Fueling the
FUTURE
916
TH
AIR REFUELING WING
916
TH
ARW Mission Statement
The mission of the 916th Air Refueling Wing is to fly the KC-135R Stratotanker
in support of national objectives. The nearly 1,300 Airmen assigned to the wing conduct
air-to-air refueling missions, cargo and passenger airlift,
aeromedical evacuations and support and
maintenance functions on a global
scale and at a moment’s notice.
Current Snapshot
1,000 Citizen Airmen
Reservists serve from the 916th Air Refueling Wing
300 Active Duty
Airmen serve from the 911th Air Refueling Squadron, an active duty
reserve associate.
The 916th Air Refueling Wing is the first active associate tanker wing
in the United States Air Force.
This is a dynamic wing, on a great base, in a supportive community.
The 916th is a model in successful total force integration- employing
nearly 1,000 reservists and 300 active duty Airmen. The wing has won
multiple national-level awards in the past few years.
FLYING HOURS
2007 – 2,500 flying hours | 12.1 million lbs. offloaded to 1,200 receivers
2008 – 3,100 flying hours | 17.2 million lbs. offloaded to 1,400 receivers
2009 – 9,500 flying hours | 28.7 million lbs. offloaded to 1,900 receivers
2010 – 9,900 flying hours | 16.9 million lbs. offloaded to 2,000 receivers
2011 – 9,400 flying hours | 18.3 million lbs. offloaded to 1,800 receivers
Ashville
Greensboro
Charlotte
Wilmington
Raleigh
Durham
Winston-Salem
40
40
40
95
95
70
Goldsboro
70
13
13
Wayne County
Goldsboro
Mt. Olive
55
117
111
SJAFB
Total FY 2011 Economic Impact
Annual Payroll
$42.9 million
Operations & Maintenance
$61.6 million
$
104 million
916 ARW Reservists
in North Carolina
Congressional Districts
Butterfield - 32%
Jones - 21%
Ellmers - 11%
Miller - 9%
Price - 8%
McIntyre - 4%
Kissell - 4%
Myrick - 3%
Coble - 3%
Foxx - 2%
Watt - 2%
Shuler - 1%
McHenry - 0%
4th FW, SJAFB: 6,051
Wayne Co. Public Schools: 2,490
Wayne Memorial Hospital: 1,400
Cherry Hospital: 1,211
O’Berry Center: 1,104
Cooper Standard Auto: 1,007
Goldsboro Milling Co.: 1,000
916th ARW: 1,000
Case Farms: 812
Wayne Co.: 674
Mt. Olive Pickle Co.: 520
8th
Wayne
County
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is an hour from
major universities, noted medical facilities and the
technological corridor of Research Triangle Park.
Cost of living is affordable and crime rates are low.
Wayne County businesses and industry managed
to create over 1,200 new jobs and pumped over
$120 million of new investment into the local
community in the last four years.
REAL ESTATE
(for period of Dec. 2011 – Feb. 2012)
Median home sale price
$135,000
Average home listing price
$185,900
largest
employer
in Wayne County
916
TH
AIR REFUELING WING
916
TH
ARW History Timeline
1988-1995
As North Carolina’s first Air Force Reserve flying wing, the 916th ARW
has a rich history at Seymour Johnson AFB. In October 1988, the 916th
began as a Reserve associate unit flying KC-10 Extenders with the 4th
Fighter Wing. They were called to active duty for Operations Des-
ert Storm, Desert Shield and Proud Return, offloading more fuel than
any other Air Force refueling unit. The 916th ARW officially gained
an independent refueling and airlift mission in 1995, with its own
KC-135R Stratotankers.
1995-2000
The new wing was tapped for refueling,
cargo and passenger missions in support
of Joint Endeavor (Bosnia). The 916th also
provided refueling and airlift for 4th FW
F-15E Strike Eagle deployments, including
hurricane evacuations and off-station
exercises. During Operation Allied Force,
volunteer aircrews and support personnel
afforded air refueling capability for strike
and surveillance aircraft. More than 3.5
million pounds of fuel were passed to a
wide variety of allied aircraft.
September 11, 2001
Since 9/11, Airmen of the 916th ARW
have continuously deployed worldwide in
support of global contingency operations.
Now, more than 10 years later, the
916th is still providing worldwide air-
to-air refueling, as well as supporting
the movement of troops, supplies,
equipment and medical patients. The
wing also continues to support, protect
and defend our key cities here at home
through Homeland Defense (Operation
NOBLE EAGLE) missions.
2001-2010
The 916th ARW supported the Presi-
dent during the Asian Pacific Economic
Conference in Chile in 2004 and trained
Egyptian fighter pilots on air-to-air
refueling during exercises in Cairo, Egypt
in 2005 and 2008. The wing provided
global air refueling support with mul-
tiple deployments to Guam, Turkey and
Southwest Asia. With the Base Re-
alignment and Closure Act announced
in 2005, the 916th gained eight addi-
tional tankers and nearly 300 active duty
personnel as the first KC-135R Active
Associate Wing in Air Force history.
