429th Air Refueling Squadron

The 429th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4505th Air Refueling Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, where it was inactivated on 8 October 1963.

History
The squadron was activated in 1954 by Tactical Air Command (TAC) to provide a dedicated air refueling capability, initially for F-100 Super Sabres and later for other air refueling capable TAC fighter and fighter bombers. The 429th was initially equipped with Boeing KB-29M Superfortresses transferred from Strategic Air Command (SAC). These were bombers that had been converted to tankers using a British-developed hose refueling system.

The 429th was re-equipped with Boeing KB-50 Superfortresses in 1958. These aircraft provided greater speed to refuel jet aircraft. The squadron's KB-50s were modified about 1960 to KB-50J configuration which added a J-47 turbojet engine underneath each wing in place of the auxiliary fuel tanks to increase the speed of the aircraft.

By 1963 the unit's aircraft were phased out due to age. They were replaced by SAC Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker and Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers. The squadron inactivated in late 1963 and its KB-50Js were sent to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposal Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

Lineage

 * Constituted as the 429th Air Refueling Squadron, Fighter-Bomber on 1 July 1954
 * Activated on 19 July 1954
 * Redesignated as 429th Air Refueling Squadron, Tactical on 1 July 1958
 * Discontinued and inactivated on 8 October 1963


 * Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 129th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron as the 969th Airborne Warning and Control Squadron (remained inactive)

Assignments

 * Tactical Air Command, 19 July 1954 (attached to 405th Fighter-Bomber Wing)
 * Ninth Air Force, 1954 (remained attached to 405th Fighter-Bomber Wing)
 * 4505th Air Refueling Wing, 1 July 1958 – 8 October 1963

Stations

 * Langley AFB, Virginia, 19 July 1954 – 8 October 1963

Aircraft

 * KB-29M Superfortress, 1954–1958
 * KB-50/KB-50J Superfortress, 1958–1963