Boeing C-135 Stratolifter көліктік ұшағы

Military transport aircraft by Boeing

The Boeing C 135 Stratolifter is a transport aircraft derived from the prototype Boeing 367 80 jet airliner (also the basis for the 707) in the early 1950s. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave the aircraft the internal designation of Model 717. Since the first one was built in August 1956, the C 135 and its variants have been a fixture of the United States Air Force. It was developed from the Boeing KC 135 Stratotanker. While capable of carrying large, outsized payloads, they were becoming increasingly obsolescent and lacked the global reach required of the rapidly modernizing Air Force. In May 1960, Congress approved the purchase of 50 C 135 aircraft; it was selected in part because of its low development cost, being a straightforward derivative of the KC 135 tanker already in production. Ultimately, only 15 C 135As would be produced (in addition to three converted from KC 135s while still on the assembly line), with 30 additional aircraft being delivered as C 135Bs with the improved Pratt & Whitney TF33 turbofan engine. The C 135 was largely intended as an interim measure pending the development of more specialized jet transports such as the Lockheed C 141 Starlifter, and as such it incorporated numerous compromises in its strategic airlift capability. The aircraft's load floor was some 10 feet (3 m) off the ground, which required ground handling equipment, its single side loading cargo door was limited in what could fit through it, and its useful range was approximately , insufficient to reach many of the Air Force's operating locations in Asia and the Pacific Rim. While range was greatly improved over earlier transports, it could not be augmented by aerial refueling, as C 135s were not configured with refueling receptacles. Additionally, its takeoff and landing performance required long runways available only at the largest military bases or commercial airports, which were not necessarily located in close proximity to potential combat areas. a name later assigned to a completely different aircraft.

Eighteen C 135As (Boeing model number 717 157 The C 135E designation was also applied to EC 135Ns that were used in the combat support role. Trout reportedly had many freckles, hence the addition of "Speckled." Speckled Trout acquired the C 135C, serial number 61–2669, in 1974 and retired the aircraft on 13 January 2006. An interim aircraft was in use for the Speckled Trout mission until the 2008 delivery of the current aircraft, a modified KC 135R Stratotanker serial number 63–7980 with a more modern communications architecture testbed. The current KC 135R Speckled Trout also supports additional tests and air refueling requirements that the C 135C could not.

C 135F (Boeing model number 717 164 12 were built for the French Air Force with the addition of a drogue adapter on the refueling boom. 11 surviving C 135Fs upgraded to C 135FRs with CFM International F108 turbofans between 1985 and 1988. Later modified with MPRS wing pods. 11 May 1964: A USAF/MATS C 135B, (serial number 61 0332), was on a Military Air Transport Service (MATS) flight from Fairfield Travis AFB, CA (SUU) to Clark AB in the Philippines via Honolulu Hickam AFB, HI (HIK). Thunderstorms were in the area as the flight approached Clark AB. An indefinite ceiling was at 300 feet and visibility was 2000 m. The crew carried out a Precision approach radar (PAR) approach to runway 02. The aircraft descended below the glidepath and the crew were urged to initiate go around as the C 135 had descended below the PAR lower safety limit. By then, the co pilot had the runway in sight and the approach was continued. On final, the undercarriage struck the perimeter fence. The airplane struck a TACAN facility, hit the ground and slid across a road, striking a cab and killing the driver. The airplane broke up and caught fire. Five of the ten crewmembers and all 74 passengers were fatally injured, along with the unfortunate cab driver. 25 June 1965: A USAF/MATS C 135A, (serial number 60 0373), carrying 85 US Marine Corps personnel was flying from MCAS El Toro to Okinawa. Weather was poor at El Toro when the airplane was ready to depart: thick fog and light drizzle. Takeoff was accomplished at night at 01:45 from runway 34R. After takeoff, the pilot should have made a prescribed left turn. Instead, the airplane continued straight ahead. It contacted the 1,300 foot Loma Ridge, some 150 feet below the crest. The aircraft broke up and burst into flames. The crash killed all 12 crewmembers and 72 other personnel on board. 60 0377 – Built as a C 135A. Used as B 2 avionics flying testbed. To Edwards AFB museum, California in 1996; in museum storage. 61 0327 – Built as a C 135A, later converted to EC 135N, but with E model engines installed. On display at Museum of Aviation (Warner Robins) at Robins, AFB, Georgia. 61 2669 – Built as a C 135B, later converted to WC 135B. Spent a few months at MASDC in 1972. Later used as a Speckled Trout research aircraft and redesignated C 135C. Also the personal transport of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Henry Hugh Shelton, from 1997 to 2001. Made last flight Jan 13, 2006. Now with the Edwards AFB Museum, California; in museum storage.