Air Forces Central Command activated the 22nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron on July 24 at al Udeid AB, Qatar, to provide KC-135 tanker support to operations over Iraq and Syria. “This is a constantly evolving war fight out here and it is a bigger air war,” 379th Expeditionary Operations Group Commander Col. James Dittus said in a release. The 22nd EARS will operate as a second KC-135 squadron alongside the 340th EARS—US Central Command’s largest tanker squadron, already operating at al Udeid. The unit previously operated from the transit center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, supporting operations over Afghanistan until the center’s drawdown in 2014. The 22nd EARS flew its final refueling mission from Manas on Feb. 24, 2014. Al Udeid has served as a KC-135 hub for nearly 14 years, according to officials.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.