FY 2011
The 916th ARW set records in fiscal year
2011, flying more than 9,400 hours, nearly
double other Air Force Reserve wings.
Airmen from operations, maintenance,
security forces, engineering, force support
and wing staff deployed to locations such
as Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Spain
and Kyrgyzstan. Critical taskings such as
aeromedical evacuations and homeland
security missions continued in the wake
of mobilizations and inspections.
2011
On March 31, 2011, the men and women
of the 916th ARW were the first to
support the no-fly zone over Libya as
part of Operation Unified Protector.
The mission to protect Libyan civilians
is one of the most successful in NATO
history. The 916th ARW provided
continued support of the operation,
flying missions over Libya from the first
night to the operation’s close in October.
The wing offloaded nearly 900,000
gallons of fuel over a 214-day period.
2012 & BEYOND
For the first time in nearly two decades,
tankers from the 916th ARW lined up
back-to-back on the Seymour Johnson
AFB runway as part of an exercise scenario
held in January 2012. Two months later,
the 916th launched 10 of its KC-135R
Stratotankers into the skies above Wayne
County. The exercise and mass launch
tested the wing’s ability to scramble jets
and air crews quickly in the event of a real
world emergency as well as prepared the
wing for an upcoming major inspection.
Despite these multiple inspections and
numerous deployments, the 916th ARW
continues to provide “Global Mobility
Power – On Time, Every Time!”
916
TH
AIR REFUELING WING
Total Force Integration
Starts Here
In 2008, the 916th Air Refueling Wing became
the first active associate tanker wing in Air Force
history. Nearly 300 active duty Airmen joined the
Reserve wing to help fly and maintain the 16 KC-
135R Stratotankers assigned at Seymour Johnson.
Since integration, the wing has been highlighted as
a success story across Air Force Reserve Command,
Air Mobility Command and throughout the Air
Force. The wing has won several awards and honors
to include Air Mobility Command’s Spaatz Trophy
for the Best Refueling Squadron, the Reserve Of-
ficers Association Best Air Force Reserve Wing and
Air Mobility Command’s Best Tanker Team.
First in Flight
The 916th ARW boasts more than just a histori-
cal association. In recent years, as the Air Force
launched new weapon systems, the trained men and
women of the 916th ARW were called to bring fuel
to the fight. The wing conducted the first air-to-air
refueling missions of the F-22 Raptor and the F-35
Lightning II. While these joint strike fighters ensure
air dominance, the current KC-135R Stratotankers
that refuel them are entering their golden years of
flight, some serving in the arsenal since the 1950s.
Humanitarian Mission
Helps Thousands
The 916th Aerospace Medicine Squadron deployed
its doctors, nurses and medical technicians to Nica-
ragua in August 2011, treating up to 1,500 patients
a day. Over the course of two weeks, the medical
team optometrists issued more than 1,700 pairs
of prescription eyeglasses while the dental clinic
performed almost 950 tooth extractions. In addition,
the pharmacy filled nearly 12,500 prescriptions. In
all, the medical team was able to provide humanitar-
ian aid to more than 10,000 Nicaraguans.
• Seymour Johnson AFB is equipped to handle the KC-46A mission, having
already hosted both the KC-10 Extender and the KC-135R Stratotanker.
• As a centrally located, east coast base, Seymour Johnson is ideal for
staging global refueling missions. The 916th ARW offers non-stop
connectivity to Southwest Asia and the Middle East.
• Our location puts us in close proximity to refuel various airframes in the
Air Force’s inventory, as well as provide refueling capabilities to the Navy
and Marines training in this region, and cargo capability to the Army.
• Recent base construction has included a new squadron operations building,
simulator building and new housing for on-base Airmen.
Current ramp can hold 12 KC-46As.
• Uncluttered airspace and 18 established air refueling routes in close
proximity to Seymour Johnson allow for significant fuel savings.
• Seymour Johnson AFB is sufficiently inland that salt-air corrosion is
not an issue, unlike many other east coast bases.
4 CFM-56 turbofan engines
21,634 pounds per engine
130 feet, 10 inches
136 feet, 3 inches
41 feet, 8 inches
322,500 pounds
198,000 pounds
36,000 pounds
6
50 passengers, 5 crew members
Power Plant
Thrust
Wingspan
Length
Height
Maximum Takeoff Weight
Fuel Capacity
Maximum Cargo Capacity
Pallet Positions
Capacity
2 Pratt & Whitney 4062
62,000 pounds per engine
157 feet, 8 inches
165 feet, 6 inches
52 feet, 10 inches
415,000 pounds
212,299 pounds
65,000 pounds
18
58 passengers (normal ops), 114 passengers (contingency ops)
KC-135R KC-46A
Fuel the Future
916th Air Refueling Wing
1195 Blakeslee Avenue
Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. 27531
(919) 722-2216
www.916arw.afrc.af.mil
The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs
Committee sponsored this publication. The committee works
towards strengthening the relationship between the military
and the Wayne County business community.
