Air International 1980-11
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Al Lloyd - Versatility Unlimited - the Boeing KC-135 Story (1)
The famous brown-and-yellow Dash 80, grandaddy of all the Boeing jet transports, with a mock-up of the boom operator's position under the rear fuselage.
A KC-135A taking off from Hickham AFB, Hawaii, showing the adaptation to fit a refuelling drogue to the refuelling boom.
An early short-finned KC-135A showing the yellow stripe, to assist receiver pilot alignment, stretching along the underside of the fuselage from the director lights to the boom operator’s pod.
A 1959-vintage short-finned KC-135A in bare metal with dayglo orange conspicuity markings on the nose and wing tips and round the rear fuselage and fin.
France's nuclear deterrent force is to become operational shortly, with thirty-six Mirage IVs in the front line. Here a Mirage IV practises refuelling from one of the 12 C-135Fs tanker, delivered to the Armee de l’Air in 1964, by means of the probe-and-drogue system. The 11 surviving C-135Fs were returned to Wichita in 1978/79 to have their lower wing skins replaced.
This NKC-135A is being used by NASA at the Dryden Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, to evaluate the benefits that might be derived from the use of the 9-ft (2,74-m) long winglets. Fuel savings resulting from the reduced lift-to-drag ratio could offset the cost of introducing the modification on a fleet-wide basis.
A close-up of the director lights and the alignment stripe under the front fuselage.
In overall grey finish, this KC-135A is in the markings of the 160th ARG, Ohio Air National Guard, Rickenbacker AFB, Ohio.
A tall-finned KC-135A, 1963-vintage, in Corogard finish with the SAC “Milky Way" band and crest round the centre fuselage.
One of the three short-finned "boomless tanker" KC-135As supplied to MATS prior to delivery of their own C-135As. This aircraft eventually became an RC-135D.
A turbofan-engined, tall-finned C-135B in MATS markings with day-glo orange conspicuity markings.
Boeing KC-135
Three-view drawing of the Boeing KC-135A in its standard form, with definitive tall fin.
Side views of the early short-finned KC-135A; the short-finned C-135A; the RC-135A; the tall-finned C-135B with turbofan engines and the KC-135RE with CFM-56 turbofans.
One of the four RC-135As operated by the 1370th Photo Mapping Wing, showing the camera ports in the fairing that extends from the nose wheel bay to the wing leading edge, these aircraft did not have refuelling equipment installed but have now been converted to KC-135Ds for use as tankers.