COMMON
KC35
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
The Stratotanker
“The flying gas station.”
Boeing · military
Length
136 ft 3 in
Wingspan
130 ft 10 in
Max speed
530 kts
Range
1,500 nmi (with cargo)
Ceiling
50,000 ft
Engines
4x CFM International CFM56
Crew
3
Payload
83,000 lbs fuel transfer
First flight
1956
In service
1957–present
Built
803
The KC-135 keeps the US Air Force in the air — literally. It refuels fighters, bombers, and surveillance aircraft mid-flight. Without tankers, modern air power doesn't work.
Fun fact
The KC-135 is based on the same airframe as the Boeing 707, the jet that started the commercial aviation revolution.
How to spot one
Looks like a Boeing 707 with a refueling boom under the tail. Four engines. Often flying near military jets.
Crews call it
The Tanker
Sounds like
Four CFM56 engines — sounds like a 1960s airliner because it basically IS one (707-based)
One might be overhead right now.
Bogey turns the The Stratotanker from a dot in the sky into a card in your logbook. Coming to iOS and Android.
Get Bogey