RAF Mildenhall History

Royal Air Force Mildenhall's history of being a large aircraft base goes all the way back to late 1920s. During that time, the British military developed the idea to site a RAF bomber base at Mildenhall in order to meet a perceived "continental threat." The government purchased land in 1929 and began construction in October 1930. The first official base name was RAF Beck Row, but that changed in 1933 to RAF Station Mildenhall. Contractors completed the first buildings in 1931. Three years later the station was ready for its official opening. RAF Station Mildenhall opened Oct. 16, 1934. However, King George V officially dedicated the base Oct. 19, 1934. Queen Mary, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of York accompanied the king during the dedication. On the same day, Wing Commander F.J. Linnell, O.B.E., assumed his position as the base's first station commander.

The date for the dedication was, in part, due to the Royal Aero Club, who wanted to begin their England-to-Australia air race Oct. 20, 1934. The dedication, as well as the start of the MacRoberson Air Race from Mildenhall to Melbourne, Australia, drew 70,000 people to witness both events. Twenty aircraft began the race at RAF Station Mildenhall, but it was two Englishmen who flew the 11,300 miles to Melbourne in 70 hours, 54 minutes and won the prize of £10,000.

RAF Mildenhall didn't receive its first operational unit until Nov. 15, 1934 when No. 99 (Madras Presidency) Bomber Squadron, arrived at RAF Station Mildenhall. Along with the No. 99 Squadron came the Heyford Night Bomber.  The squadron re-equipped with Wellington Bombers in 1938 and left the station in March 1941. Its motto was "Quisque Tenax" (Each Tenacious). As part of the King George V's Silver Jubilee July 6, 1935, the RAF chose RAF Station Mildenhall as one of two venues to host a royal review of the RAF.  Thirty-eight squadrons with 370 aircraft lined up for this royal review by the king. This collection of aircraft included bombers, fighters, and observation aircraft. The number of aircraft constituted one third of the RAF's total strength at that time. The Prince of Wales and the Duke of York accompanied the king during his review. A memorial tablet located in front of the Building 562 (USAFE-UK headquarters), commemorated this historical event.

A second operational squadron activated on RAF Station Mildenhall Sept. 16, 1935. Its core came from "B" flight of No. 99 Squadron. This was the No. 38 Bomber Squadron. They too started with the Heyford bombers and their motto was "Ante Lucem" (Before the Dawn). May 1, 1936, No. 3 Group, one of five groups forming out of the Central and Western Bombing Areas, took control of RAF Station Mildenhall. This group would eventually move to RAF Station Mildenhall. May 23, 1936, RAF Station Mildenhall opened its gates to the public for Empire Air Day. This was the very first "Air Show" at RAF Station Mildenhall. Around 6,000 people came to watch flying displays and shows of technical equipment.

July  8, 1936, King Edward VIII, the Duke of York and the Chief of the Air Staff visited RAF Station Mildenhall to inspect No. 99 Squadron, No. 38 Squadron and No. 40 Bomber Squadron. No. 40 Squadron was summoned to RAF Station Mildenhall for the inspection. The king also inspected some of the base facilities. He assumed the throne seven months before, after his father, King George V died. He reigned from January to December 1936. He was also the first monarch to be a qualified pilot.

Towards the end of the year, No. 38 Squadron began to replace their Heyford bombers with the Fairey Hendon Night Bomber. The first one arrived at RAF Station Mildenhall Nov. 20, 1936. These were not new bombers. The Fairey Hendon first flew in November 1930, but because of a prolonged series of trials, they were not ordered into production until the spring of 1934. Even then, only 14 Fairey Hendon aircraft were ordered and they all served with No 38 Squadron between 1936 and January 1939. On Jan. 16, 1937, No. 3 Group moved from Andover to RAF Station Mildenhall. A new unit with new aircraft arrived on RAF Station Mildenhall April 12, 1937. It was the No. 149 (East India) (Bomber) Squadron and they brought Wellington Bombers with them. No. 149 Squadron formed from part of the No. 99 Squadron and was one of several commonwealth units that operated out of RAF Station Mildenhall. This bomber squadron's motto was "Fortis Nocte" (Strong by Night). It operated from the station during World War II until April 6, 1942.

