#kc 135 stratotanker

[aeroloversone]

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker Heavy Aircraft

The first aircraft flew in August 1956 and the initial production Stratotanker was delivered to Castle Air Force Base, Calif., in June 1957. The last KC-135 was delivered to the Air Force in 1965. Of the original KC-135As, more than 417 were modified with new CFM-56 engines produced by CFM-International.

[nocternalrandomness]

KC-135 Tanker photographed Oct 1972 as it climbs out of Kadena Airbase, Japan

[dark0ta]

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker & Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Taken: 7/26/24

[usafphantom2]

Still cleansing... an oldie but a goodie - water power!

@Tcamp202 via X

[tpmmpt-1]

"Practice makes perfect..."

Mid-flight refueling testing for the YA-10 Thunderbolt II with a KC-135 Stratotanker

[blackros78]

A four-ship formation of F-15 Eagles from the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons (FS) fly in close formation with a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 909th Air Refueling Squadron, during Exercise COPE NORTH 02.

[ghostwarriorrrr]

[desertmarauder]

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker | Castle Air Museum, Atwater, California | 6/10/2023

[planesawesome]

Canadian CF-18 receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker, during NORAD air-defense Operation NOBLE DEFENDER.

[nocternalrandomness]

C-17 & KC-135 Formation Break

[enriquemzn262]

The might of the United States Air Force tanker fleet.

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, McDonnel Douglas KC-10 Extender, and Boeing KC.46 Pegasus

[usafphantom2]

What are the most amazing things you've seen as a Boom Operator?

Five KC-135Rs and Sixty F-16s Refueling Near Kuwait 🇰🇼

In November and December of 1990 during Operation Desert Shield I was flying out of Jeddah, Saudia Arabia. The flight lunches always had goat cheese on the sandwiches, but our quarters were ok, and the flying was good, sometime even flying twice a day.

General Schwarzkopf was attempting to plant the idea that US forces would invade Kuwait with an amphibious assault from the Persian Gulf. The Marine’s plans were called Operation Desert Saber, and my understanding was that the Air Force was supporting the operation with F-16s. It was all a feint of course, but the mission was flown to make it look like that’s what we were going to do. In support of this, we were tasked with a large mission with five KC-135Rs.

When multiple tankers fly in formation at altitude, the second aircraft flies 500 feet above, 1 mile behind, and on a 30-degree offset from the lead aircraft. Each subsequent aircraft also flies off lead, but the each add an additional 500 feet of altitude, and 1 mile in distance. So, if Lead is at 25,000 ft, Two is at 25,500, Three is at 26,000, Four is at 26,500 and Five is at 27,000. That’s two thousand feet, plus a thousand above and a thousand below for other air traffic clearance. Needless to say, it’s a bit of a headache for air traffic controllers, whether they are regular ATC, or as in our case an E-3A Sentry and a USN E-2A Hawkeye.

We were lucky enough to be assigned as aircraft number five, tail end Charlie. The great thing about being last in the formation is that you can see everything, and this formation was one worth watching.

We flew toward the southern tip of Kuwait where we were to meet up with sixty F-16s. Yes, sixty! Fighters join up with tankers by flying straight at them, usually a bit lower in altitude, and then just turn in behind the tanker with whatever bank angle they need to make the turn, so it’s not uncommon to see them coming around behind you at 90-degree of bank. Each F-16 formation is called a flight, and each flight tended either two or four aircraft, but for this tasking, each tanker was responsible for twelve F-16s and we had no idea how they were going to be divided up.

As I recall, all air refueling at the time was done using radio silent operations, which meant that everything was pre-briefed, and the radios were only used went they were really needed (safety of flight issues, or to prevent mission failure.) So, while you had receivers assigned to you, if different ones showed up, you just recorded the tail numbers and refueled them. Saudia Arabia was paying for the gas anyways, we just had to record who got what.

I remember standing in the cockpit before any had arrived on our wing yet because we were at the highest level and watching all these F-16s buzzing around like bees in the spring, flying up to their tankers to get some nectar.

Eventually they swarmed on us, and I headed back to the boom pod to get to work. As each flight joined up with its tanker, they would normally form on the left wing, and when it looked like the tanker was ready, the boom down and extended to 10 feet, they would get into position.

They were using a technique known as “Quick Flow Air Refueling”. An F-16 would get into the pre-contact position and wait to be cleared to contact. The next F-16 would fly fingertip formation with the one on the boom. When the first one finished, he would move off to the right, and the next one would slide right into the contact position, we’d plug him and give him his gas and so on. They would continue this until the entire flight was topped off with fuel. It was very efficient and quick.

When they were all done, they disappeared as if the wind had blown them away, and we just hung around for a bit in case anybody needed a little extra.

Let me tell you, it was a sight to see, and I haven’t seen anything online that would compare to it. Wish I’d taken photos or better yet, videos.

@tcamp202 via X

[captain-price-unofficially]

F-105D Thunderchiefs refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker while en-route to targets in North Vietnam, c. Jan., 1967