Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker (717-148) Aircraft Data
Photo ID 144392 by Günther Feniuk. USA Air Force Boeing KC 135R Stratotanker 717 148, 62 3511
Strategic tanker and transport.

The Boeing KC-135 is a landmark type in military aviation. Along with five other types, the KC-135 has the distinction of serving longer than fifty years with it's original operator. Designed to replace the piston-engined KC-97, the KC-135 was needed to refuel SAC's fleet of B-52 and B-58 bombers. A common misconception is that the KC-135 is derived from the Boeing 707 airliner. Boeing's C-135 (Dash 367-80) is the progenitor for the KC-135A. From the outset, the KC-135 was designed as a tanker and not modified from an existing airframe, like many tankers. With close to eight hundred built, the KC-135 is one of the USAF's most numerous types in service.

Hauling gas is not the only task the KC-135 can perform. An out-sized cargo door and area can take palletized cargo or crew. Later modifications gave the KC hose and drogue compatibility with NATO and U.S. Navy types. Fifty six tankers were modified to Q standard and given the task of supporting SR-71 operations around the World. Inflight-refuelling was a Blackbird pilot's most demanding task, not Mach 3 flight. Structural upgrades and digital avionics will see the KC-135 fly into 2020 as the politics of acquisition play out in selecting a replacement design.
  • Country of Origin: USA
  • First Flight: 8/31/56
  • Initial Service Date: 1957
  • No. Built: 732
  • No. In Service: 478 (approx.)
  • No. of Hardpoints: 0
  • Crew: 5

Power:

4 x CFM International CFM56 turbofans at 21,634 lbf

Weapons:

The KC-135R is un-armed.

Dimensions:

Length: 136 t. 3 in.
Wing Span: 130 ft. 10 in.
Wing Area: 2,433 sq.ft
Height: 41 ft. 8 in.
Empty Weight: 98,466 lbs
Max. Weight: 322,500 lbs
Max. Payload: 200,000 lbs
Internal Fuel: 261,002 lbs

Performance:

Max. Speed: 580 mph
Cruise Speed: 530 mph
Service Ceiling: 50,000 ft.
Normal Range: 1,500 nm
Max. Range: 11,015 nm

Operators:

Chile (4), France (14), Singapore (4), Turkey (8), USA (449)

Random great photos of the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker (717-148):

Photo ID 11397 by Kevin Burkholder. USA Air Force Boeing KC 135R Stratotanker 717 148, 58 0098
Photo ID 76370 by PAUL CALLAGHAN. USA Air Force Boeing KC 135R Stratotanker 717 148, 58 0102
Photo ID 238509 by Alex Jossi. USA Air Force Boeing KC 135R Stratotanker 717 148, 63 7997
Photo ID 244117 by Peter Fothergill. USA Air Force Boeing KC 135R Stratotanker 717 148, 57 1469
Photo ID 186670 by Hans-Werner Klein. USA Air Force Boeing KC 135R Stratotanker 717 148, 62 3500
Photo ID 84570 by Richard Sanchez Gibelin. USA Air Force Boeing KC 135R Stratotanker 717 148, 62 3510
More photos »