93d Air Refueling Squadron The 93d Air Refueling Squadron ( 93 ARS ) is part of the 92d Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air Force Base , Washington . It operates the KC - 135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions . History . World War II . Activated in nonoperational status at New Delhi or Karachi ( sources differ ) , India , on 25 Oct 1942 . Moved to Pandaveswar Airfield on 7 Jan 1943 and became operational with B - 24 Liberator s . Commenced combat operations on 26 Jan 1943 . Engaged in very long range strategic bombardment operations , attacking communications targets ( roads , railroads , etc . ) in central and southern Burma , all without fighter escort due to the long distances involved . Primary targets were oil refineries , docks , depots , enemy airfields , marshalling yards , bridges , locomotive repair sheds , naval vessels , and troop concentrations . Moved to Tezgaon Airfield , India , on 17 Jun 1944 , and assumed a new mission : transporting high - octane gasoline over Himalayan Mountains “ The Hum p ” to bases in China . This mission lasted until 5 October , at which time the squadron moved back to Pandaveswar to resume bombing missions in Burma and Thailand . A detachment of the 493rd Squadron operated from Luliang Airfield , China , 17 Dec 1944 - 26 Jan 1945 , hauling gasoline to Suichwan Airfield , China . The squadron proper began practice with Azon MCLOS - guidance bombs , as the only known USAAF unit to use them outside of the European Theater of World War II and which also which proved very effective against bridges and rail lines . In early 1945 the squadron concentrated on attacks against the Burma - Thailand railroad , the most important line left to the enemy in Burma . The squadron also dropped propaganda leaflets , from June – September 1945 and the end of the war . After fighting ended in Burma the 493rd Bomb Squadron was ordered to practice Azon bombing in China , but soon “ alerted ” for inactivation . With its parent ( 7th Bomb Group ) the 493rd staged through Dudhkundi , Kanchrapara , and Camp Angus ( near Calcutta ) , departing Calcutta aboard the USS General Black on 7 Dec 1945 . The vessel reached the U . S . on 5 Jan 1946 and the squadron inactivated at Camp Kilmer , NJ , the following day Strategic Air Command . Activated on 1 Mar 1949 as the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron , Medium , but was not manned until September 1950 . Received KB - 29P Superfortress tankers , October 1950 - Jun 1951 . Became combat ready in October 1951 . The 93rd ARS deployed to RAF Upper Heyford , England , 6 Dec 1951 - 6 Mar 1952 , while the parent wing was at nearby RAF Mildenhall . The squadron supported Operation FOX PETER II , the movement of the 31st Fighter - Escort Wing from the U . S . to Japan , in July 1952 using 11 KB - 20Ps at Guam and Kwajalein to refuel some 58 F - 84G fighters on their way to the Korean War . The squadron converted from KB - 29s to KC - 97G Stratotanker s in November and December 1953 . It undertook several oversea deployments , to Newfoundland , Greenland , French Morocco , and Alaska , in 1954 - 1956 . The 93rd ARS began training its aircrews to operate KC - 135 Stratotanker s in May 1957 . Began receiving KC - 135s on 28 Jun 1957 , three days after converting to KC - 135 aircrew training as primary mission . Possessed 19 tankers in December 1957 and 39 by May 1958 . Effective 1 Jul 1959 , the resources of the 93rd ARS were divided with the 924th ARS , which unit assumed the SAC KC - 135 aircrew training mission with 15 aircraft . The 93rd ARS , at the same time , resumed full - time air refueling with 20 KC - 135s . This status lasted until 21 Aug 1963 , when the 93rd ARS ceased standing alert and prepared to resume full - time KC - 135 aircrew training . On the 26th of August the 93rd once again began KC - 135 aircrew training as its primary mission . It retained Emergency War Order ( EWO ) commitments along with its training mission , but did not stand alert . Modern era . The squadron ’ s mission remained basically the same until 31 Mar 1995 . Thousands of Strategic Air Command and some Air Mobility Command KC - 135 aircrews received flight training from the 93 ARS . Each crew ( pilot , copilot , navigator , and boom operator ) , after academic training with the 4017th Training Squadron at Castle AFB , received 45 days of flight training from the 93rd ARS . The squadron also provided specialized training of shorter duration to senior officers ( such as wing commanders ) . For a period the 93rd ARS also sent instructor teams to locations where Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units were converting to KC - 135 tanker operations to help in - house training programs . On rare occasions the 93rd had deployed some of its aircraft and crews to meet its own EWO commitments or to meet needs exceeding the capability of the 924th ARS . A few such deployments occurred in 1980 . With the BRAC - directed closure of Castle AFB , On 31 Mar 1995 , the 93 ARS relocated to Fairchild AFB , Washington , and became a deployable air refueling squadron under the 92d Air Refueling Wing ( 92 ARW ) .