On Sept. 3, 1939, three days after Germany's invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Six hours after the official declaration of war on Germany, three Wellington bombers from No. 149 Squadron took off to bomb German battleships in the Kiel Canal. The Kiel Canal was the stretch of waterway that links the North Sea to the Baltic Sea. In 1940, RAF Station Mildenhall became the location for two films. The first was "The Lion has Wings," and the second was "Target for Tonight." The propaganda film staged at RAF Station Mildenhall entitled "The Lion has Wings," showed the nation how the station and its Wellington bombers prepared for war.  The Crown Film Unit made Harry Watt's "Target for Tonight" on RAF Station Mildenhall using Wellingtons from No. 149 Squadron.

On Jan. 18, 1940, No. 149 Squadron conducted its first night bombing. Previously, British bombers conducted daylight bombings over targets in Europe. This changed to nighttime bombing due to heavy bomber losses. Nearly a year later, Nov. 2, 1941, No. 149 Squadron traded its Wellington bombers for the new Stirling bombers. Those were the first Stirling bombers permanently stationed at RAF Station Mildenhall. The following month, RAF Station Mildenhall became home for a new bomber squadron. On Dec. 15, 1941 the No. 419 (Canadian) (Bomber) Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, activated at RAF Station Mildenhall. They remained based there until August 13, 1942, when the squadron transferred to the newly formed Group 6. They were only the third Canadian squadron to become operational overseas. It was known as the "Moose" squadron in honor of Wing Commander John "Moose" Fulton. Their motto was "Moosa Aswayita" (Beware the Moose).

On May 31, 1942, 18 Wellingtons from No. 419 Squadron and 17 from No. 149 Squadron at RAF Station Mildenhall took part in the first "1000 Bomber Raid" against Cologne, Germany. In this raid 1,047 aircraft were dispatched to Cologne, of which 868 attacked the main target and dropped 1,455 tons of explosives, two-thirds of which were incendiaries. The city suffered severe damage with about 250 factories and 18,400 houses destroyed or damaged. This was a major effort by the RAF's Bomber Command, because in May 1942, they only had an average of about 400 serviceable aircraft in the operational bomber squadrons. Finding an additional 600 aircraft meant stripping Bomber Command clean. Most of the additional aircraft came from Operational Training Units with the aircraft being flown by instructors. A few months later, two more squadrons came to RAF Station Mildenhall. First, No. 75 (New Zealand) (Bomber) Squadron replaced No. 419 Squadron when that squadron moved from RAF Station Feltwell on August 15, 1942. The motto of the No. 75 Squadron was "Ake Ake Kia Kaha" (Forever and Ever Be Strong). On Sept. 25, 1942, No. 115 (Bomber) Squadron moved to RAF Station Mildenhall from RAF Marham. The No. 115 Squadron remained until November 8, 1942. Their motto was "Despite the Elements."

RAF Station Mildenhall's population grew again during 1943. April 13, 1943, No. 15 (Bomber) Squadron relocated to RAF Station Mildenhall and operated from there until the end of the war. Their motto was "Aim Sure." Ground crews for No. 15 Squadron arrived in Horsa gliders. As a side note, Horsa gliders returned to RAF Station Mildenhall for storage under the administration of the No. 25 Glider Maintenance Squadron. They departed for the Mediterranean Theater in March 1944. On Aug. 10, 1943, No. 622 (Bomber) Squadron activated on RAF Station Mildenhall from "C" Flight of No. 15 Squadron. They remained on RAF Station Mildenhall until the end of the war. Their motto was "Belimus Noctu" (We Wage War By Night).  November 1943 marked the arrival of the first permanently stationed Lancaster bombers, along with the less sturdy Halifax bombers to RAF Station Mildenhall.

On March 22, 1944, Lancaster and Halifax bombers from RAF Station Mildenhall took part in the first major raid against Berlin, Germany. The raid consisted of more than 800 bombers from several bases. It marked the end of what Bomber Command called the "Battle of Berlin."

