22d Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron The 22d Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit , assigned to United States Air Forces Central . It is engaged in combat operations as part of the Global War on Terrorism . Its current status and location are undetermined . The squadron was previously designated as the 22d Air Refueling Squadron , and was an Air Mobility Command , Strategic Air Command , and Air Combat Command air refueling squadron , established in 1950 . During World War II , the 22d Bombardment Squadron was a heavy B - 17 Flying Fortress and later , a medium B - 25 Mitchell bomb squadron which fought in the Southwest Pacific and China - Burma - India theaters . History . Formed in 1939 as a prewar bomb squadron , equipped with B - 18 Bolo s , later early model B - 17 Flying Fortress es . Flew antisubmarine patrols off California coast , 8 December – c . 10 December 1941 . Deployed to Southwest Pacific Theater and assigned to Fifth Air Force in Australia , engaging in combat , c . 13 January – c . 1 March 1942 ; detachment under control of United States Navy in combat from the Fiji Islands and Australia , 14 February – c . 14 March 1942 . Surviving B - 17 aircraft and personnel reassigned to other units in Australia , March 1942 and unit reassigned without personnel or equipment to the United States for re - equipping and remanning as medium bomber squadron . Re - equipped as a B - 25 Mitchell bomb squadron and deployed to Tenth Air Force for combat in the China - Burma - India theater , 14 December 1942 – 25 July 1945 . Deployed to Karachi , India ; Chakulia , India ; and Yangkai , China . While in Calcutta , India , the unit converted to the A - 26 Invader Attack Bomber . During World War II , the unit earned two Distinguished Unit Citations and participated in nine separate campaigns . Personnel demobilized in India after the war , and the 22d was inactivated as a paper unit in the United States in November 1945 . On 16 June 1950 , the 22d Air Refueling Squadron was re - activated at March AFB CA , flying the KC - 97 Aircraft . The squadron relocated to McChord AFB , WA on 15 June 1960 where it later upgraded to the KC - 135 . The squadron was inactivated on 1 July 1962 . The Squadron was reactivated at March AFB , CA on 1 July 1963 , flying the KC - 135 and EC - 135 aircraft . It was deployed to Andersen AB , Guam whereupon it supported the Vietnam War until mid - 1973 . The squadron was inactivated on 1 December 1989 . On 19 Sep 1985 the 22d Air Refueling Squadron was consolidated with the 22d Bombardment Squadron ( Medium ) , a unit that was last active 2 Nov 1945 . This action was directed by Department of the Air Force Letter DAF / MPM 662q Attachment 1 ( Active Units ) , 19 Sep 1985 . The Consolidated Unit retained the Designation of 22d Air Refueling Squadron , Heavy . Reactivated on 1 October 1992 at Mountain Home AFB , ID , it was assigned seven KC - 135R model aircraft as part of the Air Force ’ s first Composite Air Intervention Wing . The squadron was consecutively awarded the 366th Wing ' s Silver Bolt Award for foreign object damage prevention during fiscal year 1997 - 1 and 1997 - 2 , as well ACC ’ s Best Tanker Award for 1993 . The squadrong garnered the 366th Wing ’ s only " Outstanding " rating during the July 1995 ORI and its deployed maintenance won the ACC IG Superior Performance Team Award during the 366th Wing ' s 1997 AEF and first ever combat zone ORI . The 22d ARS was the only squadron in the 366th Wing to display nose art on the entire fleet . It was also awarded the Outstanding Unit Award , 1 June 1998 through 31 May 1999 . Inactivated in 2002 . Reactivated as an AFCENT provisional air refueling squadron in 2003 and deployed to combat areas as part of the Global War on Terrorism .