USAF Patch Air Refueling USAFE c 100 ARW AREF Wing RAF Mildenhall f Regional Support Group

USAF Patch Air Refueling USAFE 100 ARW Air Refueling Wing Regional Support Group RAF Mildenhall 1990s KC 135 Embroidered on twill cut edge 76mm by 75mm three inches by two and fifteen sixteenth inches.

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History 

100 Air Refuelling Wing was reactivated at RAF Mildenhall on 1 February 1992 equipped with KC 135R Stratotanker aircraft assigned to Third Air Force as USAFE sole air refuelling Wing and became RAF Mildenhalls host wing with the inactivation of 513 Airborne Command and Control Wing. 100 Air Refuelling Wing took responsibility for managing European Tanker Task Force ETTF and its forward operating locations Zaragoza AB Spain ZAB Riyadh AB Saudi Arabia Keflavik AB Iceland Hellenikon AB Greece Lajes Field Azores and Sigonella NAS Italy with its ability to utilise its own KC 135R Stratotanker aircraft  from 351 Air Refuelling Squadron as well as rotating TDY air refuelling units from the US and took over as RAF Mildenhall host Wing from 306 Strategic Wing when inactivated on 1 March 1992.

100 ARW with ETTF continued to support operations both for the US and for North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO. 100 ARW increased its permanent KC 135 force from nine to fifteen aircraft in September 1998 which enabled the Wing to undertake all ETTF duties without the need for TDY assets from US based units and the ETTF mission was ended on 28 November 1998.

100 ARW supported numerous USAF and NATO operations and under the USAF Expeditionary Air Force concept the Wings aircraft and personnel deployed are designated as 100 Air Expeditionary Wing AEW since elements deployed for Operation Allied Force with RAF Mildenhall based 100 Expeditionary Operations Groups 351 Air Refueling Squadron augmented with various ANG resources operating from 24 March to 8 April 1999 and 100 Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron from 9 April to 20 June 1999. In addition the Wings RAF Brize Norton based 100 Expeditionary Group with 106 Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron operated from 24 March 1999 and the Wings RAF Fairford based 2 Air Expeditionary Group with 22 Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron operated from 24 March 1999. Deployed operations include Operations Noble Anvil Enduring Freedom Iraqi Freedom Odyssey Dawn Libya Unified Protector Libya and Inherent Resolve against ISIS operations in Africa for AFRICOM.

100 Regional Support Group RSG was also activated at RAF Mildenhall on 1 February 1992 assigned to 100 ARW to support smaller Geographically Separated Units GSUs scattered throughout the UK and one in Norway. The 100 RSG was inactivated on 1 July 1994 with the newly activated 603 Regional Support Group assigned directly to Third Air Force taking over the mission. Responsibilities for a number of the Geographically Separated Units GSUs were transferred to 100 ARW in September 1995 namely 422 Air Base Squadron at RAF Croughton 423 Air Base Squadron at RAF Alconbury 424 Air Base Squadron at RAF Fairford and 426 Air Base Squadron at Stavanger Norway. 420 Air Base Group was activated on 15 January 2004 under Third Air Force and assumed responsibility for the GSUs. 501 Combat Support Wing was activated at RAF Mildenhall on 12 May 2005 and assumed control over the GSUs in England.

This patch dates from the 1990s.