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The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is a military aerial refuelling aircraft. The KC-135 was the US Air Force’s first jet-powered refuelling tanker. Legendary KC-135 entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1957; it is one of six military fixed-wing aircraft with over 50 years of continuous service.

The KC-135 was initially tasked with refuelling strategic bombers but was used extensively in the Vietnam War and later conflicts such as Operation Desert Storm to extend the range and endurance of US tactical fighters and bombers.

The KC-135 played a decisive role during the Vietnam War too, where the Stratotanker not only allowed heavy fighter-bombers to reach North Vietnamese targets and return but also towed them back to their bases when they were badly damaged by enemy action.

Here is a story of How KC-135 TANKER saved a BADLY DAMAGED F-111 by towing jet using flying boom in the Skies over Vietnam. The article titled 60 YEARS IN THE AIR: The KC-135 during the Vietnam War and written by Airman 1st Class Tara Fadenrecht, 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs. This article is a part of the series of articles looking back on the operational history of the KC-135 Stratotanker.

This article is part of a series looking back on the history of the KC-135 Stratotanker throughout the decades, leading up to the 60th anniversary of the KC-135’s first flight in August 2016.