June 6, 1944, the first day of D-Day operations, 35 Lancaster bombers from No. 15 and No. 622 Squadrons struck targets along Hitler's Atlantic Wall. The next day, 33 Lancasters attacked targets near Lisieux, France.  RAF Station Mildenhall provided a staging point for large numbers of Horsa Gliders before D-Day. The attacks marked the first daylight bombing raids by both squadrons. For RAF Station Mildenhall, the war effectively ended April 22, 1945 when bombers from the station flew their last combat mission against Bremen, Germany. Germany officially surrendered May 7, 1945. Immediately after the war, RAF Station Mildenhall aircraft returned repatriated prisoners of war to their home countries and dropped relief supplies to Dutch flood victims. On Aug. 25, 1945, 19 days after the surrender of Japan, No. 44 (Rhodesia) (Bomber) Squadron moved to RAF Station Mildenhall. Their motto was "Fulmina Regis Iusta" (The King's Thunderbolts Are Righteous).

December 1945 marked the first major involvement by the USAAF with RAF Station Mildenhall. Two B-17 Flying Fortresses arrived at the station for bomb trials. They were stripped of their armament and modified to carry a rocket assisted 4,500 lb. bomb, or a 2,000 lb. bomb with a special penetration head under each wing. A third B-17 arrived shortly after the first two. The B-17s took part in service trials for the new Lincoln Bomber. No. 15 Squadron participated in these trials that included high-level bombing with the three deployed B-17s. The trials took place in January 1946.

RAF Station Mildenhall's runways were updated and resurfaced in July 1948. Bomber Command planned to bring in No. 230 Operational Conversion Unit to train Lancaster pilots at RAF Station Mildenhall in the new Lincoln bomber. However, this never happened as the USAF moved B-29 Super Fortresses on to RAF Station Lakenheath in August 1948. The RAF did not want a training unit operating so close to the B-29s, so No. 230 OCU never made it to RAF Station Mildenhall. July 12, 1950, after improving facilities and spending ₤1,000,000 to lengthen the runway to 9,000 feet, elements of the 93rd Bomb Group, 329th Bombardment Squadron, 330th Bombardment Squadron, and 4115th Organizational Squadron arrived to operate on a rotational duty with 45 WB-50 Superfortresses. The U.S. worried that the Soviets might think the U.S. too occupied with the Korean conflict to adequately protect Europe. To counter this Cold War threat , RAF Mildenhall, as it was now known, became one of the initial bases identified to host the B-29, B-47, and B-52 bombers, as well as the  KC-97 and KC-135 tankers. The B-50 was first designated as the B-29D, but modifications to the original B-29 structure were considerable so it was redesignated as the B-50. The WB-50 stood for weather-reconnaissance.

In February 1951, the first B-29s were stationed at RAF Mildenhall, when the 93 BG rotated out and the 830th Bombardment Squadron, from the 509th Bombardment Wing took its place. This was followed in May 1951 by the first B-50s to operate out of RAF Mildenhall from the 49th Bombardment Squadron, who replaced the 830 SB. Although the 3910 ABG took administrative control of RAF Mildenhall from the RAF's No. 3 Group, No. 3 Group remained on RAF Mildenhall until 1967. In April 1952, the RB-29s, reconnaissance variant, was stationed at RAF Mildenhall with the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing.  It first used RAF Mildenhall for its RB-50s and RB-29s. In September 1952, RAF Mildenhall received its first KB-29 when the headquarters and maintenance of the 2 BW returned to RAF Mildenhall to service B-50s and KB-29s. The   KB-29s were the first USAF tankers to operate out of RAF Mildenhall. By this time, the USAF began to replace the B-29 and B-50 variants with newer aircraft.

In June 1953, the first KC-97E Stratotankers moved to RAF Mildenhall. They were tankers of the 306th Air Refueling Squadron from the 306th Wing. The mission of the new tankers was to provide air refueling support to the new B-47 Stratojet based at RAF Fairford. This was a first time for both aircraft at each base. On Jan. 17, 1958, RAF Mildenhall officially became the new home for the Military Air Transport Service's United Kingdom Passenger Terminal. This terminal made RAF the central site for logistical support for the whole of the U.K.

On Sept. 1, 1959, the 3913th Combat Support Group become a Third Air Force unit and was redesignated the 7513th ABG. The 3913 CSG had only recently taken on the duties as host unit of RAF Mildenhall from the 3910 ABG when it activated Jan. 1, 1959. The 7513 ABG assumed the mission as host unit at RAF Mildenhall including support for the new Military Air Transport Service facilities at the Passenger Terminal. While it had been almost 10 years since any B-50 variant was stationed at RAF Mildenhall, the KB-50 tanker variant made its first appearance on Feb. 1, 1962. It came to RAF Mildenhall with the 420th Air Refueling Squadron when it relocated from RAF Sculthorpe to RAF Mildenhall.

