97th Air Mobility Wing

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The 97th Air Mobility Wing is a United States Air Force unit based at Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma. It is part of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) under the Nineteenth Air Force and serves as the host unit at Altus. The wing trains pilots and aircrew for three aircraft—the C-17 Globemaster III, the KC-46 Pegasus, and the KC-135 Stratotanker—providing formal school programs for up to 3,000 students each year. Training is conducted in three phases: Academic, Simulator, and Flying.

The wing also maintains an instructor force to stay mission-ready so its crews can deploy worldwide to support national interests. Approximately 500 mobility personnel are available to deploy at short notice.

History in brief:
The unit began in 1947 as the 97th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, in Alaska. It later moved to Biggs Air Force Base in Texas and Blytheville (later Eaker) Air Force Base in Arkansas, flying B-29s, then B-50s and B-47s, while also operating KC-135 tankers for air refueling. It played a role in Cold War deterrence and participated in various alert and training missions, including operations related to the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam War combat efforts (Arc Light and Linebacker II). After Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990–1991, the wing was redesignated and inactivated at Eaker in 1992.

It was reactivated on October 1, 1992, at Altus as the 97th Air Mobility Wing under Air Mobility Command and later became part of AETC in 1993. It began incorporating C-17 training in 1996, and C-5 Galaxy training ended in 2007 when those aircraft were transferred away. In 2014, Altus was chosen as the preferred site to train with the KC-46 Pegasus, and the wing received its first KC-46 in 2019.

Current focus:
Today the 97th Air Mobility Wing conducts strategic airlift, aerial delivery, and aerial-refueling training for Air Mobility Command. It provides training for AMC aircrews, supports Joint Chiefs of Staff plans, and serves as an aerial port of embarkation for Fort Sill, Oklahoma. It continues to maintain ready instructors and personnel to deploy globally as needed.