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Boeing C-135 Stratolifter KC-135 Stratotanker Cargo Transport Refueling Tanker |
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DESCRIPTION:
When Boeing began the 707 project in the early 1950s, the company gambled on the expensive and ambitious program hoping that the US military would also purchase the design as a jet-powered refueling tanker. The gamble paid off when, in 1954, the US Air Force announced its decision to purchase the 707 as a tanker and transport. The resulting Boeing 717, better known as the KC-135 and C-135, has become one of the most widely used and flexible aircraft in the Air Force inventory since its inception in the mid-1950s. While the principal transport variant, the C-135B, was soon replaced by the C-141 StarLifter, updated KC-135 Stratotankers, EC-135 command posts, and RC-135 reconnaissance platforms continue to serve in large numbers. Though based on the 707, the C-135 family differs in having a smaller diameter fuselage, no cabin windows, reduced weight, and lower passenger capacity. All tanker equipment, including an extendable refueling boom, is located on the lower deck in the KC-135 while the C-135 transport model provides room for up to 126 troops or cargo. Early models were powered by turbojets and progressive upgrade programs have seen these replaced by Pratt & Whitney TF33 turbofans and more recently CFM F108 turbofans with increased thrust and much lower fuel consumption. The principal model remaining in service is the KC-135R tanker whose updates allow it to do the job of three of the original KC-135As. Other notable applications of the C-135 include the EC-135B and EC-135N missile and spacecraft tracking models used to support the Apollo Moon missions as well as the RC-135S and RC-135X models used to track ballistic missiles. Also noteworthy are the EC-135C airborne command post as well as the RC-135U and RC-135V electronic surveillance variants used to collect signals intelligence on enemy air defense and communications systems. One of the most unique models is the OC-135B that flies over foreign nations photographing their military installations as part of the Open Skies Treaty.
Data below for KC-135R |
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| HISTORY: | |
| First Flight |
(KC-135A) 31 August 1956 (C-135A) 19 May 1961 |
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Service Entry
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(KC-135A) 28 June 1957 (C-135A) 8 June 1961 (OC-135) June 1993 |
| CREW: |
(KC-135) 2 pilots, 2 crew (OC-135) 3 pilots, 2 navigators, 1 mission commander, 1 deputy mission commander, 2 sensor operators, 2 sensor maintenance technicians, 1 flight follower (RC-135) 3 pilots, 2 navigators, 3 electronic warfare officers, 14 intelligence operators, 4 maintenance technicians |
| PASSENGERS: |
(KC-135) 80 (C-135) 126 troops, 44 stretchers |
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ESTIMATED COST:
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(KC-135A) $26.1 million (KC-135E) $30.6 million (KC-135R) $52.2 million |
| AIRFOIL SECTIONS: | |
| Wing Root | BAC 310/311/312 |
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Wing Tip
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BAC 313
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| DIMENSIONS: | |
| Length | 136.25 ft (41.53 m) |
| Wingspan | 130.83 ft (39.88 m) |
| Height | 41.67 ft (12.70 m) |
| Wing Area | 2,433.0 ft2 (226.03 m2) |
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Canard Area
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not applicable
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| WEIGHTS: | |
| Empty |
(KC-135A) 98,465 lb (44,665 kg) (C-135B) 102,300 lb (46,405 kg) (KC-135R) 119,230 lb (54,080 kg) |
| Normal Takeoff | unknown |
| Max Takeoff |
(KC-135A) 297,000 lb (134,720 kg) (C-135B) 275,000 lb (124,740 kg) (KC-135R) 322,500 lb (146,285 kg) |
| Fuel Capacity | (KC-135R) 203,290 lb (92,210 kg) |