March 7, 1966 Gen. de Gaulle, the French president, informed the USA that he wanted all foreign troops to leave France. Along with the 7120 ACCS came the Silk Purse Control Group mission. This operation functioned as an airborne command post for the U.S. Commander-in-Chief of Europe. After arriving on base, the 7120 ACCS began conversion to the EC-135s from their old C-118s. On Jan. 1, 1970, the 1720 ACCS redesignated to become the 10th Airborne Command and Control Squadron. Early the next year, Jan. 8, 1966, RAF Mildenhall received another new unit. Because of the increasing cargo and passenger traffic, the USAF activated the 627th Military Airlift Support Squadron. The unit ran the Military Air Transport Service Passenger Terminal. The decision by the French forced the USAF to relocate several units. One of the units was the 513th Troop Carrier Wing. To prepare RAF Mildenhall for the arrival of the 513th TCW from Evreux-Fauville Air Base, France, the 513th Combat Support Group formed. When RAF Mildenhall was ready, the 513th TCW began to relocate to its new base. The relocation began April 16, 1966 and ended Sept. 1, 1966. With its activation on Mildenhall, the 513th TCW assumed operational control of the two Military Airlift Command rotational C-130 Hercules squadrons and the 7120 ACCS. Two years after its arrival, the Air Force redesignated the 513th TCW as the 513th Tactical Airlift Wing (513 TAW).

On Sept. 18, 1967, the 513th TCW held an open house at RAF Mildenhall to celebrate the Air Force's 20th birthday. This was the first air show at RAF Mildenhall since the U.S. Air Force took control of the base and a prelude to the many "Air Fetes" to come. During February 1971, the 513th TAW began replacing its VC-47s and C-47s with T-29s. In June 1971, the last C-47 left the U.K. From March to September 1971, RAF Mildenhall became host to 45 F-100 Super Sabers from the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath. This was the first time in RAF Mildenhall's history that fighters operated from the base. In June 1972, the Third Air Force (3rd AF) relocated from South Ruislip to RAF Mildenhall. The 3rd AF Headquarters took over the building originally used by Bomber Command's No. 3 Group. In 2006, HQ Third Air Force re-located to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, while 3AF-UK (now USAFE-UK) continued at RAF Mildenhall.

Although only a visit, it was a look at things to come when a SR-71 Blackbird made its first visit to RAF Mildenhall in September 1974. The trip between New York and London took only one hour and 55 minutes to cover 3,479.41 miles. To achieve the new record, the SR-71 flew more than three times the speed of sound. On  Sept. 13, 1974, the SR-71 departed RAF Mildenhall for a record-setting flight to Los Angeles, California. The trip took three hours and forty-seven minutes and covered 5,446.86 miles. Within five years, both the SR-71 and the U-2 operated from RAF Mildenhall. In 1976, the European Tanker Task Force mission operated by the 306th Strategic Wing began. Under this concept, deployed KC-135 Stratotankers at RAF Mildenhall would rotate from two other bases, Zaragoza Air Base, Spain, and Hellenikon Air Base, Greece, to provide air refueling support. Later that same year, on Dec. 1, 1976, RAF Mildenhall became the main European tanker base when Detachment 1 of the 98 SW inactivated at Torrejon Air Force Base, Spain. The 306th SW was responsible for two other issues that affected RAF Mildenhall. First, the RC-135 Rivet Joint Block II testing took place at RAF Mildenhall Aug. 22, 1977. June 30, 1978, the headquarters of the 306th SW relocated from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to RAF Mildenhall to support the SAC rotational forces at RAF Mildenhall and manage the ETTF.

April 1, 1978, the SR-71 returned to RAF Mildenhall, in order to operate from the base. This was the result of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Detachment 4, which moved to RAF Mildenhall to oversee temporary duty deployments of U-2 and SR-71 aircraft. While this was a return appearance for the SR 71, it was the first appearance for the U-2. However, U-2 operations moved to RAF Alconbury in February 1983. April 5, 1982, almost a year before the U-2s left RAF Mildenhall, the British Government gave permission for two SR-71s to be permanently based at RAF Mildenhall. Until the departure of the SR-71 on Jan. 18, 1990, it came to symbolize RAF Mildenhall in the public's eye.

