| 918th Air Refueling Squadron | |
|---|---|
 KC-135 tanker in 1960s SAC markings | |
| Active | 1942–1944; 1947–1949; 1960 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Air refueling |
| Engagements | Pacific Theater of Operations |
The 918th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 11th Bombardment Wing at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
The 918th's predecessor, the 18th Combat Mapping Squadron, was active during World War II. Although most of the squadron remained in the United States during the war, part of its air echelon deployed to the Pacific where it performed photographic mapping missions until the unit was inactivated in 1944.
The squadron was allotted to the Air Force Reserve as the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron and assigned to the 66th Strategic Reconnaissance Group at Newark Army Air Base, New Jersey in 1947. It does not appear to have been fully equipped or manned before it was inactivated in 1949 as the reserves reorganized and eliminated units in the wake of President Truman's 1949 defense budget cuts.
The 918th Air Refueling Squadron was organized at Altus in October 1960 along with the 921st Air Refueling Squadron as part of Strategic Air Command's plan to disperse its bomber force. However, planning changed a little over a month later and the squadron was inactivated and its personnel and equipment were returned to the 96th Air Refueling Squadron, which had provided its initial cadre. The 18th and 918th squadrons were consolidated into a single unit in 1985.