161st Air Refueling Wing The 161st Air Refueling Wing ( 161 ARW ) is a unit of the Arizona Air National Guard , stationed at Sky Harbor Air National Guard Base , Phoenix , Arizona . If activated to federal service , the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . Mission . The 161st Air Refueling Wing principal mission is air refueling . The wing enhances the Air Force ' s capability to accomplish its primary missions of Global Reach and Global Power . It also provides aerial refueling support to Air Force , Navy and Marine Corps aircraft as well as aircraft of allied nations . The wing is also capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients using patient support pallets during aeromedical evacuations . Units . The 161st Air Refueling Wing consists of the following units : History . On 2 October 1957 , the Arizona Air National Guard 197th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level , and the 161st Fighter - Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau . The 197th 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 new Group was assigned to the 34th Air Division , Air Defense Command , In 1958 the Group received from ADC 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 . In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations , DoD ( the Department of Defense ) recommended the distribution of the 117th Air Refueling Wing ’ s KC - 135R aircraft from Birmingham International Airport Air Guard Station ( AGS ) , Alabama and the 161st Air Refueling Wing , Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport AGS ( two aircraft ) and two other bases . Phoenix Sky Harbor ( 37 ) scored higher than Birmingham ( 63 ) in military value for the tanker mission . This recommendation would take advantage of available capacity at Phoenix by increasing the air refueling squadron size from eight to ten aircraft , increasing the wing ' s overall capability . It would also capitalize on the favorable recruiting environment of the greater Phoenix region that could sustain this increased squadron size .