Today’s 97th Maintenance Group began its modern organizational history when Military Airlift Command’s 443rd Military Airlift Wing and Strategic Air Command’s 340th Air Refueling Wing combined on October 1, 1992, to create the 97th Air Mobility Wing under Air Mobility Command. On November 1, 2017, the 97th Maintenance Group was activated to replace the Maintenance Directorate, aligning the 97th Air Mobility Wing’s aircraft maintenance function with standard Air Force organizational structure.

97th Maintenance Squadron

The 97th Maintenance Squadron provides on and off-equipment aircraft and component maintenance to ensure safe, reliable aircraft for the Air Force’s mobility aircrew formal training mission. The squadron is comprised of five flights: Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory, Fabrication, Accessories, Maintenance, and Aerospace Ground Equipment. These diverse work centers interact seamlessly to create C-17, KC-135, and KC-46 aircraft availability for mobility aircrews.

Today’s 97th Maintenance Squadron began its modern organizational history when Military Airlift Command’s 443rd Military Airlift Wing and Strategic Air Command’s 340th Air Refueling Wing combined on October 1, 1992, to create the 97th Air Mobility Wing under Air Mobility Command. On July 1, 1993, the 97th Air Mobility Wing realigned under Air Education and Training Command.

On July 1, 1996, the 97th Logistics Group began transition from a military to a civil service organization that ultimately became today’s 97th Maintenance Group. At that time, what is now the 97th Maintenance Squadron consisted only of Accessories and Fabrication Flights, aligned under the 97th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Unit.

On August 30, 2002, the 97th Logistics Group inactivated and the 97th Air Mobility Wing Maintenance Directorate formed. As part of that organizational action, Accessories and Fabrication Flights were renamed Component Repair and Equipment Maintenance Divisions, two of five divisions under the Maintenance Directorate. On October 1, 2005, Component Repair and Equipment Maintenance Divisions combined to form the Maintenance Division.

Over the years, the 97th Maintenance Division continued to change. On January 1, 2011, the current-day Maintenance Flight transferred from the Aircraft Maintenance Division to the Maintenance Division.  In 2016, the Munitions Flight was reassigned from the Maintenance Operations Division to the Maintenance Division. In November of 2017, the 97th Maintenance Division was officially redesignated 97th Maintenance Squadron.

97th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

The 97th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron provides safe, reliable aircraft for the Air Force’s mobility aircrew formal training mission, generating over 5,000 sorties and 23,000 flying hours annually. The Squadron is comprised of four flights, the KC-135, C-17 and KC-46 Aircraft Maintenance Units, and Support Flight. 
 

The squadron began its modern organizational history when Military Airlift Command’s 443rd Military Airlift Wing and Strategic Air Command’s 340th Air Refueling Wing combined on October 1, 1992, to create the 97th Air Mobility Wing under Air Mobility Command. On July 1, 1993, the 97th Air Mobility Wing realigned under Air Education and Training Command. The predecessor of today’s 97th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron was then designated the 97th Aircraft Generation Squadron, aligned under the 97th Logistics Group, and maintaining the wing’s C-5, C-141 and KC-135 fleets. In January 1996, the organization also began maintaining the newly delivered C-17 fleet.  In July of the same year, military aircraft maintenance assigned to the 97th Logistics Group began conversion to civil service. By February 1997, civil service aircraft maintainers had assumed primary responsibility for all C-5, C-141 and KC-135 maintenance. 

In August 2002, the 97th Logistics Group was inactivated and the 97th Air Mobility Wing Maintenance Directorate formed, to include Tanker and Airlift Aircraft Maintenance Divisions.  Additionally, C-17 maintenance then fully converted from military to civilian maintainers. In January 2007, the Tanker and Airlift Maintenance Divisions combined to form the 97th Aircraft Maintenance Division.  A decade later, in November 2017, the 97th Aircraft Maintenance Division was re-designated to today’s 97th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The KC-46 was added to the aircraft maintained by the organization in February 2019.