The 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus AFB, Okla., inactivated its 55th Air Refueling Squadron after 14 years of service on April 1 and merged it with its 54th ARS. The 55th ARS, like the 54th ARS, was an Air Education and Training Command KC-135R flying training squadron. Now the 54th ARS will carry that load. But some help will come from the newly announced classic associate Reserve squadron that the Air Force intends to stand up at Altus to work with the 97th AMW in its KC-135 and C-17 training mission. (Includes Altus photo caption by A1C Tiffany M. Deuel)
KC-46’s Refueling Boom Damaged While Refueling F-22s
July 8, 2025
A U.S. Air Force KC-46 tanker suffered damage to its boom while refueling F-22 Raptors off the coast of Virginia on July 8, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed, with reported radio communication from the crew indicating the boom “detached.”