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KC-135



Boeing KC-135
Boeing KC-135
Boeing KC-135
Boeing KC-135
The KC-135, a military version of the Boeing 707 passenger plane, replaced the KC-97 propeller-driven air-refueling tanker in the mid-1950s. The KC-135s altitude and speed of over 500 MPH better matched the performance of the jet-powered aircraft they refueled. To refuel, aircraft line up behind the tanker guided by lights on the underside of the plane. A boom operator lies in prone position near the rear of the KC-135, dispensing fuel to the receiver through a guided winged boom. Fuel offload rate is 6,500 pounds per minute, enough fuel in one minute to operate an average family car for one year. The KC-135 is still in active military service at the beginning of the 21st century.
55-3130 is on loan from the U.S. Air Force Museum.