Ancient Jet Keeps the U.S. Air War Flying

(Wired) - I’m in front of a matte-gray jet, designed to deliver gas to the rest of the American air armada as it buzzes over Central Asia and the Middle East. Every day, the KC-135 tankers here haul a million pounds of fuel. Without them, the fighter jets, bombers and airborne haulers circling above Afghanistan and Iraq would drop out of the sky. That’s a pretty heavy burden for a bunch of old-timers — this plane was built in 1960. Continued

Photo: A KC-135R Stratotanker from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnell AFB, Kansas, USA refuels an F/A-22 Raptor. (Kevin Robertson. U.S. Air Force/Wikipedia)