate unit to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing in support of RQ-4 Global Hawk remotely piloted (e.g., unmanned) aircraft operations. In 2016, the wing returned to its former designation as an air refueling wing and reacquired its manned flying mission and KC-135R aircraft, with the reactivation of the squadron occurring the same year.

## Lineage

* Constituted as the 314th Troop Carrier Squadron on 23 October 1943

    Activated on 1 November 1943
    Inactivated on 31 July 1946
* Redesignated '314th Troop Carrier Squadron'[, Medium on 10 May 1949

    Activated in the reserve on 27 June 1949
    Ordered to active service on 1 April 1951
    Inactivated on 2 April 1951
* Redesignated 314th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 26 May 1952

    Activated in the reserve on 13 June 1952
    Redesignated 314th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 1 September 1957
    Ordered to active service on 28 October 1962
    Released from active service on 28 November 1962
    Redesignated 314th Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy on 1 April 1965
    Redesignated 314th Air Transport Squadron, Heavy on 1 December 1965
    Redesignated 314th Military Airlift Squadron on 1 January 1966
    Redesignated 314th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 April 1972
    Redesignated 314th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 1 January 1977
    Redesignated 314th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 February 1992
    Inactivated on 1 July 2009
* Activated 29 April 2016

### Assignments

* 349th Troop Carrier Group, 1 November 1943 – 31 July 1946
* 349th Troop Carrier Group, 27 June 1949 – 2 April 1951
* 349th Fighter-Bomber Group (later 349th Troop Carrier Group), 13 June 1952
* 349th Troop Carrier Wing, 14 April 1959
* 940th Troop Carrier Group (later 940th Air Transport Group, 940th Military Airlift Group, 940th Tactical Airlift Group, 940th Air Refueling Group), 11 February 1963
* 940th Operations Group, 1 August 1992 – 1 July 2009
* 940th Operations Group, 29 April 2016 – present
