$1.1B to Boeing for KC-135 Tanker maintenance while USAF waits for KC-X

While Boeing and EADS are competing for the USAF’s $35 billion KC-X order of about 179 new aerial tankers, the existing KC-135 fleet still needs to be maintained.

Based on the Boeing 707 airliner’s initial designs, the KC-135s first entered service in 1954, and they were not all delivered until 1965.

Despite their age, they remain the mainstay of the USA’s aerial tanker fleet as it helps fighters make long-distance flights, keeps US and foreign combat air patrols on station, refuels transports on their way to remote destinations, and generally makes long-range force projection possible.

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