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KC-135 Q TANKER SQUADRONS
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The KC-135 is NOT a military version of the Boeing 707 as it is sometimes referred to, as the KC-135 is derived from the original Boeing jet transport "proof of concept" demonstrator, the Boeing 367-80 (commonly called the "Dash-80"). As such, it has a narrower double lobe fuselage and is shorter than the Boeing 707 jetliner which was a single lobed fuselage. Boeing gave the tanker the designation of Model 717, and it was actually produced before the B -707 |
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The major
differences between the KC-135Q and other KC-135s were primarily related
to the fuel system and rendezvous and communications systems. The KC-135Q
utilized two single-point refueling receptacles, one in each main landing
gear wheel well, whereas other KC-135s have only located in the right main
gear well. On the 'Q', the left system serviced the airplane's wing tanks
which carried the KC-135Q fuel of JP-4 and the right system
serviced the body fuel tanks in which JP-7 was normally carried. To
account for changes in the airplane's centre of gravity during SR-71
refueling operations, 850 lb of ballast was added to the lower nose
compartment. The KC-135Q was able to carry simultaneously a maximum of
74,490 lb of JP-7 and 110,000 lb of JP-4. Rendezvous and communications
equipment differences included the addition of a third UHF radio and an
AN/ARC-50 TACAN, both located at the navigator's station.
The CIA in designing systems for the Oxcart designed into the KC-135Q boom receptacle latching toggles the ability to put a voice signal carrier wave on top of the refueling boom latching toggle command signals. The boom latching toggles and their control solenoid are in the receiver. Both the Tanker and the Receiver can trigger a disconnect command signal that tells the control solenoid to release and disengage. So the intercom carrier wave that was loaded electronically on top of the solenoid latching command signal most probably originated in the Blackbird and then was useful and available once boom connection had been made. When tanker contact was made and if the Oxcart pilot had selected "hot mike" he and the tanker crew could talk, hands free over intercom with no external radio signals being transmitted. At Beale, it was discovered that after boom contact, the first time the pilot or RSO clicked their mike button, the signal pulse of that click looked to the boom latching signals as a disconnect signal.......boom, and the aircraft would disconnect. So the pre-refueling checklist was modified for both to select hot mike and then after boom contact our intercoms were connected this meant that anything said was heard by both Tanker and SR crews and typically, receiver pilots grumble about the tanker if he's not holding the tanker just right.........imagine a typical conversation " god damn he's riding those rudder pedals all over" "CHRIST, I'M NOT DOING THAT TO YOU!"............ and on and on. Later at the Beale Club the crews would all drink beer and laugh together. In the late 80s, a satellite communication (SATCOM) antenna was installed on the upper forward fuselage.
The Partial Q's did not carry the
Rendezvous and Communications system |
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| 903rd ARS--- 456th BW/17th BW | |||
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![]() 903rd ARS carried out air refuelling of the A-12, M-21 and the B-52 of the TAGBOARD Program at Groom Lake |
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| 456th BOMB WING | 17th BOMB WING | ||
| I HAVE IT | I HAVE IT | ||
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903rd
AIR REFUELING SQUADRON |
903
rd
AIR REFUELING SQUADRON BLACK SHIELD |
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| I HAVE IT |
R
GIROUARD
WANTED |
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100th AIR REFUELING WING |
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On Sept. 30, 1975, 100th Strategic
Reconnaissance Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., became the
100th Air Refueling Wing and moved to Beale with the 349th and the
350th? both which now became Air Refueling Squadrons The 100th ARW stayed at
Beale until March 15, 1983, when the Air Force inactivated the wing and
consolidated its refueling mission and assets into the 9th Strategic
Reconnaissance Wing.
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100th
AIR REFUELLING WING |
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WANTED
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| 349th ARS----100th ARW | |||
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The
squadron was redesignated the 349th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy, on 30
September 1976 and moved to Beale AFB, CA. That same year, the 349th
transitioned to the KC-135 aircraft and given the mission of providing air
refueling in support of SR-71 aircraft until 1990.
