KC-135R Stratotanker (USAF)
United States Air Force

KC-135R Stratotanker
Operator: 909th Aerial Refueling Squadron
Location: Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates
Timeframe: 1996

Personal interest:
This model represents a KC-135R of the 909th ARS Young Tigers from Kadena AB, Japan. The 909th ARS was one of the tanker units I worked most closely with during my Air Force service. During Operation Southern Watch, I delivered weather forecasts to Joint Task Force-Southwest Asia mission planners. Tankers were deployed to Al Dhafra Airbase, United Arab Emirates. If the tankers were not on schedule, it would cause cascading cancellations of all types throughout the theater. Unfortunately, Al Dhafra frequently experienced morning fog causing visibility lower than limits for KC-135 aircrews. This created a high pressure situation for me whenever the tanker crews were counting on my forecast to correctly predict when the fog would disperse!

While I was on active duty in Alaska, I frequently radioed aviation weather information to KC-135R pilots operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Zone. Without tanker support, the E-3B Sentry patrols would not be possible, and the F-15C aircraft launched to perform aerial interceptions may not have been able to return to base.

The first time I encountered the KC-135R was at McConnell AFB while I was there for ROTC training camp in 1989. The KC-135R was a Strategic Air Command (SAC) asset at the time. One of the highlights of my assignment was riding along on a mission to refuel a C-141 Starlifter on a cross-country mission.