197th Air Refueling Squadron The 197th Air Refueling Squadron ( 197 ARS ) is a unit of the Arizona Air National Guard 161st Air Refueling Wing located at Sky Harbor Air National Guard Base , Phoenix , Arizona . The 197th is equipped with the KC - 135R Stratotanker . History . World War II . Formed at Westover Field , Massachusetts in August 1943 . During World War II the 412th Fighter Squadron was assigned to the European Theater of Operations ( ETO ) , Ninth Air Force in Western Europe . It was equipped with P - 47 Thunderbolt s . The 412th flew its first combat mission on 8 May 1944 , a fighter sweep over Normandy . It then took part in preinvasion activities , e . g . , escorting B - 26 Marauder s to attack airdromes , bridges and railroads in Occupied France . The squadron patrolled the air over the beachhead when the Allies launched the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944 , and hit troops , tanks , roads , fuel depots and other targets in the assault area until the end of the month . The 412th moved to the Continent in July 1944 where it struck railroads , hangars , boxcars , warehouses and other objectives to prevent reinforcements from reaching the front at St . Lo , where the Allies broke though on 25 July 1944 . The squadron bombed such targets as troops in the Falaise - Argentan area in August 1944 . During the Battle of the Bulge , December 1944 - January 1945 , the 412th concentrated on the destruction of bridges , marshalling yards and highways . It flew reconnaissance missions to support ground operations in the Rhine Valley in March 1945 , hitting airfields , motor transports , etc . The squadron continued tactical air operations until 4 May 1945 . Returned to the United States and prepared for transfer to the Pacific Theater during the Summer of 1945 , the Japanese Capitulation in August led to the squadron ' s inactivation in November 1945 . Arizona Air National Guard . The wartime 412th Fighter Squadron was reactivated and re - designated as the 197th Fighter Squadron , and was allotted to the Arizona Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at Luke AFB , Arizona and was extended federal recognition on 12 December 1946 . The 197th Fighter Squadron was entitled to the history , honors , and colors of the 412th . The squadron was equipped with F - 47D Thunderbolt s and was allocated to the Fourth Air Force , Continental Air Command by the National Guard Bureau . During the Korean War , the 197th was federalized on 1 February 1951 and assigned to Air Training Command . ATC equipped the squadron with F - 84B Thunderjet aircraft and used it as a training organization . Some fighter pilots went to Korea to fly combat missions . Other squadron personnel , because of their experience , were sent to bases in the U . S . and Japan to train new people entering the Air Force . The squadron was released from active duty and returned to Arizona state control , 1 November 1952 . With the release from active service , The federal government authorized the construction of a new base at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix for the Arizona Air National Guard . The 197th returned to flying the F - 51 Mustangs as part of Tactical Air Command . Air Defense mission . In 1954 , the unit was reassigned to Air Defense Command ( ADC ) , with a new mission of Air Defense of the Phoenix area . The prop - driven Mustangs were replaced by F - 86A Sabre day fighters , and the squadron was re - designated as the 197th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron . On 2 October 1957 , the Arizona Air National Guard 197th FIS was authorized to expand to a group level , and the 161st Fighter - Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau . The 1197th FIS becoming the group ' s flying squadron . Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 161st Headquarters , 161st Material Squadron ( Maintenance ) , 161st Combat Support Squadron , and the 161st USAF Dispensary . The F - 86A Sabre day fighters were replaced in 1958 by the all - weather / day - night F - 86L Sabre Interceptor aircraft , and in 1960 , the 197th was one of three selected ANG units to receive F - 104A Starfighter interceptors from the ADC active - duty interceptor forces . The Copperheads , as a result of the national recognition as one of the best air defense units in the nation , were chosen to fly the new high performance jet fighter . The 161st FIG was called into active service in November 1961 as the construction of the infamous " Berlin Wall " pushed the world to the brink of war . Within a month after mobilization , 750 personnel and 22 187th FIS F - 104 aircraft were in place at Ramstein Air Base , West Germany as the unit took up flying daily air defense patrols at the edge of the Iron Curtain . With world tension easing , the squadron returned home in August 1962 . Transport mission . With the return to Arizona , the unit was reassigned from ADC to the Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) in October 1962 . The Mach - 2 Starfighters were exchanged for large , 4 - engined C - 97G Stratofreighter s with a mission of worldwide transport of personnel , supplies and equipment . The 197th Air Transport Squadron ( later Military Airlift Squadron ) flew missions to the Caribbean , Europe , Japan , South Vietnam , Thailand and Australia . During the height of the Vietnam War , the squadron routinely flew trans - Pacific medical evacuation missions from hospitals in South Vietnam , Japan , and the Philippines of wounded servicemen and women to the United States , being designated as an Aeromedical Transport Squadron . In 1969 the Military Airlift Squadron designation was returned and the unit again flew scheduled transport missions for Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) . Air Refueling . In 1972 , military requirements resulted in a change in mission when the group was reassigned from MAC transport duties to the Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) . Under SAC the group became an Air Refueling unit , being with the air refueling version of the C - 97 transport , the KC - 97 Stratotanker . Familiarity with the aircraft led to a smooth transition from MAC to the new refueling mission . In 1977 , SAC announced that Air National Guard refueling units would begin to upgrade to the military version of the Boeing 707 airliner named the KC - 135 Stratotanker . The 197th Air Refueling Squadron has been flying the KC - 195 for the past 35 years . During the 1991 Gulf War , Air National Guard tanker units were quickly called into action . An around - the - clock airlift began to support the build up to the conflict , Operation Desert Shield . Tankers and crews from the 161st were some of the first to arrive in Saudi Arabia . Elements of the 197th ARS were assigned to the 1709th Air Refueling Wing ( Provisional ) , flying from King Abdul Aziz Air Base , Jeddah , Saudi Arabia . From the start and for the duration , tankers servicing the conflict left Phoenix weekly , loaded with maintenance and support technicians who worked in the Saudi Arabian desert up to 45 days , and in some cases more . As the allies prepared to move against Iraq , aircraft crews , maintenance personnel , medics , fire fighters , security forces and food service technicians were dispatched to bases in Europe and the United States . Before the war in the Gulf was concluded more than two - thirds of the force assigned to the 161st Air Refueling Group had served on active duty in some capacity to support the Middle East effort . In 1994 , 1995 and 1997 the unit deployed to Pisa , Italy where our tankers supported NATO operations in Bosnia . 1997 also saw the 161st facing challenges in the United Arab Emirates . The unit was vital to the success of Operation Deny Flight and Operation Southern Watch . October 1 , 1995 marked another key change in the unit ' s long history . The 161st Air Refueling Group was redesignated as the 161st Air Refueling Wing under the USAF Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) . 1996 saw the Copperheads turn 50 years old . The unit celebrated with year round contests and a 50th Anniversary Celebration in December . The 161st sent about 130 personnel to Operation Northern Watch early in 1999 . Based at Incirlik Air Base , Turkey , the unit supported flight operations within the northern no - fly zone over Iraq . Early in the second quarter of 1999 , 161st Copperheads were quickly pressed into service over Kosovo for Operation Allied Force . Nearly 200 unit airmen served on active duty for about two months , flying 125 missions to offload almost 2 . 5 million gallons of fuel . The airmen returned to Phoenix in late June 1999 . Although not directly called as a unit the " Copperheads " played a vital role in support units during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2003 . Many Security Forces saw duty overseas directly supporting bases while maintenance and operations personnel were called to support the ongoing operations .