Last updated: 18 March 2007
Posted on: 9 November 1999

KC-135Q

With the development of the A-12, and then the YF-12A, and SR-71, a special tanker for the unqiue fuel(JP7) used by these aircraft was needed. It has seperate tanks for the JP-7 fuel used by the A-12 family of aircraft, it was the first aircraft with integral boom intercom(for aircraft to aircraft communication, while still maintaining radio silence), the Q's were also one of the first KC-135's to have the "high speed boom". A total of 54 aircraft were converted to "Q" specifications

With the re-engining of the Q's, with F108-CF-100 (CFM-56) engines, their designation has been changed to KC-135T.

Units that flew the KC-135Q:

9th AREFS
70th ARS
100th ARW
306th AREFS
349th ARS
350th ARS
376th SW
380th AREFS
903rd ARS
909th AREFS

Aircraft Serial Numbers

Q's in service as of July 1985

58-042
58-045 thru 58-047
58-049 thru 58-050
58-054 thru 58-055
58-060 thru 58-062
58-065
58-069
58-071 thru 58-072
58-074
58-077
58-084
58-086
58-088
58-089
58-094 thru 58-095
58-099
58-103
58-112
58-117
58-125
58-129
59-1460
59-1462
59-1462
59-1464
59-1467 thru 59-1468
59-1470 thru 59-1471
59-1474
59-1480
59-1490
59-1504
59-1510
59-1512 thru 59-1513
59-1520
59-1523
60-335 thru 60-337
60-339
60-342 thru 60-346


KC-135Q Losses

58-0039 on 3 June 1971
60-338 on 2 August 1980

Source: Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, Modern Combat Aircraft 27, by Robert F. Dorr

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