Primary Role: Strategic Reconnaissance From an early date, the Boeing C-135 was recognized as an excellent airframe for various special missions. One of these was strategic reconnaissance, using the aircraft’s capacious cabin to house large amounts of electronic equipment. Designated RC-135, these aircraft can be detached on a global basis to cover areas of the world …
Mission The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and cargo to main operating bases, or directly to forward bases in the deployment area. The aircraft is also able to perform tactical airlift and airdrop missions when required. The inherent flexibility and performance characteristics of the C-17 force improves the …
Primary Role: NASA Testbed Under various designations, including NC-135A, NKC-135A and NKC-135E, NASA and the U.S. Air Force operate a fleet of heavily-modified C-135 airframes as aerial testbeds. The type of work performed by these aircraft is greatly varied, but includes refueling tests with new aircraft types, airborne laser trials, weightlessness training for astronauts, and numerous …
Primary Role: Airborne Command Post (ABCP) In the early days of KC-135A production, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) identified the requirement for an Airborne Command Post (ABCP). The idea was for specially-equipped aircraft to be airborne at all times, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, in the event that SAC’s …
Primary Role: Strategic Airlift/Staff Transport Derived from Boeing’s prototype 707 jet airliner in the early 1950s, the versatile C-135 has been a visible fixture of the U.S. Air Force since the first one was acquired in August 1956. Although most of the 820 units were developed as KC-135A Stratotankers for the air refueling mission, they have …
Overview The Boeing 377SG Super Guppy flew for the first time on 31 August 1965. Without the Super Guppy, the only other way to get NASA’s Apollo rocket stages from California to Florida was on a slow boat through the Panama Canal. The Super Guppy cut not just days, but weeks and months out of …
Mission The V-22 Osprey is a medium lift, multi-mission, vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL), tilt-rotor aircraft developed by Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing to fill joint service combat operational requirements for the year 2001 and beyond. The V-22 operates as a helicopter when taking off and landing vertically. The nacelles rotate 90 degrees forward once …
The Boeing Model 953 design for STOL performance was based on the use of a supercritical wing, developed by NASA from the wind-tunnel research of Dr. Richard Whitcomb, which provides highly efficient performance from the wing at high subsonic speeds. To this wing Boeing added an advanced wing upper-surface blowing concept, mounting the twin turbofan …
Overview The Boeing VC-137B Stratoliner is a modified version of the Boeing 707 commercial intercontinental airliner and the first jet aircraft designed exclusively for presidential use. For almost 30 years it served as the presidential aircraft, commonly known as “Air Force One.” Today, the president’s aircraft is the VC-25A, a heavily modified Boeing 747-200 derivative. History …
Overview The presidential air transport fleet consists of two specially configured Boeing 747-200B aircraft (tail numbers 28000 and 29000) with the Air Force designation VC-25A. When the President of the United States is aboard either aircraft, or any Air Force aircraft for that matter, the radio call sign is “Air Force One”. History of ‘Air …