The next major change for RAF Mildenhall took place on February 1, 1992, when the 100th Air Refueling Wing activated. It replaced the 513th Airborne Command and Control Wing, which redesignated on June 18, 1987, with a different mission. As host wing, it took over the support of all the tenant units on RAF Mildenhall. The wing's first permanent KC-135 arrived May 22, 1992, but the wing did not receive the full complement of nine tankers until September 1992. The number of permanently assigned KC-135s at RAF Mildenhall changed Nov. 28, 1998, when the U.S. Air Force ended the ETTF mission and raised the number of tankers to 15.

United States Air Forces in Europe announced the relocation of the 352nd Special Operations Group from RAF Alconbury to RAF Mildenhall on May 7, 1993. However, several delays prevented the 352nd SOG from completing the move until April 30, 1995. May 12, 2005, after only one and a half years under this design, the 501st Combat Support Wing was activated and gained control of all of the GSUs in England.  It marked the last new unit to call RAF Mildenhall home. May 1, 2007, the 501st CSW moved to its final location at RAF Alconbury. The 352nd Special Operations Group was redesignated as the 352nd Special Operations Wing during a ceremony held in Hangar 814 March 23, 2015. Immediately following this, the 752nd Special Operations Group and the 352nd Special Operations Maintenance Group were activated. Consisting of six squadrons and two groups, the 352nd SOW includes more than 1,200 Air Commandos and provides support to the European theater as well as other combatant commands when necessary. The SOW flew the CV-22 Osprey and the MC-130J Commando II.  The Office of the Secretary of Defense announced the results of the European Infrastructure Consolidation (EIC) review Jan. 8, 2015, which was designed to realign several missions in U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa within the next seven years. Under the EIC, the Department of Defense was poised to divest three installations in the United Kingdom, including realignment of the missions from RAF Mildenhall to other installations in Europe, and the consolidation of intelligence centers at RAF Croughton.

RAF Mildenhall Station Commanders

· Wing Commander F.J. Linn Wing Commander F.J. Linnell October 1934 to July 1935
· Wing Commander H.V. Drew July 1935 to February 1936
· Group Captain R.S. Maxwell February 1936 to April 1937
· Group Captain H.K. Thorald April 1937 to April 1938
· Group Captain F.H. Coleman April 1938 to June 1940
· Group Captain F.G. Fogarty June 1940 to September 1941
· Group Captain A.C. Evans September 1941 to March 1942
· Group Captain D. MacFayden March 1942 to August 1942
· Group Captain J.A. Powell August 1942 to March 1943
· Air Commodore A. McKee March 1943 to October 1943
· Group Captain R.H. Young October 1943 to December 1944
· Group Captain K.S. Batchelor December 1944 to September 1945
· Group Captain C.E. Morse September 1945 to March 1946
· Group Captain W.H. Merton March 1946 to July 1946
· Group Captain J.H. McC. Reyonolds July 1946
· Squadron Leader E.J. Wicht April 1950 to July 1950
· Group Captain D.L. Thompson July 1950 to 1951
· Squadron Leader F. Wincott* to April 1958
· Squadron Leader L.W. Quick April 1958 to September 1963
· Squadron Leader J. Cassels September 1963 to March 1965
· Unknown March 1965 to December 1967
· Squadron Leader W. Pine December 1967 to October 1969
· Squadron Leader J. Lomas October 1969 to May 1972
· Squadron Leader N.J.J. Dunningham May 1972 to August 1974
· Squadron Leader W. Ward August 1974 to February 1976
· Squadron Leader G. Taylor February 1976 to May 1976
· Squadron Leader S. Spinks June 1976 to December 1978
· Squadron Leader I.E.D.B. Logan December 1978 to August 1981
· Squadron Leader K.E.H. Hollands August 1981 to March 1984
· Squadron Leader E.E. Harnett March 1984 to October 1986
· Squadron Leader P.W. Hughes October 1989 to October 1993
· Squadron Leader A.H. Galloway October 1993 to August 1996
· Squadron Leader A. Payne August 1996 to July 1997
· Squadron Leader S. Shay July 1997 to April 2000
· Squadron Leader C. Chaplin April 2000 to August 2003
· Squadron Leader J. Savage August 2003 to April 2006
· Squadron Leader M. A. Finneran April 2006 to November 2006
· Squadron Leader R.P. Fryer May 2007 to August 2018
· Squadron Leader P.R. Graham October 2018 to November 2020
· Squadron Leader A.J.L. Balmer November 2020 to April 2022
· Squadron Leader A. Bell April 2022 to Present

