145th Air Refueling Squadron The 145th Air Refueling Squadron ( 145 ARS ) is a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard 121st Air Refueling Wing located at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base , Columbus , Ohio . The 145th is equipped with the KC - 135R Stratotanker . History . The 145th Air Transport Squadron was allotted to the Ohio Air National Guard in early 1956 by the National Guard Bureau to replace the 112th Fighter - Bomber Squadron at Akron - Canton Airport . The 112th was forced to move from Akron to Toledo Municipal Airport , on 1 April 1956 when the F - 84E Thunderjet aircraft it was programmed to receive were unable to use the short runways at Akron . The 145th ATS was a new Air National Guard organization , not having any prior USAF history or lineage . The 145th ATS , gained by the Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) , was assigned to the 121st Tactical Fighter Wing at Columbus for administrative and logistical support . The 145th received federal recognition on 17 March 1956 . Initially assigned C - 46D Commando twin - engine propeller transports , the squadron was upgraded in 1958 to C - 119J Flying Boxcar transports , fitted for aeromedical transport of personnel to medical facilities . Tactical Air Command . The mission of the squadron was realigned to air refueling of Tactical Air Command aircraft in July 1961 with the expansion of the unit to group level , and the authorization by the National Guard Bureau of the 160th Air Refueling Group . Again , the short runways at Akron led to the movement of the squadron to Clinton County Air Force Base when it received large , four - engined KC - 97 Stratotanker s . In 1964 , it participated in Operation “ Ready Go ” , the first all United States Air National Guard ( ANG ) non - stop deployment of fighter aircraft to Europe . In 1965 , the KC - 97Gs were upgraded to KC - 97Ls with addition of jet engine pods mounted to the outboard wings . 1967 saw the beginning of Operation Creek Party , a continuous rotational mission flying from Rhein Main Air Base , West Germany , providing air refueling to United States Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE ) tactical aircraft . The success of this operation , which would continue until 1975 , demonstrated the ability of the Air National Guard to perform significant day - to - day missions without being mobilized . The 160th was one of the mission ’ s “ Charter ” units and when its Creek Party participation ended it had safely flown 426 transatlantic crossings . The unit received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the period of 5 June 1967 to 10 May 1968 . The Group Commander at the time , Colonel Frank Cattran , considered aircraft tail number 52 - 2630 to be " his " bird and often flew it in preference to any of the others . This aircraft became involved in a " Sister City " ceremony with Zeppelinheim , Germany - a small town near Rhein - Main AB - near the end of the Creek Party operation . Upon the Unit ' s conversion from KC - 97s to KC - 13 ' s this aircraft was transferred to the USAF Museum at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base , in Dayton , Ohio , where it can be seen today with its Ohio Air National Guard and Zeppelinheim markings . In 1971 , Clinton County Air Force Base was closed as a result of the Nixon Administration looking to save money because of the Vietnam War . As part of the moving out of units from Clinton County AFB , the 160th ARG was moved to Lockbourne Air Force Base near Columbus , Ohio . A second Air Force Outstanding Unit Award was received for the period of 11 May 1968 to 30 June 1975 . Strategic Air Command . In December 1974 Tactical Air Command transferred its Air Refueling units to Strategic Air Command . Later in 1975 , the 160th ARG became the first Air National Guard unit to convert to the Boeing KC - 135 Stratotanker all jet tanker aircraft as part of SAC ' s Eighth Air Force . The group was the first ANG unit to perform the SAC 24 - hour Alert mission and pass a SAC Operational Readiness Inspection in July , 1976 . The 160th also participated in SAC overseas Tanker Task Forces and other priority missions worldwide . In 1984 , the KC - 135As were reengined and redesignated as KC - 135Es . The upgrade to turbofan engines provided a significant increase in performance , safety and reliability . In August , 1990 , the 160th was one of the first Air Guard units to deploy aircraft to the Middle East after Iraq ’ s invasion of Kuwait . Aircraft , aircrews and support personnel began volunteer rotational Desert Shield deployments to a provisional Tanker Task Force at King Abdul Aziz Air Base , Jeddah , Saudi Arabia ( 1709th ARS ( P ) ) . The 160th was called to active duty on 20 December 1990 . Deployment began on 28 December and the 160th became part of three Provisional Air Refueling Wings at Al Banteen Air Base , Abu Dhabi ( 1712th ARS ( P ) ) , Al Dhafra Air Base , Dubai ( 1705th ARS ( P ) ) , and Jeddah . Additional personnel augmented a regional support base at Moron AB , Spain while others deployed to various bases to “ backfill ” for deployed active duty personnel . Aircraft and volunteer aircrews were heavily involved in “ Air Bridge ” refueling missions supporting deployment of combat forces to Southwest Asia . Combat flying missions for Operation Desert Storm commenced on 17 January 1991 . The 160th compiled a remarkable record of mission accomplishment during combat operations . When hostilities ended , the 160th returned home in March 1991 to a tremendous welcome by families and friends . September 1991 brought the stand down of the SAC Alert mission which the 160th ARG had maintained continuously for more than 15 years . The 145th ARS began the conversion to KC - 135R aircraft in October 1991 , and in June 1992 , the Strategic Air Command was inactivated with 160th ARG becoming part of the new Air Mobility Command . Air Mobility Command . In September 1993 , the 145th Air Refueling Squadron ' s parent 160th ARG was inactivated when budget reductions forced a reorganization of the Ohio Air National Guard units at Rickenbacker AGB . The 145th ARS was reassigned to the new 121st Operations Group under the re - organized 121st Air Refueling Wing , joining with the 166th Air Refueling Squadron , which had become a KC - 135R squadron in 1992 when it retired its A - 7D Corsair II ground support aircraft . With the addition of the 145th ARS , the 121st ARW became one of only a few " Super Wings " in the ANG , with twice as many aircraft assigned as other units . Under the 120th ARW , the squadron began flying from bases in southern France to support strike aircraft during Operation Deny Flight missions over the Balkans . The unit was a fixture at Incirlik Air Base , Turkey , as well as Prince Sultan Air Base , Saudi Arabia , supporting Operations Northern Watch and Operation Southern Watch , respectively , over Iraq . After the terrorist attacks on September 11 , 2001 , the 121st Air Refueling Wing launched into immediate action supporting armed aircraft over the United States during Operation Noble Eagle . The 121st ARW had the distinction of flying more missions than any other unit during this time . The 121st ARW has also deployed and participated in Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan , as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom over Iraq . In addition to the combat deployments , the unit has also been very heavily - tasked with airlift missions during national emergencies . Immediately following Hurricane Katrina in August , 2005 , the 121ARW was one of the first units to send aircraft into Louisiana filled with supplies and troops . Similar missions were flown in September 2005 , after Hurricane Rita .