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Max Payload
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83,000 lb (37,650 kg)
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| PROPULSION: | |
| Powerplant |
(KC-135A) four Pratt & Whitney J57-59W or J57-43WB turbojets (C-135B) four Pratt & Whitney TF33-3 turbofans (KC-135E) four Pratt & Whitney TF33-102 turbofans (KC-135R) four CFM International F108-CF-100 turbofans |
| Thrust |
(KC-135A) 55,000 lb (244.7 kN) (C-135B) 72,000 lb (320.3 kN) (KC-135E) 72,000 lb (320.3 kN) (KC-135R) 88,000 lb (391.4 kN) |
| PERFORMANCE: | |
| Max Level Speed |
at altitude: 610 mph (980 km/h) at 30,000 ft (9,150 m), Mach 0.93 at sea level: unknown cruise speed: 530 mph (850 km/h) at 30,000 ft (9,150 m) |
| Initial Climb Rate | (KC-135A) 1,290 ft (395 m) / min |
| Service Ceiling |
(KC-135A) 36,000 ft (10,980 m) (C-135B) 44,000 ft (13,425 m) (KC-135R) 50,000 ft (15,255 m) |
| Range |
typical: 1,305 nm (2,420 km) with 150,000 lb (68,040 kg) transfer fuel ferry: 9,590 nm (17,770 km) |
| g-Limits |
unknown
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| ARMAMENT: | |
| Gun | none |
| Stations | none |
| Air-to-Air Missile | none |
| Air-to-Surface Missile | none |
| Bomb | none |
| Other |
none
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| KNOWN VARIANTS: | |
| Model 367-80 | Original Boeing designation for the 707 and 717 program |
| Model 717 | Boeing designation for the military version of the 707, not to be confused with the current Boeing 717 (originally known as the McDonnell Douglas MD-95) which is a completely different aircraft |
| KC-135A Stratotanker | First production model for an Air Force in-flight refueling tanker; 732 built |
| C-135A Stratolifter | Long-range transport model; 15 built |
| EC-135A | KC-135A airframes converted to communications relay platforms and airborne command posts |
| JKC-135A | Test aircraft converted from KC-135A models |
| NC-135A | C-135A aircraft modified to monitor tests of nuclear weapons; 3 converted |
| NKC-135A | KC-135A aircraft fitted with a variety of additional systems and used for test purposes; 26 converted |
| RC-135A | KC-135A airframes modified with photo-reconnaissance and mapping equipment; 4 converted |
| VC-135A | VIP transport |
| C-135B | Similar to the C-135A model but built with turbofan engines and a larger tailplane; 30 built |
| EC-135B ARIA | Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft rebuilt from C-135B airframes and fitted with a large radar in a bulbous nose radome used to track missiles and spacecraft; at least 4 converted |
| KC-135B | In-flight refueling tanker equipped with command and communications equipment, later redesignated EC-135C; 17 built |
| OC-135B Open Skies | WC-135B airframes modified as observation aircraft and fitted with four cameras for taking photos over countries who are signatories to the Open Skies Treaty; 3 converted |
| RC-135B | Electronic reconnaissance model, never had any equipment installed or used operationally, but immediately converted to RC-135C models; 10 built |
| VC-135B | VIP transport rebuilt from C-135B models; 11 converted |
| WC-135B | Long-range weather reconnaissance model rebuilt from former C-135B airframes; 10 converted |
| C-135C | Former WC-135B aircraft converted back to transports |
| EC-135C | New designation for KC-135B airborne command centers |
| RC-135C | RC-135B aircraft modified with side-looking airborne radar (SLAR) pods, undernose radomes, and a camera bay; 10 converted |
| KC-135D | Former RC-135A aircraft modified as refueling tankers; 4 converted |
| RC-135D | KC-135A and C-135A airframes modified for use in re-entry vehicle photography; 7 converted |
| C-135E | C-135A airframes re-engined with Pratt & Whitney TF33 turbofans |
| KC-135E | KC-135A models re-engined with turbofan engines salvaged from former civil 707 aircraft; 161 converted |
| NKC-135E | Test aircraft fitted with TF33 turbofans; 1 converted |
