1974: The 916th Air Refueling Squadron began its air refueling partnership with the C-5As when one of its KC-135 crews performed the first test air refueling of a C-5 during Operation COLD JUICE I. This was MAC’s first overwater, long-range air refueling of the C-5 transport. A crew of instructors from Altus flew the C-5 from Dover AFB, Delaware to Clark Air Base in the Philippines, a distance of 10,060 miles in 21 hours and 30 minutes. Their aircraft received two air refuelings. The first was over California from a crew from the 9l6th and the second was over Guam totaling 289,000 pounds of fuel. (image of 121 ARW KC-135 refueling C-5)
Between 30 August and the end of the year, the squadron performed 25 air refuelings of C-5s. The importance of the 9l6th Air Refueling Squadron to the C-5, and in the Pacific region in general, eventually led SAC to upgrade its organization at Travis