92d Operations Group
The 92d Operations Group is the flying component of the United States Air Force's 92d Air Refueling Wing, operating KC-135R aerial refueling aircraft from Fairchild Air Force Base.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 92d Operations Group, commonly abbreviated 92 OG, is a United States Air Force operational unit based at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington. It forms the flying component of the 92d Air Refueling Wing and is assigned through Air Mobility Command to Eighteenth Air Force. The group is responsible today for aerial refueling operations using Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers, supporting global mobility, airpower projection, humanitarian missions, exercises, and contingency operations. The group carries the lineage of the 92d Bombardment Group, a prominent heavy-bomber organization of the Second World War. Activated at Barksdale Field, Louisiana, on 1 March 1942, the predecessor trained B-17 Flying Fortress crews and became one of the earliest Eighth Air Force heavy-bomber groups to conduct strategic operations from the United Kingdom. Its air echelon made an early nonstop Atlantic crossing from Newfoundland to Scotland, while the ground echelon sailed separately. After initial operations from RAF Bovingdon, the group was reorganized for combat at RAF Alconbury and later moved to RAF Podington. During the European war, the group attacked German and occupied-European industrial, transportation, military, and naval targets. Its missions included strikes against shipyards, submarine facilities, aircraft factories, ball-bearing works, oil installations, airfields, rail centers, bridges, and V-weapon sites. It supported major Allied operations including the Normandy landings, the Saint-Lô breakout, the airborne assault in the Netherlands, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Rhine crossing. The unit received a Distinguished Unit Citation for a January 1944 mission against German aircraft-industry targets. Its 327th Bombardment Squadron also operated the experimental YB-40 heavily armed Fortress, testing the concept of a bomber adapted to escort other bombers before long-range fighter escorts became widely available. After Germany's defeat, the organization participated in troop-transport work under the Green Project, moving personnel from Europe and North Africa and also transporting displaced Greek civilians. It was inactivated in February 1946, then reactivated later that year as a B-29 Superfortress group. It moved through Fort Worth and Smoky Hill before settling at Spokane Army Air Field, the installation now known as Fairchild Air Force Base. During the Korean War, its B-29s deployed to Japan and flew bombing and leaflet missions against North Korean targets, including industrial facilities, transportation networks, airfields, bridges, and military concentrations. The group later converted to B-36 Peacemaker bombers and was inactivated in June 1952 when the Air Force adopted a wing structure that assigned operational squadrons directly to the parent wing. The modern 92d Operations Group was activated on 1 September 1991 after the 92d Bombardment Wing adopted the Air Force Objective Wing structure. It initially inherited bomber, rescue, air-sampling, and tanker responsibilities. B-52 alert duties ended in 1992, Department of Energy air-sampling missions were conducted with modified B-52 aircraft in 1993, and the group's mission became exclusively aerial refueling in 1994. Since then, its personnel and aircraft have supported operations in Europe, Southwest Asia, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Balkans, and other theaters. The group remains an operational military unit rather than a commercial consumer brand.
History
The lineage of the 92d Operations Group begins with the 92d Bombardment Group, activated on 1 March 1942 at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. The group trained in Florida and assembled its air and ground echelons for deployment to Britain. Its aircraft crossed the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Scotland, an early nonstop movement of a U.S. heavy-bomber unit, while ground personnel traveled by ship. Assigned to VIII Bomber Command, the group initially operated from RAF Bovingdon and flew limited combat missions before being temporarily used to train replacement crews. In 1943 the group returned to an operational combat role from RAF Alconbury and adopted the nickname “Fame's Favorite Few,” with the Triangle B identification. Its B-17s attacked strategic targets across occupied Europe and Germany. The 327th Bombardment Squadron became the only U.S. Army Air Forces squadron to employ the YB-40 Fortress in combat testing. These aircraft carried additional armament to act as bomber escorts, but their extra weight and drag prevented them from maintaining formation effectively on return flights. The experiment ended after a limited series of missions. The group moved to RAF Podington in September 1943 and flew nearly 300 missions. Its wartime work covered strategic bombing as well as direct support of Allied ground operations. It attacked aircraft production during Big Week, struck V-weapon sites and transportation infrastructure, and supported the Normandy campaign, the advance at Saint-Lô, the airborne operation in the Netherlands, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Rhine crossing. After V-E Day it joined the Green Project, transporting troops and displaced persons between European and North African staging areas. The wartime group was inactivated in February 1946. It was reactivated in July 1946 as a B-29 group and eventually moved to Spokane Army Air Field in Washington. During the Korean War it deployed to Japan under Far East Air Forces control and flew missions against North Korean strategic and interdiction targets. Five aircraft were lost during the 1950 deployment period. The group began converting to B-36 bombers in 1951 but was inactivated in June 1952 as the Air Force implemented the tri-deputate wing system. The modern group was created in the Air Force's 1991 Objective Wing reorganization. Activated on 1 September 1991, it consolidated the flying functions of the 92d Wing and initially operated a mixed portfolio that included B-52 alert duties, KC-135 refueling, air sampling, and a rescue flight. B-52 alert operations ended in 1992, air-sampling activity continued briefly with modified aircraft, and the mission settled on aerial refueling in 1994. The group supported tanker task forces and deployed operations in the Balkans, Southwest Asia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and other regions. It currently operates KC-135R aircraft and includes air-refueling and operations-support squadrons at Fairchild Air Force Base.
- 1999
Kosovo War tanker support
[1]The deployed 92d Air Expeditionary Group coordinated a major tanker operation supporting Operation Allied Force.