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| 349th AREFS | |||
I HAVE IT
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349th AREFS
R-134 Not sure why this has Boeing 707 Q as the KC-135 was Boeing Model 717 based on the DASH-80 |
349th AREFS
R-134 Same as patch to the left but no letter Q below the right wing. |
349th
AIR REFUELLING SQUADRON |
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C
LANGSTON
WANTED |
R
GIROUARD WANTED
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WANTED
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| 350th ARS---100th ARW | |||
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Redesignated as the 350th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy, on 19 January 1982, the unit was reactivated on 28 January 1982 at Beale AFB, CA. The squadron was attached to the 100th Air Refueling Wing and was assigned the KC-135 aircraft. The aircraft was reassigned to the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing on 15 March 1983 where it provided refueling support for SR-71 aircraft |
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350th
AIR REFUELLING SQUADRON |
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| I HAVE IT | |||
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350th AREFS
S-170 SECY |
350th AREFS S-170 WBCF |
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R
GIROUARD WANTED |
WANTED
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4126th STRATEGIC WING |
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In May 1959, 4126th Strategic Wing was activated with the first two KC-135s arriving in July, 1959. On Jan. 18, 1960, the 31st Bombardment Squadron with its B-52s arrived at Beale to become part of the wing. On Feb. 1, 1963, SAC re-designated the 4126th as the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing.
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4126th
STRATEGIC WING
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456th STRATEGIC AEROSPACE WING |
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| I HAVE IT | I HAVE IT | ||
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609th OMS KC-135 / B-52 MAINTENANCE
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609th OMS KC-135 / B-52 MAINTENANCE |
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I HAVE IT |
WANTED | ||
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376th STRATEGIC WING |
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The 376th Strategic Wing was activated on April
1, 1970 at
Kadena Air Base,
Okinawa (later
Japan), from Kadena,
the wing conducted B-52 combat operations in
Southeast Asia from
April to Sept 1970, supporting rotational
Strategic Air Command
squadrons until
Arc Light Missions
from the base were terminated. It also conducted air refueling and electronic reconnaissance from April 1970 to 1973. Until 1991, the wing controlled the 909th Air Refueling Squadron (KC-135A/Q/R) and supported rotational reconnaissance aircraft (U-2., SR-71). The Wing was deactivated at Kadena on 30 October 1991 with the drawdown of strategic forces.
KC-135Q's
Assigned 5 PCS to the 376th / 909th AREFS at Kadena, 6 TDY from the 456th
BW at Beale
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| I HAVE IT | |||
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376th
SW
GIANT BEAR |
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R
GIROUARD WANTED |
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| 909th ARS | |||
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| 909th ARS |
909th ARS |
Giant Bear/ Pony Express |
GIANT
BEAR TTF
KADENA AB |
| I HAVE IT |
C
LANGSTON
WANTED |
I HAVE IT
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909th AREFS
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BENGAL FLIGHT
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KC-135Q TANKER TASK FORCE
DIEGO GARCIA 909th ? |
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| I HAVE IT | WANTED | ||
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The 909th relocated to March AFB, CA on 25 June 1966 upon its assignment to the 22nd Bombardment Wing. The squadron rotated aircrews to Southeast Asia, from 1967-1973. It then relocated to Kadena AB, Okinawa (later, Japan) on 1 July 1971 and was assigned to the 376th Strategic Wing. From August 1990-March 1991, the 909th provided air refueling in Southwest Asia.
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909th
ARS
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C
LANGSTON
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| 70th ARS -- 384th BW/43rd BW. | |||
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The 70th ARS / 384th BW later
the 43rd BW from Little Rock
AFB, Arkansas handled the refueling of the SR-71 during the early part of the program |
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| 384th BW | 43rd BW | ||
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WANTED
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WANTED | ||
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70th
AIR REFUELLING SQUADRON |
70th ARS
Subdued.
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I HAVE
IT
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| 380th AREFS -- 380th BW | |||
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On July 26, 1973, the first
of twenty KC-135Q models to arrive at Plattsburgh from McCoy AFB landed at
the base with the last arriving from the 306th Bomb Wing at McCoy AFB on
the 1st September.
