The mainstay of the U.S. Air Force’s strategic aerial refueling fleet, the KC-135 Stratotanker is a military version of the 1950s-era 707 commercial passenger jet.

Three variants of the KC-135 are currently in operational service with the U.S. Air Force: the KC-135R makes up the bulk of the fleet, while the former SR-71 Blackbird-specialized KC-135Q tankers ...

Turkey is evaluating a replacement for its aging KC-135R Stratotanker fleet, with the KC-46 Pegasus and the A330 MRTT being the two candidates. Turkey has narrowed the candidates for the Türk ...

The KC-135R can also carry more cargo (83,000 pounds) than the KC-46 (65,000 pounds) according to the Air Force. Still, the KC-46's newness is crucial to Air Force tanker support.

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (NMUSAF) will soon add to its collection a KC-135R Stratotanker that is not only an example of one of the service’s most iconic aircraft, but also the ...

The first of seven Turkish KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft recently returned to Turkey after receiving a major flight deck upgrade at Field Aerospace in Oklahoma City under the Block 45 upgrade ...

A Metrea KC-135R refuels a RC-135 Rivet Joint during exercise Resolute Hunter. (Photo: Metrea) “It was fitting that we could support the US Air Force in achieving this major milestone during the ...

Rockwell Collins has been selected to improve the communications capabilities of the US Air Force’s KC-135R fleet with the implementation of a Real Time Information in the Cockpit (RTIC) system, the ...

Dividing the number of full mission-capable KC-135s by the number of KC-30s or KC-767s yields this metric, which is also known as KC-135R equivalency. The RAND Corp. used KC-135R equivalency to ...

From the highest reconnaissance missions of the U-2S Dragon Lady to the vital aerial refueling provided by the Stratotanker KC-135R/T, all of the American military jets on this list have a unique ...

L3Harris took three USAF KC-135R tankers, removed the refueling gear and installed the ELINT systems. The result was a batch of “new” RC-135s. The RAF plans to fly its RC-135s through the 2030s.