Overview
The KC-135A made its maiden flight on 31 August 1956 and was still in front line service some 60 years later. What began as a jet-powered replacement for the KC-97 to refuel Strategic Air Command's growing B-47 and B-52 bomber fleet soon evolved into America's first military heavy jet transport, an airborne command post platform, a testbed that enabled scientists to study the Earth, send men to the Moon and understand the power of the atom. Other variants of the KC-135 included a reconnaissance airframe that monitors arms agreements, gathers intelligence to understand the intentions and capabilities of potential enemies and provides real-time intelligence in combat. This is a revised and expanded third edition of the definitive study of this remarkable aircraft. The author is a former USAF pilot qualified on 17 types of KC-135s, EC-135s, and RC-135s, who brings both personal experience and a broad historical understanding to this definitive work on one of the most significant military aircraft of the Cold War and beyond. This latest edition of Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker: More than a Tanker incorporates 64 additional pages of new material, photographs, and tables. Included are updates of retired aircraft, tankers transferred to civilian organisations, and new conversions of reconnaissance-related jets. A brief discussion assesses the turmoil surrounding the KC-135's replacement, and a new appendix provides a historical summary of operational units.
Full Product Details
Author: Robert Hopkins III (Author)
Publisher: Crecy Publishing
Imprint: Crecy Publishing
ISBN: 9781800352643
ISBN 10: 1800352646
Pages: 448
Publication Date: 16 November 2022
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
General/trade
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
""An absolutely outstanding volume that lays out about everything anyone could ever want to know about one of the most adaptable and long-lasting airframes in the history of aviation. In short, this is a fabulous book.""-- ""The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation"" ""The author has done an excellent job here of telling the Stratotanker story. Initial design philosophy and development is covered here, as is the full service life of the aircraft, including its many variations""-- ""Large Scale Planes""
""The author has done an excellent job here of telling the Stratotanker story. Initial design philosophy and development is covered here, as is the full service life of the aircraft, including its many variations""-- ""Large Scale Planes""
"""The author has done an excellent job here of telling the Stratotanker story. Initial design philosophy and development is covered here, as is the full service life of the aircraft, including its many variations""-- ""Large Scale Planes"""
Author Information
Robert S Hopkins, III, is a second generation SAC pilot. He flew 17 different variants of KC-, EC-, and RC-135 during his Air Force career. In addition to multiple publications and appearances in aviation programs on the History Channel, the Smithsonian Channel, and the BBC, Hopkins is the author of Spyflights and Overflights: US Strategic Aerial Reconnaissance, and co-author of Boeing B-47 Stratojet: Strategic Air Command's Transitional Bomber. He earned a PhD in US and Soviet history from the University of Virginia.