The 380th AREFS was part of the
380th BW at Plattsburgh AFB, NY. |
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| 380th BW | |||
| WANTED | |||
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380th
AREFS |
380th AREFS |
380th
AREFS
CHAMBER ANIMALS |
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| I HAVE IT | I HAVE IT | C LANGSTON
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| 9th ARS --- 456th BW/17th BW/100th ARW | |||
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Following a deactivation period from 1965 to 1970, the 9th flew the KC-135Q all jet tanker at Beale AFB, California. With its KC-135s, the 9th participated in several special operations involving flights to Southeast Asia. KC-135Q
Beale AFB,
456th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) 01 Jan 1970-30 Sep 1975
KC-135Q
Beale AFB,
17th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) 30 Sep 1975-30 Sep 1976
KC-135Q
Beale AFB,
100th Air Refueling Wing (Heavy) 30 Sep 1976-27 Jan 1982 |
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| 9th ARS | |||
| I HAVE IT | |||
| 306th ARS ---306thBW | |||
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KC-135A/Q 306th BW McCoy AFB FLORIDA 1/07/1962- 30/09/1973 ALTUS AFB OKLAHOMA 01/10/1984-1992The 306th ARS provided refueling support for SR-71 operations flying from Beale AFB, California and the forward operating base of Kadena AB, Okinawa. In addition to operating out of McCoy, crews operated out of Eilson AFB, Alaska, Incirlik AB, Turkey, Kadena AB, Okinawa and Thule AB Greenland. |
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| 306th ARS | |||
| I HAVE IT | |||
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306th
AREFS
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306th
AREFS
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306th ARS |
306th
ARS No outer Q |
| I HAVE IT |
R
GIROUARD WANTED |
I HAVE IT | |
| 919th ARS | |||
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Looking for confirmation that the 919th ARS
did receive the KC-135Q's ex 70th ARS
Little Rock AFB, Arkansas - cannot find any reference to them in books
only on the web. ex USAF Guy comments The 70th AREFS was assigned to the 384th BW at Little Rock and then reassigned to the 43rd BW at Little Rock. Also the 919th AREFS at McCoy also had partial Q's as I don't remember McCoy having A-Frames http://www.306thbw.org/306thhistory/history_ArcLgt66.htm
In April 1970, the 919th
ARS entered the Senior Crown program with the transfer of 10 KC-135Q
models from the 70th ARS, Little Rock AFB, Arkansas
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| 919th ARS |
919th ARS ??? From Maj Gen Robert E Pfister The 919th did not have Q's. the 306th AREFS at McCoy did. Hope that helps. BILL ZURICH |
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WANTED
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306th STRATEGIC WING |
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In August 1976, the 306th was activated once again as the 306th Strategic Wing (SAC), Ramstein AB, Germany, with operational control for SAC air refueling and reconnaissance resources in the European Theatre. On 01 July 1978 the 306th SW’s headquarters moved to RAF Mildenhall, England. For most of this period the 306th SW operated KC-135s and RC-135s from RAF Mildenhall, Zaragoza AB, Spain and Hellinikon AB, Greece. The wing operated until February 1992, when the 100th Air Refueling Wing (USAFE- not SR-71 / U-2) assumed the wing's responsibilities. | ||
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306th STRATEGIC
WING
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I HAVE
IT
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306th SW
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306 SW
RAF MILDENHALL |
306 SW
EUROPEAN TANKER TASK FORCE RAF MILDENHALL |
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R
GIROUARD WANTED |
WANTED
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I HAVE IT |
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KC-135Q
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KC135Q /
SR-71
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KC-135Q
TANKER
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KC-135Q BANDIT |
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R
GIROUARD WANTED
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R
GIROUARD WANTED |
WANTED |
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TEAM RECCE KC-135Q / SR-71 |
TEAM RECCE U-2 /KC-135Q / SR-71 |
TEAM RECCE KC-135Q / SR-71 |
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| I HAVE IT | I HAVE IT | I HAVE IT | |
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| BEALE BANDITS KC-135Q |
R
GIROUARD
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R GIROUARD |
DEAD
MEN
"A" FLIGHT |
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WANTED
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WANTED
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WANTED
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J
WEBB WANTED
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KC-135
Q
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KC135 Q |
KC-135Q
BEALE BANDITS 1967-1968 |
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WANTED
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WANTED
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WANTED
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KC-135Q
0.77+
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KC-135Q .9 |
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R
GIROUARD WANTED
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R
GIROUARD WANTED
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BEALE
BANDITS
CREW 162 |
BEALE
BANDITS
Q
