The core of our mission is driven by an inventory of eight KC-135s, but it's our Reserve Citizen Airmen, DoD civilians, contractors, and community support that truly make our mission a success. Our wing is comprised of three groups, 13 squadrons, and several flights & organizations. We're an unrivaled force, capable of providing rapid global reach to our nation's warfighters whenever asked, wherever tasked.

The KC-135 provides the core aerial refueling responsibility for the U.S. Air Force. This airframe is capable of delivering up to 200,000 pounds of fuel at a time. With our nation's high demand to keep our warfighters fueled up and ready to fight, our aircrew must remain fit and qualified to fly these tankers at a moment's notice.

These Airmen provide time sensitive, mission critical en route patient care to and between medical treatment facilities. They are specially trained to provide in-flight care aboard numerous Air Mobility Command airframes. They perform their duties while flying 40,000 feet in the air and with lives in their care--they must not fail.

Here at Niagara, maintainers work through some of the nation's coldest weather. With a flight line that never closes, they tirelessly complete their mission without fail every single day. Our aircrew depend on these maintainers to consistently prepare and maintain an aircraft that can reliably perform the mission and safely bring them home.

We trace our rich heritage back to World War II. The 328th Air Refueling Squadron's founder, (then) Capt. John Moriarty, created the 3rd Combat Cargo Squadron where the unit regularly flew over the Himalayan mountains known as "The Hump" aboard the C-47 Skytrain.

We're home to one of the Nation's most prestigious and renowned air shows. The award winning Thunder of Niagara International Air Show is a Western New York tradition where hundreds of thousands of people gather to see U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine, Army, Coast Guard, civilian and international aerial performers.