10280 Just another KC-135A ????????????

[PaulN]

Hi

Scanning through my slides , I noticed this KC-135A that I took on 9-4-85 It is in fact an ex KC-135A VIII converted to a radio relay platform , notice all the aerials along the spine , under the Combat Lightning programme during the Viet Nam war, along with 6 others 10268 ,10270,10271,10303,10321 and 38881 , they flew over 5800 missions between them , they were all fitted with drouges during the war for refuelling USN/USMC along with some USAF types , F-100, F-102 , F-104C , which had probes .There is a very interesting detaIed section in Robert S Hopkins III Aerofax book on the KC-135

10280 had quite a career after being converted back to a straight tanker , ending up as a KC-135R here it is as a KC-135A of the 340 ARW

Now.........does anyone have photos of the other 6 in similar fit Would really like to see them , or even in any fit/scheme Over to you

Cheers

Paul

KC-135A VIII 10280 9-4-1985 by pip1047, on Flickr

[graham luxton]

Saw all of those (except 10303) at Fairford in the 80's. Only noted 10280 as still having ex Combat Lightning antenna.

[PaulN]

Saw all of those (except 10303) at Fairford in the 80's. Only noted 10280 as still having ex Combat Lightning antenna.

Hi Graham

Yes I too have seen them all , still going through my slides so may have some in various guises

Cheers

Paul

[PaulN]

Saw all of those (except 10303) at Fairford in the 80's. Only noted 10280 as still having ex Combat Lightning antenna.

Hi Graham

Yes I too have seen them all , still going through my slides so may have some in various guises

Cheers

Paul

Grahan

Just found this of 10271 in my Fairford boxes ,. but cant find it in my logs Do you think it is

Thanks a lot

Paul

2018-07-18-0205 by pip1047, on Flickr

[Knife 04]

Nice one Paul - thought it was something different to an 'A' with all those antenna down its back

Oh for all those different types now!

[graham luxton]

No Paul, antenna has been removed. In the markings of the 5thBW. Deployed to Fairford 3 x as a standard looking 5thBW KC-135A - Jun and Jul'83, Jun, Jul and Aug'86, plus Jul, Aug and Sep'88.

cheers,
Graham

[PaulN]

No Paul, antenna has been removed. In the markings of the 5thBW. Deployed to Fairford 3 x as a standard looking 5thBW KC-135A - Jun and Jul'83, Jun, Jul and Aug'86, plus Jul, Aug and Sep'88.

cheers,
Graham

Sorry Graham , think I confused things , I know its an ex Combat Lightning frame , but do you think it is taken at Fairford ???


Problem solved ...it was Brize Norton 1986 , total mis-file on my part

Thanks

Paul

[graham luxton]

Thinking that it may be at a Brize open day - 28th Jun'86.

[PaulN]

Thinking that it may be at a Brize open day - 28th Jun'86.

Thats the one...right part of the world , wrong box

[nugget20]

Bear with me as this is the first time I've tried posting photos on here from Flickr!

This is 61-0268 as a KC-135E of the 940th ARW, AFRC at RIAT Fairford 1999.

991011y by John Murray, on Flickr

And still in 940th ARW markings at AMARG in 2017:

170313D2z by John Murray, on Flickr

A KC-135 I've always had problems with is 61-0317. The photo below was taken at Upper Heyford on 25 Apr 71. Although it has a refuelling boom and no funny aerials, the colour scheme would make it seem an EC-135 or VC-135. I can't find any history of such on the net. Joe Baugher just says it was a KC-135A later converted to KC-135R.

71C04a by John Murray, on Flickr

I saw it in 2013 as a KC-135R of the Kansas ANG - see below. Anyone have any ideas what it was and who it belonged to in 1971?

13040404b by John Murray, on Flickr

[eLaReF]

A KC-135 I've always had problems with is 61-0317. The photo below was taken at Upper Heyford on 25 Apr 71. Although it has a refuelling boom and no funny aerials, the colour scheme would make it seem an EC-135 or VC-135. I can't find any history of such on the net. Joe Baugher just says it was a KC-135A later converted to KC-135R.

A quick skim through the Hoskins KC-135 book shows nothing special about 61-0317 apart from it's later conversion to KC-135R - It was a quick skim, so no guarantees I didn't miss anything though, but it appears only to be mentioned in the production/conversion table at the end.

[graham luxton]

What a gem of a picture - not seen 10317 in that scheme before. What it was doing at Upper Heyford is a mystery because it was a long way from home - home being PACAF's 6486 Air Base Wing (later the 15ABW) at Hickam AFB. As a KC-135A I believe it was the transport for the C in C PACAF.

[DanBeeden]

That's a great shot of 61-0317 at UH. Very interesting. According to Rob Hopkins' latest KC-135 book (page 144), 61-0317 'was unofficially referred to as a VKC-135A'. As Graham correctly states above, it was indeed used by C-in-C Pacific based at Hickam. It was returned to a pure AAR role in 1973. Agreed that other than the paintscheme it looks like a bog-standard KC-135A, however there were quite a few differences internally. According to the Hopkins book the aircraft were smartly configured with decent seating, a comms suite and other facilities not found in a standard tanker.

[nugget20]

Thanks very much to Graham Luxton and Dan Beeden. You have solved a 49-year old riddle and made an old man very happy!

As a bonus prize here's the other photo of 61-0317 I took on that day. What a base Heyford was back in the day!

71C05a by John Murray, on Flickr

[awacsfan]

Wow - neat - always had a thing for the *C-135s....the "weirder" the better... thanks for the history lesson of 61-0317...

[Razzor01]

Hi all.

This post made me trawl through my old slides, first up is 63-8881, KC-135A taken at Fairford on 10th June 1987, 380th BW markings if my memory serves me well.

Sorry about the quality, still getting to grips with my slide scanner and couldn't get rid of the dust spots.

Im sure I have more of the other frames, will post when found.

Cheers

Stewart

Tanker FFD by S DEMPSTER, on Flickr

[Razzor01]

Hi all.

61-0268, KC-135E, 24 July 1999, 940ARW AFRC, RAF Fairford, c/s "Darr 91".

This frame had nose art "Spirit of Yuba City" which is the nearest town / city to Beale AFB, CA where the aircraft was based at the time.

Tanker FFD - 10268 by S DEMPSTER, on Flickr

Tanker FFD - 10268 - nose art by S DEMPSTER, on Flickr

Hopefully more later.

Cheers
Stewart

[PaulN]

Thanks for all the input guys Nice to see some of the other ex Combat Lightning birds in their post Viet Nam guises

Nice to see the pics of 10317 too, bit off topic , but hey its a good to see it

Cheers

Paul

[Razzor01]

Hi all.

A shot of 61-0303, KC-135E on 13.8.94 at RAF Mildenhall, 452AMW AFRes y/r, c/s "Rats 72".

Lost all of it external aerials etc as far as I can see.

Cheers
Stewart

Tanker MLD by S DEMPSTER, on Flickr

[Razzor01]

Another one of an ex Combat Lightning Stratotanker, this time in use by the 351st ARS / 100ARW based at RAF Mildenhall.

61-0321, KC-135R, 31-Jan-94, 351ARS / 100ARW D, RAF Mildenhall.

Cheers
Stewart

Tanker MLD 61-0321 by S DEMPSTER, on Flickr