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KC-135 Stratotanker
KC-135RAerial — Fixed Wing
OEM: Boeing
First Produced: 1956
Status: Active
Role: Aerial refueling tanker
Primary Operator: U.S. Air Force
OEM Website: boeing.com
The KC-135 Stratotanker has served as the Air Force's primary air-refueling tanker since 1957 and remains the backbone of U.S. airborne tanker capacity despite KC-46 introduction. Re-engining with CFM56 turbofans in the 1980s–90s produced the current KC-135R variant, which retains a service life projected into the 2040s.
Approximately 400 KC-135Rs remain in service across the Air Force active component, Reserve, and Air National Guard, supporting global combatant-command tanker requirements.
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