KC-135ストラトタンカー：軍用機の運用を変えた空中給油機

Fueled for the fight A KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 168th Air Refueling Wing refuels F-22 Raptors from the 3rd Wing alongside F-15 Eagles from the 144th Fighter Wing over the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, Alaska, April 18, 2022. The aircraft trained together as part of Alaska Dissimilar Aircraft Combat Training. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Charles Vaughn)

KC-135 soars over CENTCOM AOR A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, assigned to the 350th Expeditionary Aircraft Refueling Squadron, flies over Qatar, Feb. 13, 2021. The KC-135 delivers U.S. Air Forces Central Command a global reach aerial refueling capability to support joint and coalition aircraft throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Joey Swafford)

U.S. Air Force 92nd Maintenance Group Airmen prepare a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 916th Air Refueling Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, for aircrew to disembark, at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, Oct. 16, 2019. Team Fairchild received the first of 12 additional KC-135s to join the base fleet; the remaining aircraft are scheduled to arrive by the end of February 2020. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Kiaundra Miller)

A KC-135 Stratotanker takes off from the flightline at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Feb. 18, 2015. The KC-135 fleet at Al Udeid AB flew more than 14,700 sorties in 2015 accumulating 103,419 combat hours in support of Operations Inherent Resolve and Freedom’s Sentinel. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kia Atkins)

60th Anniversary of the KC-135: Age is just a number A KC-135 Stratotanker from the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 108th Wing flies over Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Aug. 31, 2016. The KC-135 celebrated its 60th anniversary, having made its first flight on Aug. 31, 1956. (U.S. Air National Guard photo/Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht)

Airmen prepare KC-135 A KC-135 Stratotanker takes off April 14, 2011, from Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich. (U.S. Air Force photo/John S. Swanson)

KC-135 Stratotanker practices landings A KC-135 Stratotanker descends before landing at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., Jan. 18, 2018. Air Mobility Command’s tanker fleet, which is primarily made up of KC-135s, offloaded 1.18 billion pounds of fuel to U.S. and allied aircraft in 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Erin McClellan)

Last tanker leaves Grand Forks The final KC-135 Stratotanker formerly stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., performs a low approach, with its boom fully extended, in one last salute to the men and women of Grand Forks AFB, after taking off from the base Dec. 4, 2010, for the final time. The departure of this aircraft signaled the end of the KC-135 air refueling mission at Grand Forks AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Johnny Saldivar)

Soaring over Arizona Master Sgt. Vincent Jones, a KC-135 Stratotanker boom operator with the Arizona Air National Guard’s 161st Air Refueling Wing based in Phoenix, refuels an A-10 Thunderbolt II April 29 from the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Alesia Goosic)

F-22 refuels with synthetic fuel An F-22 Raptor from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., receives synthetic fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker Aug. 28 during an aerial refueling test using an alternative jet engine fuel. The KC-135 Stratotanker is from March Air Reserve Base, Calif. (Lockheed Martin photo)

Eglin Air Force Base key to Emerald Flag success A 96th Test Wing F-15E Strike Eagle prepares for in-flight refueling from a 155th Air Refueling Wing KC-135 Stratotanker during exercise Emerald Flag over the Gulf of Mexico, Dec. 3, 2020. More than 25 agencies participated in the exercise at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The exercise incorporated ground, space, cyberspace and air platforms for joint test and experimentation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Hoskins)

Lightning from above A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 355th Fighter Squadron receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 909th Air Refueling Squadron during a bilateral air exercise with Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighters over the Pacific Ocean, April 14, 2023. Bilateral operations exemplify the U.S. and Japan alliance’s ability to quickly and decisively respond to threats within the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jessi Roth)

140923-F-YQ276-364 A KC-135 Stratotanker from Fairchild Air Force Base refuels a B-1B Lancer during a training exercise Sept. 23, 2014, over South Dakota. For more than 50 years the KC-135 has provided the core aerial refueling capability for the Air Force. The aircraft can travel up to 1,500 miles with 150,000 pounds of transfer fuel, which enables the Air Force to project rapid, flexible military power. The B-1B is assigned to Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mary O’Dell)

Deter and Assure; 100th ARW increases bomber’s global reach A KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, prepares to transfer fuel to a B-2 Spirit from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., off the coast of Spain, June 13, 2017. Two B-2s deployed to the U.K. to participate in theater bomber assurance and deterrence operations. Bomber deployments enhance the readiness and training necessary to respond to any contingency or challenge across the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Micaiah Anthony)

180615-F-ZU607-0119 A KC-135 Stratotanker refuels a Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet over Iraq June 15, 2018. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Corey Hook)