RAF Squadrons Stationed at Mildenhall

Squadron Aircraft Dates

· 15 Stirling, Lancaster, Lincoln April 1943 to August 1946
· 35 Lancaster, Lincoln February 1949 to February 1950
· 38 Heyford, Hendon September 1935 to May 1937
· 44 Lincoln August 1945 to August 1946
· 73 Fury, Gladiator Mar 1937 to June 1937
· 75 Wellington, Stirling August 1940 to November 1942
· 99 Heyford, Wellington November 1934 to September 1939
· 115 Wellington September 1942 to November 1942
· 149 Heyford, Wellington, Stirling April 1937 to April 1942
· 207 Lincoln February 1949 to March 1950
· 211 Audax June 1937 to August 1937
· 218 Battle, Blenheim June 1940 to July 1940
· 419 Wellington January 1942 to August 1942
· 622 Stirling, Lancaster August 1943 to August 1945

USAF Host Units, RAF Mildenhall

Unit Command Dates

· 7511th Air Base Squadron, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, July 11, 1950, to Aug. 22, 1950
· 7511th Air Base Group, USAFE, Aug. 22, 1950, to Sept. 26, 1950
· 7511th Air Support Wing, USAFE, Sept. 26, 1950, to May 16, 1951
· 3910th ABG, Strategic Air Command, May 16, 1951, to 1954
· 3913th ABS, SAC, 1955 to Jan. 1, 1959
· 3913th Combat Support Group, SAC, Jan. 1, 1959, to Sept. 1, 1959
· 7513th ABG, USAFE, Sept. 1, 1959, to June 1, 1965
· 7513th Tactical Group, USAFE, June 1, 1965, to July 1, 1966
· 513th Troop Carrier Wing, USAFE, July 1, 1966, to July 1, 1967
· 513th Tactical Airlift Wing, USAFE, July 1, 1967, to June 18, 1987
· 513th Airborne Command and Control Wing, USAFE, June 18, 1987, to Jan. 31, 1992
· 100th Air Refueling Wing, USAFE, Feb. 1, 1992, to present


US Flying Units at RAF Mildenhall

Unit Aircraft Dates

· 93rd BW B-50 Superfortress July 1950 to February 1951 and December 1951 to February 1952
· 2nd Bomb Wing B-29 Superfortress May to August 1951
· 509th BW B-50, B-29 February to May 1951 and June to August 1952
· 306th Air Refueling Squadron KC-97 Stratotanker July 1953 to December 1953
· 305th ARS KC-97 September 1953 to December 1953
· Det, 55 ARS B-50, KB-29 Superfortress April 1953 to June 1954
· Det, 1370 Photo Mapping Group B-50 June 1954 to September 1954
· 22nd Air Refueling Squadron KC-97 December 1953 to February 1954
· 303rd ARS KC-97 March 1954 to June 1954
· Det, 97 BW RB-50 Superfortress, KB-29 summer 1954
· 43rd ARS KC-97 August 1954 to December 1954
· 380th ARS KC-97 April 1957 to July 1957
· Det, 44 ARS KC-97 autumn 1957
· 53rd Weather Sq WB-50 Superfortress August 1959 to March 1960
· Det 4, 9 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing SR-71 Blackbird, U-2 Dragon Lady April 1979 to 18 January 1990
· Det 1, 98th Strategic Wing KC-135 August 1970 to October 1976
· 452nd ARW KC-135 August to September 1979
· 513rd TCW/TAW/ACCW C-130, EC-135 July 1976 to January 1992
· 306th Strategic Wing KC-135 Stratotanker October 1976 to January 1992
· 21st Special Operations Squadron MC-53M Pave Low IV April 1995 to 2007
· 351st ARS KC-135 February 1992 to Present
· 100th ARW KC-135 February 1992 to Present
· 7th SOS MC-130H Combat Talon II 1995 to 2014; CV-22 Osprey 2014 to Present
· 67th SOS MC-130P 1995 to 2014; MC-130J Commando II 2014 to Present