Description
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 Command’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.
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.