| RC-135E | Former C-135B aircraft fitted with a large radome around the forward fuselage; 1 converted |
| C-135F or KC-135F | Transport and tanker model sold to France; 12 built |
| C-135FR | C-135F aircraft re-engined with CFM56 turbofans |
| EC-135G | KC-135A aircraft converted to a similar standard as the EC-135A but with a revised cabin arrangement, used as airborne command control centers for ballistic missile launch or communications relays; 4 converted |
| EC-135H | Airborne command posts rebuilt from KC-135A airframes plus a VC-135A and equipped with more advanced equipment; 5 converted |
| EC-135J | Rebuilt EC-135C airframes similar to the EC-135H but powered by turbofans and used as National Emergency Airborne Command Posts; 4 converted |
| EC-135K | KC-135A airframes modified with additional communications equipment for use in fighter deployment support; 2 converted |
| EC-135L | KC-135A airframes rebuilt as communications relays and command posts; 5 converted |
| RC-135M | Electronic reconnaissance model rebuilt from C-135B and VC-135B airframes and fitted with a thimble-nose radome, fuselage fairings, and a variety of antennae; at least 6 converted |
| EC-135N | C-135A models modified to carry a 7 ft (2.13 m) diameter parabolic dish antenna in the nose for the tracking of spacecraft; 8 converted |
| EC-135P | Airborne command post rebuilt from KC-135A, NKC-135A, and EC-135H airframes; 4 converted |
| KC-135Q | KC-135A aircraft modified to serve as tankers for the SR-71 Blackbird; 56 converted |
| KC-135R | Original designation for KC-135A airframes modified for special reconnaissance duties; 4 converted |
| KC-135R | Designation for extensively modernized KC-135A and KC-135E aircraft fitted with new CFM F108 turbobans, updated avionics, and a new APU; 371 converted |
| RC-135S Cobra Ball | Reconnaissance model fitted with large dipole aerials; 3 converted |
| TC-135S | RC-135S trainer with a reduced equipment fit; 1 converted |
| RC-135T | KC-135R airframe fitted with a thimble-nose radome and other avionics used for classified electronics surveillance; 1 converted |
| RC-135U Combat Sent | RC-135C aircraft fitted with specialized avionics, an undernose radome, fuselage fairings for a SLAR, and several antennae on the aft fuselage and tail; 3 converted |
| RC-135V Rivet Joint | RC-135C airframes and a RC-135U rebuilt with a thimble-nose radome, SLAR, and several underfuselage aerials; 8 converted |
| RC-135W | Former RC-135M models fitted with similar equipment as the RC-135V; 6 converted |
| TC-135W | RC-135V and RC-135W trainer with a reduced equipment fit; 1 converted |
| WC-135W Constant Phoenix | C-135B model modified as an atmospheric collection aircraft that takes air samples to support the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963; 1 converted |
| RC-135X Cobra Eye | Model similar to the RC-135S and equipped for missile re-entry vehicle surveillance; 1 converted |
| EC-135Y |
Airborne command post
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KNOWN COMBAT RECORD:
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Vietnam War (USAF, 1965-1972) Libya - Operation El Dorado Canyon (USAF [KC-135], 1986) Iraq - Operation Desert Storm (USAF [KC-135], 1991) Bosnia - Operation Deliberate Force (USAF [KC-135, RC-135], France [C-135], 1995) Kosovo - Operation Allied Force (USAF, 1999) US Homeland Security - Operation Noble Eagle (USAF [KC-135], 2001-present) Afghanistan - Operation Enduring Freedom (USAF [RC-135], 2001-present) Iraq - Operation Iraqi Freedom (USAF [RC-135], 2003-present) |
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KNOWN OPERATORS:
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US Air Force Australia Brazil Canada France Israel Italy Morocco Singapore Spain South Africa Turkey Venezuela |
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3-VIEW SCHEMATIC:
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SOURCES:
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