- 1994
Refueling-only mission established
[1]The group completed its transition to an exclusively aerial-refueling mission.
- 1991
Operations group reactivated
[1]The 92d Operations Group was activated on 1 September as the flying component of the 92d Wing.
- 1952
Bombardment group inactivated
[1]The group was inactivated on 16 June after the parent wing adopted the tri-deputate structure.
- 1950
Korean War deployment
[1]B-29 aircraft deployed to Japan and began combat operations against North Korean targets.
- 1944
Distinguished Unit Citation mission
[1]The group was recognized for a difficult January mission against German aircraft-industry targets.
- 1943
Return to combat operations
[1]After a training role, the group resumed strategic bombing from RAF Alconbury and later RAF Podington.
- 1942
92d Bombardment Group activated
[1]The predecessor organization was activated on 1 March at Barksdale Field, Louisiana, to train and operate heavy bombers.
- 1942
First transatlantic unit crossing
[1]The group's air echelon flew nonstop from Newfoundland to Prestwick, Scotland, during its deployment to Britain.
Products and positioning
A U.S. Air Force operational organization focused on dependable global aerial refueling and air mobility support.
Aerial refueling aircraft
KC-135R Stratotanker
The KC-135R is the group's principal aircraft. It provides in-flight refueling to U.S. and allied aircraft, extending range and endurance for combat, mobility, reconnaissance, humanitarian, and training missions. The platform also supports the movement of personnel and cargo when configured for transport duties.
World War II heavy bomber · 1942
B-17 Flying Fortress
The predecessor 92d Bombardment Group operated B-17 aircraft from Britain during the Second World War. These bombers conducted strategic and tactical-support missions across occupied Europe and Germany, including attacks on industrial, naval, transportation, and military targets.
Strategic bomber · 1946
B-29 Superfortress
After its postwar reactivation, the group trained and operated B-29 bombers. During the Korean War, deployed aircraft conducted bombing and leaflet missions against North Korean infrastructure, industrial facilities, airfields, transport networks, and military concentrations.
Strategic bomber · 1951
B-36 Peacemaker
The group began conversion to the B-36 in 1951, although the transition was cut short by its inactivation in 1952 as the Air Force reorganized its wing structure.
Marketing campaigns
- 2003Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraq · Southwest Asia
Group aircraft and personnel supported the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and associated air operations.
Outcome. Refueling support continued through later contingency deployments.
- 2001Operation Enduring Freedom
Afghanistan · Southwest Asia
Elements of the group provided aerial-refueling support for U.S. operations in Afghanistan and subsequent regional missions.
Outcome. The group continued to deploy tanker elements in support of follow-on operations.
- 1999Operation Allied Force
Balkans · Spain · France · Greece · Italy
The 92d Air Expeditionary Group operated from Morón Air Base and coordinated tanker support for NATO air operations during the Kosovo conflict.
Outcome. The deployed organization became one of the largest tanker bases associated with the operation.
- 1950Korean War operations
Korean Peninsula · Japan
B-29 aircraft deployed to Japan and conducted strategic and interdiction missions over North Korea.
Outcome. The deployment ended later in 1950, with the group returning to Washington before its 1952 inactivation.
- 1944Support for the Normandy campaign and later Allied offensives
France · Belgium · Netherlands · Germany
The group attacked gun positions, rail junctions, bridges, airfields, and other targets in support of the Normandy invasion, the western-front advance, the Netherlands airborne operation, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Rhine crossing.
Outcome. The unit contributed bomber support to successive Allied ground and airborne operations through the end of the European war.
- 1942European strategic bombing campaign
United Kingdom · Occupied Europe · Germany
The predecessor bombardment group conducted heavy-bomber operations against industrial and military targets in German-occupied Europe and Germany from bases in England.
Outcome. The group completed hundreds of missions and received recognition for a major 1944 aircraft-industry attack.
Brand decisions
1994
Concentration on aerial refuelingStrategyBackground
The group had previously included bomber, air-sampling, rescue, and tanker functions during the early post-Cold War reorganization.
Action taken
Bomber and other temporary missions were removed, leaving the group responsible primarily for KC-135 aerial refueling.
Aftermath
The group has remained a global tanker and air-mobility organization.
1991
Transition to the Objective Wing structureStrategyBackground
The Air Force reorganized wings to consolidate operational flying functions in operations groups.
Action taken
The 92d Operations Group was activated as the flying component of the 92d Wing and inherited the lineage of the former bombardment group.
Aftermath
The organization became the parent wing's operational aviation element and later specialized in aerial refueling.
Recent events
- 2001
92d aircraft support operations in Afghanistan and Iraq[1]
Other
Elements of the group participated in aerial-refueling support for the Afghanistan campaign beginning in 2001 and the Iraq invasion in 2003, followed by continuing overseas operations.
- 1999
92d Air Expeditionary Group supports Operation Allied Force[1]
Other
A deployed 92d Air Expeditionary Group headquarters at Morón Air Base supported NATO air operations over the Balkans and coordinated a large tanker presence in Spain and nearby locations.
- 1994
92d Operations Group transitions to an air-refueling mission[1]
Other
Following the retirement or transfer of its bomber and rescue elements, the group became focused on KC-135 aerial refueling operations.
- 1991
92d Operations Group activated under the Objective Wing structure[1]
Other
The Air Force established the modern 92d Operations Group as the flying component of the restructured 92d Wing, preserving the lineage of the earlier 92d Bombardment Group.
Sources1 sources
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