If the KC-135s are indeed still in service in the 2050s, “that timeline would put the KC-135’s service life near 100 years,” Air & Space Forces Magazine reported. That’s a long time.

The U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command has suggested their KC-135 Stratotanker fleet may serve beyond 2050 with a life extension and upgrade program. Almost 70 years after the type’s first ...

The KC-135 Stratotankers of the 134th Air Refueling Wing supported the F-15E Strike Eagles that helped defend Israel last April. On Dec. 7, 2024, at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base ...

Acceptance of the "airworthiness plan" allows the KC-135 autonomous flight test program to get underway, Merlin said. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force] The U.S. Air Force has signed off on a plan to ...

Flight testing of an autonomous KC-135 Stratotanker may begin next year. Boston’s Merlin Labs, Inc. and the U.S. Air Force’s 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill AFB, Fla., have been […] ...

Merlin Pilot on US Air Force’s KC-135 refueling aircraft The acceptance comes shortly after Merlin announced a collaboration with Air Mobility Command (AMC) and Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC ...

[Courtesy: U.S. Air Force] Robotics company Merlin says it has flown the first three flights in its autonomous control program on the KC-135. The flights were conducted at the Pittsburgh Air ...

Merlin and SNC conducted three test flights in July to gather data for a planned KC-135 autonomous flight demonstration. Credit: U.S. Air Force Boston-based startup Merlin, partnered with Sierra ...

Piece of KC-135 Stratotanker operated by Metrea Aerospace falls into lagoon near Ewa Beach. Metrea Aerospace states it delivers air-to-air refueling solutions for DoD under-resourced requirements.

A United States Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueler aircraft experienced a retraction of its front landing gear while parked at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, United States, on May 29, 2024.

The iconic US military fleet, including the KC-135, has stood the test of time despite technological advances. Retirement signals show a shift from the KC-135 to newer aircraft, like the KC-46 Pegasus ...