Boeing KC-135E Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker has served as the primary aerial refuelling tanker of the United States Air Force since the late 1950s, built on the same basic airframe as the prototype that led to the Boeing 707. Its boom operator, lying prone at the rear of the fuselage, guides a rigid refuelling boom into a receiving aircraft to transfer fuel in mid-air. Continuous engine and systems upgrades over the decades have kept a fleet of aircraft, some now over 60 years old, in frontline service. Its longevity makes it one of the longest-serving military aircraft designs still flying operational missions today.
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Did you know?
The KC-135E variant recycled surplus turbofans from scrapped commercial 707s to re-engine Air Guard and Reserve tankers cheaply, before the type was retired in 2009.
Specifications
| Length | 41.5 m (136 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 39.9 m (131 ft) |
| Height | 12.7 m (42 ft) |
| Persons on board | 20 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 144 t |
| Range | 4,970 NM (9,204 km) |
| Maximum speed | 462 kt (856 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 50,000 ft (15,240 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 37,000 ft (11,278 m) |
| Rate of climb | 5,000 ft/min (25.4 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 2,700 m (8,858 ft) |
| Landing distance | 800 m (2,625 ft) |
| Engines | 4x Pratt & Whitney TF33 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
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