The KC -135A made its maiden flight on 31 August 1956 and was still in front line service some 60 years later. What began as a jet-powered replacement for the KC -97 to refuel Strategic Air C ommand’s growing B-47 and B-52 bomber fleet soon evolved into America’s first military heavy jet transport, an airborne command post platform, a testbed that enabled scientists to study the Earth, send men to the Moon and understand the power of the atom. Other variants of the KC -135 included a reconnaissance airframe that monitors arms agreements, gathers intelligence to understand the intentions and capabilities of potential enemies and provides real-time intelligence in combat.
This is a revised and expanded third edition of the definitive study of this remarkable aircraft. The author is a former USAF pilot qualified on 17 types of KC -135s, EC -135s, and RC -135s, who brings both personal experience and a broad historical understanding to this definitive work on one of the most significant military aircraft of the Cold War and beyond.
This latest edition of Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker: More than a Tanker incorporates 64 additional pages of new material, photographs, and tables. Included are updates of retired aircraft, tankers transferred to civilian organisations, and new conversions of reconnaissance-related jets. A brief discussion assesses the turmoil surrounding the KC-135’s replacement, and a new appendix provides a historical summary of operational units.
