Turkish Air Force receives first KC-135R upgraded to Block 45 standard.

The Turkish Ministry of  Defense announced that the first KC-135R Block 45 aircraft, whose modernization has been completed, has been delivered.

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The Turkish Air Force operates 7 KC-135R (Picture source: Turkish Defense Ministry)

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is a military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transport aircraft. 

Four turbofans, mounted under 35-degree swept wings, power the KC-135 to takeoffs at gross weights of up to 322,500 pounds. A cargo deck above the refueling system can hold a mixed load of passengers and cargo. Depending on fuel storage configuration, the KC-135 can carry up to 83,000 pounds of cargo. Nearly all internal fuel can be pumped through the flying boom, the KC-135's primary fuel transfer method. One crewmember, known as the boom operator, is stationed in the rear of the plane and controls the boom during in-flight air refueling.

A special shuttlecock-shaped drogue attached to and trailing behind the flying boom may be used to refuel aircraft fitted with probes. Some aircraft have been configured with the multipoint refueling system, which consists of special pods mounted on the wingtips. These KC-135s are capable of refueling two receiver aircraft at the same time.

The KC-135R variant is KC-135As  re-engined with CFM56 engines.

Block 45 upgrades will match Turkey’s Stratotankers to the US Air Force’s Block 45.1 configuration, which introduces digital avionics cockpit instruments to an aircraft model that first flew in the 1950s.

The Turkish Air Force operates 7 KC-135R (Picture source: Aceebee)