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KC-135Q NO ALERT
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J WEBB WANTED
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WANTED
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WANTED
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KC 135Q SUPERTANKER
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KC 135Q
SUPERTANKER |
KC 135Q
SUPERTANKER
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WANTED
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WANTED
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I HAVE
IT
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KC-135
HABU HUMPER |
KC-135
HABU HUMPER |
KC-135
HABU HUMPER |
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R GIROUARD WANTED
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R GIROUARD WANTED
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WANTED
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| KC-135T Re-engined Q MODEL. | |||
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KC-135T
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KC-135T | ||
| R GIROUARD | R GIROUARD | ||
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| KC-10 TANKER | |||
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| KC-10 /SR-71 |
KC-10
/ SR-71
BOOM OPERATOR
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KC-10 / SR-71 INSTRUCTOR |
KC-10 TEST TEAM |
| R GIROUARD | I HAVE IT
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| BEALE BANDITS | |||
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| BEALE BANDITS | B FLIGHT | BEALE BANDITS | |
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I HAVE
IT Thanks Bill
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C
LANGSTON
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BEALE BANDITS BANDITS IN HEAT DESERT SHIELD 1990 |
SADDAM
STALKERS DESERT SHIELD 90 BEALE BANDITS |
USAF ARABIAN KNIGHTS
DESERT SHIELD 90 BEALE BANDITS |
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| WANTED | J WEBB | MARK LIS | |
KC-135Q The KC-135Q was the variant modified to carry the JP-7 fuel necessary for the A-12 / SR-71 Blackbird, segregating the JP-7 from the KC-135's own fuel supply (the body tanks carrying JP-7, and the wing tanks carrying JP-4). When the KC-135Q model received the CFM-56 engines, it was redesignated the KC-135T model, which was capable of separating the main body tanks from the wing tanks where the KC-135 draws its engine fuel. THE SECTION BELOW IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH ANY INFORMATION OR CORRECTIONS
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4126th SW |
456th BW |
17th
BW |
306th
BW |
384th
BW |
376th
SW |
380th
BW |
100th SRW | 100th SRW |
9th
SRW |
9th
OG |
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| 903rd |
903rd 9th |
9th | 306th | 70th | 909th | 380th |
9th 349th 350th |
349th 350th |
349th
350th |
349th
350th |
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| PARTIAL Q | PARTIAL Q | PARTIAL Q | 32 on strength | ||||||||
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58-0039 lost 3/06/71 |
YES | ||||||||||
| 58-0042 | YES | YES | |||||||||
| 58-0045 | YES | YES | |||||||||
| 58-0046 | YES | YES | |||||||||
| 58-0047 | YES | ||||||||||
| 58-0049 | YES | YES | |||||||||
| 58-0050 | YES | ||||||||||
| 58-0054 | YES | YES | YES | YES | |||||||
| 58-0055 | YES | YES | |||||||||
| 58-0060 | YES | YES | |||||||||
| 58-0061 | |||||||||||
| 58-0062 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0065 | |||||||||||
| 58-0069 | |||||||||||
| 58-0071 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0072 | YES | ||||||||||
| 58-0074 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0077 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0084 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0086 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0088 | YES | YES | YES | YES | |||||||
| 58-0089 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0094 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0095 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0099 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0103 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0112 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0117 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0125 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 58-0129 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 59-1460 | YES | ||||||||||
| 59-1462 | YES | YES | |||||||||
| 59-1464 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 59-1467 | YES | YES | |||||||||
| 59-1468 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 59-1470 | YES | YES | |||||||||
| 59-1471 | YES | YES | |||||||||
| 59-1474 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 59-1480 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 59-1490 | YES | YES | YES | YES | |||||||
| 59-1504 | YES | YES | YES | YES | |||||||
| 59-1510 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 59-1512 | YES | YES | YES | YES | |||||||
| 59-1513 | YES | YES | YES | YES | |||||||
| 59-1520 | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | ||||||
| 59-1523 | YES | YES | YES | YES | |||||||
| 60-0335 | YES | YES | |||||||||
| 60-0336 | YES | YES | |||||||||
| 60-0337 | YES | YES | |||||||||
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60-0338 lost 2/08/80 |
YES |
YES
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| 60-0339 | YES | YES | YES | YES | |||||||
| 60-0342 | YES | YES | YES | ||||||||
| 60-0343 | YES | ||||||||||
| 60-0344 | |||||||||||
| 60-0345 | |||||||||||
| 60-0346 | YES | ||||||||||
| AIRCRAFT SERIAL
IN GREEN WAS A PARTIAL "Q" All surviving KC-13Q's were converted to KC-135T's |
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