KC-135 Stratotanker
{{infobox Aircraft
name = KC-135 Stratotanker | type = Aerial refuelling and transport | manufacturer = Boeing | image = Image:usaf.kc135.750pix.jpg | caption = KC-135 refuels a F-22A Raptor | designer = | first flight = August 17, 1956 | introduced = June 1957 | retired = | status = Active service | primary user = United States Air Force | more users = | produced = 1954-???? | number built = | unit cost = US$39.6 million (FY98 constant dollars) | variants with their own articles = The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling tanker aircraft, first manufactured in 1956 and expected to remain in service into the 2040s. It is derived from the original Boeing jet transport "proof of concept" demonstrator, the Boeing 367-80 commonly called the "Dash-80"). As such, it has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the Boeing 707 jetliner.
Developed in the late 1950s this basic airframe is characterized by swept wings and tail, four under wing mounted engine pods, a horizontal stabilizer mounted on the fuselage near the bottom of the vertical stabilizer with positive dihedral on the two horizontal planes and a hi-frequency radio antenna which protrudes forward from the top of the vertical fin or stabilizer. These basic features make it strongly resemble the commercial Boeing 707 and 720 aircraft although, under the skin, it's actually a different aircraft.Boeing's 367-80 was the basic design for the commercial Boeing 707 passenger aircraft as well as the KC-135A Stratotanker. In 1954 the USAF's Strategic Air Command ordered the first 29 of its future fleet of 732. The first aircraft flew in August 1956 and the initial production Stratotanker was delivered to Castle Air Force Base, California, in June 1957. The last KC-135 was delivered to the Air Force in 1965.
In Southeast Asia, KC-135 Stratotankers made the air war different from all previous aerial conflicts. Midair refueling brought far-flung bombing targets within reach. Combat aircraft, no longer limited by fuel supplies, were able to spend more time in target areas.
Air Mobility Command (AMC) manages more than 546 total aircraft inventory Stratotankers, of which the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard fly 292 in support of AMC's mission.ModificationsOf the original KC-135As, more than 410 have been modified with new CFM56 engines produced by CFM-International. The re-engined tanker, designated either the KC-135R or KC-135T, can offload 50 % more fuel, is 25 % more fuel efficient, costs 25 % less to operate and is 96 % quieter than the KC-135A.
Under an earlier modification program, 157 Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard tankers were re-engined with the Pratt & Whitney TF-33-PW-102 engines from retired 707 airliners. The re-engined tanker, designated the KC-135E, is 14 % more fuel efficient than the KC-135A and can offload 20 % more fuel.
The KC-135Q was the variant modified to carry the JP-7 fuel necessary for the SR-71 Blackbird, segregating the JP-7 from the KC-135's own fuel supply.
The KC-135T was a receiver-capable tanker, used for pilot training and operational refueling missions.
Through the years, the KC-135 has been altered to do other jobs ranging from flying command post missions to reconnaissance. The EC-135C was U.S. Strategic Command's flying command post. One EC-135C, codenamed Looking Glass, was continually airborne throughout the Cold War, ready to control bombers and missiles if ground control was lost. RC-135 Rivet Joints are used for special reconnaissance and Air Force Material Command's NKC-135A's are flown in test programs. The Air Combat Command operates the OC-135 Open Skies as an observation platform in compliance with the Open Skies Treaty.Future development | An F-15 approaches a KC-135 for refueling |
Over the next few years (as of 2003), the aircraft will undergo upgrades to expand its capabilities and improve its reliability. Among these are improved communications, navigation and surveillance equipment to meet future civil air traffic control needs. The Multi-Point Refueling System Program will add hose and drogue refueling pods near the wingtips, allowing it to service multiple aircraft, and to service probe-carrying aircraft without an adapter.
Four turbofans, mounted under 35-degree swept wings, power the KC-135 to takeoffs at gross weights up to 322,500 pounds (146,300 kg). Nearly all internal fuel can be pumped through the tanker's flying boom, the KC-135's primary fuel transfer method. A special shuttlecock-shaped drogue, attached to and trailing behind the flying boom, may be used to refuel aircraft fitted with probes. An operator stationed in the rear of the aircraft controls the boom while lying on their stomach. A cargo deck above the refueling system can hold a mixed load of passengers and cargo. Depending on fuel storage configuration, the KC-135 can carry up to 83,000 pounds (37,600 kg) of cargo.
The EC-135 is slated to be replaced (along with the E-3 Sentry and the E-8 Joint STARS) by the E-10 MC2A, also based upon the 767 airframe.In January 2006 Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced the cancellation of the KC-767 program which would have replaced some of the KC-135 fleet. This is designed to be a cost-cutting measure and is part of a larger reorganization and redefinition of the Air Force's mission that includes the retirement of the E-4B fleet, the cancellation of the Boeing 767-based E-10 MC2A program, as well as the elimination of all but 58 B-52 Stratofortresses. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld states that this move will in no way impair the Air Force's ability to deliver the mission of the KC-767 which will be accomplished by continuing upgrades to the KC-135 and KC-10 Extender fleet. |  | USAF Reserve Command KC-135R tanker taxis for take off |
|  | Tail of a USAF Reserve Command KC-135R tanker showing refueling boom |
|  | USAFE KC-135R tanker |
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{{aircraft specifications|plane or copter?=plane | ref=|crew=3: pilot, copilot, boom operator (4 for non-PACER CRAG aircraft) | capacity= | payload main= | payload alt= | length main=136 ft 3 in | length alt=41.53 m | span main=130 ft 10 in | span alt=39.88 m | height main=41 ft 8 in | height alt=12.70 m | area main=2,433 ft² | area alt=226 m² | airfoil= | empty weight main=98,466 lb | empty weight alt=44,663 kg | operating empty main=124,000 lb | operating empty alt=56,200 kg | loaded weight main=297,000 lb | loaded weight alt=135,000 kg | useful load main= | useful load alt= | max takeoff weight main=322,500 lb | max takeoff weight alt=146,000 kg | engine (jet)=(R/T) CFM International CFM-56 turbofan engines, 21,634 lbf (96 kN) each}
*Powerplant: 4× (E) Pratt & Whitney TF-33-PW-102 turbofan engines | type of jet= | number of jets=4 | thrust main=18,000 lbf | thrust alt=80 kN | thrust original= | afterburning thrust main= | afterburning thrust alt= | engine (prop)= | type of prop= | number of props= | power main= | power alt= | max speed main=580 mph | max speed alt=933 km/h | cruise speed main= | cruise speed alt= | stall speed main= | stall speed alt= | never exceed speed main= | never exceed speed alt= | range main=3,450 mi | range alt=5,550 km | ceiling main=50,000 ft | ceiling alt=15,200 m | climb rate main=4,900 ft/min | climb rate alt=1,490 m/min | loading main= | loading alt= | thrust/weight= | power/mass main= | power/mass alt= | armament=|avionics=Listed alphabetically:
France, Singapore, Turkey, United States.*Audiofiles of USAF B-52 refuelled by KC-135 during Operation Iraqi Freedom monitored by the Frequency Monitor Centre
*NKC-135 specs
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