has to depend on the old standbys of shooting the sun and stars with a sextant, and the old-style LORAN and TACAN navigation beacon systems. The nose-mounted radar is a Texas Instruments APQ-122(V) weather and ground-mapping radar, which is capable of assisting in the navigator's tasks. All USAF tankers are unarmed; and indeed, they are not even equipped with basic self-protection radar warning receivers, chaff or flare dispensers, or jamming pods. As a result, they can only survive and operate under conditions of total local air supremacy. It is not hard to understand why, when you consider that a tanker is nothing but a relatively slow and unmaneuverable bag of fuel, requiring just one cannon shell or 'hot' warhead fragment from an AAM to turn it into a
As you move aft, you encounter the lavatory compartment on the left side, just aft of the cockpit. You are struck again by the rather spartan nature of this most necessary of aerial conveniences; it does not even flush! Instead, they use the same kind of chemical toilet 'packs' found on the B-1B. Also, for the male crew members, there is a 'whiz tube' urinal. While convenient, this can be
Along the side walls of the KC-135 are passenger seats made of aluminum tubing and synthetic webbing. These are surprisingly comfortable, if you aren't packed in too tightly. That means eighty people can travel in mild discomfort, and 160 in total unpleasantness! Except during actual deployment, most tankers fly with few passengers, and are actually quite comfortable. While I'm always a reluctant flier, other people I know generally enjoy their time in the -135s, and even find that the webbing seats make passable bunks if there is enough room to spread out. In fact, the main cargo compartment is large and open. You feel like you're in a wide-body commercial jet, with none of the annoying overhead bins or narrow seat aisles to bump yourself on.
In the rear of the compartment is the environmental control system, with large green bottles of oxygen mounted to the after bulkhead. Just above these are several very comfortable bunks, though a pair of severely lettered signs make it clear that these are for members of the crew to rest in, and not for mere passengers. Overall, the pressurized cabin of the KC-135 is quite comfortable, though the heating system, which occupies a large part of the after cabin, is somewhat inadequate to warm the entire interior. Thus, it is advisable on long flights to wear something warm, preferably a leather flight jacket, which also has the advantage of looking good around the officers' club!
At the far after end of the cargo compartment, on either side of the environmental control system, are the entrances to the refueling pod. To get into this, the business end of the KC-135, pick one side or another, step down onto what looks like a very comfortable cushion, and lie on your stomach. At this point, you are on one side or another (observers' stations actually) of the 'boomer' position, so named because this is where the refueling boom is actually 'flown' and mated to other aircraft. The boomer lies on a similar couch between the two observers' stations and faces a thick window (with two smaller side windows) with a small control panel below it. This position is a favorite of aerial photographers who want to take really spectacular pictures; you never forget the view. Just below the boomer's couch is a control stick, which flies the boom. This stick controls a pair of fins on the telescoping refueling boom just in front of the boomer's window, and these respond to control inputs from the operator. The stick is surprisingly simple to use. To conduct a refueling, the boomer flips a switch which deploys the boom from its stowed position up against the KC-135's tailcone down into its 'flying' position. The boomer then sets the telescoping boom to a 'neutral' length position and alerts the flight crew that he is ready to have an aircraft take on fuel. What happens next borders on the bizarre if you are not familiar with it.
From behind will come a small formation of aircraft, having flown to the tanker track in complete radio and emissions silence (which limits the ability of an enemy to read whether something is coming at them or not). Even in peacetime, this is a skill practiced whenever the restrictions of weather and the exercise rules allow. After establishing formation on the tanker (either on the wing or behind), the first recipient moves up behind the KC-135, aligns itself with a series of colored position lights located under the tail of the tanker, and opens its refueling receptacle door. Most aircraft designs have this placed behind the flight crew position, over their shoulder and to the left side. Once the boomer sees that the receiving aircraft is stable and in its proper refueling position (this varies with different aircraft types), the real fun begins.
Using the control stick to fly the refueling boom into position over the receiving aircraft's receptacle, the boomer activates a switch which stabs the refueling probe of the boom into the receptacle, causing it to 'hard latch.' This last part of the operation can be tough, especially in rough air, and may require several attempts to get it right. The two aircraft are now joined, flying just a few yards/meters apart, and the boomer relays this fact to the flight deck, where the flying crew actually controls the pumping of fuel down the boom to the receiving aircraft. Though the pumping is fairly rapid, fully refueling a tactical aircraft like the F-15E Strike Eagle or the F-16 Fighting Falcon does take a few minutes. Meanwhile, both aircraft are flying an oval 'racetrack' course at about 300 knots/545.5 kph. at an altitude of 20,000 to 25,000 feet/6,060.1 to 7,575.8 meters. One of the more interesting features of this aerial dance is that once the two aircraft are hooked up, they can talk plane-to-plane over a special intercom link, which allows the pilot of the receiving aircraft to report battle damage or other problems, and to receive updates on targeting and scheduling changes. For many pilots during the early hours of Desert Storm in 1991, the last thing they heard before going into combat was the reassuring voice of a Boomer on the intercom, wishing them well and a safe return. Since the two aircraft are only about 35 feet/10 meters apart, the receiving aircraft can take a severe buffeting from the tanker's wake turbulence. It's tough to maintain a position, even for a skilled pilot, especially at night, in bad weather, when you are low on gas.
To the aircrews of combat aircraft returning to base, shot full of holes and leaking fuel all over the sky, every drop on a tanker is precious. Happily, the KC-135R tanker can carry a lot of fuel — some 203,288lb./92,210kg., which translates to a capacity of about 25,411 gallons/95,890.6 liters. Since an airborne tanker can do two things with the fuel, burn it or off-load it to another aircraft, there is a tradeoff between the range and endurance of the tanker on the one hand and the amount of fuel available for off load. For example, with 120,000 lb./54,545 kg. of transfer fuel, the range of the KC-135R is 1,150 nm./2,090.1 km. On the other hand, with 24,000 lb./10,909.1 kg. of transfer fuel, the range is 3,450 nm./6,309.4 km.
So, how does all of this come together in the real world of combat operations? In an intervention scenario, a KC-135R tanker can either deploy to an overseas base (carrying high-priority personnel and cargo), or support the deployment of other aircraft by tanking them — it can't do both. This means that planners have to be careful to make sure that enough tankers are available to do both. Unfortunately, this is getting tougher all the time. During 1994, the tanker force took a 25 % personnel cut and moved almost three quarters of its U.S.-based tankers and people from former SAC bases to three main AMC bases, as well as reassigning many aircraft to USAF Reserve and Air National Guard units. Tankers also are increasingly used to transport cargo, because metal fatigue and other problems with the C-141B Starlifter fleet have forced planners to assign cargo missions to the hard-working tankers.
As long as combat aircraft need to burn fuel, there will be a requirement for tankers. Eventually the KC-135s and the force of about sixty wide-body KC-10 Extenders will have to be replaced. To some extent, the tanker mission can be performed by tactical aircraft fitted with extra fuel tanks and refueling gear mounted in removable 'buddy packs.' But for really long hauls, there is no substitute for specialized and dedicated aerial tankers, based on economical, standardized commercial airframes. Just what that replacement will be exactly is anyone's guess, but rest assured that when fuel is low and tensions are running high, the tanker crews will be the most popular folks in the skies.
