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KC135 Stratotanker
In detail Boeing's 367-80
was the basic design for the commercial Boeing
707 passenger aircraft as well as the KC-135A
Stratotanker. In 1954 the USAF's Strategic
Air Command ordered the first 29 of its future
fleet of 732. The first aircraft flew in August
1956 and the initial production Stratotanker
was delivered to Castle Air Force Base, California,
in June 1957. The last KC-135 was delivered
to the Air Force in 1965.
In Southeast Asia, KC-135
Stratotankers made the air war different from
all previous aerial conflicts. Midair refueling
brought far-flung bombing targets within reach.
Combat aircraft, no longer limited by fuel
supplies, were able to spend more time in
target areas.
Air
Mobility Command (AMC) manages more than
546 total aircraft inventory Stratotankers,
of which the Air Force Reserve and Air National
Guard fly 292 in support of AMC's mission.
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