00:01This video is brought to you by S.T.A.L.A.N.
00:30The KC-135 Stratotanker is a jet-powered refueling tanker, or something like a fueling
00:36station in the sky.
00:38The Boeing-made tanker is used to refuel other aircraft, without them ever having to land.
00:44The aircraft has a wingspan of more than 130 feet, reaches speeds of 530 miles per hour
00:50at 30,000 feet, and can transfer a fuel load of 200,000 pounds.
00:54The KC-135's amazing capabilities were laid out by YouTuber Sam Ekholm in a popular video
01:01from 2023.
01:02A massive 28-foot-long pole known as the Boom is attached to the underside of the tanker
01:07and can be extended out as far as 48 feet to connect to other aircraft in the sky while
01:11traveling at speeds upwards of 500 miles per hour.
01:15Fuel is then transferred at a rate of 600 gallons per minute, more than the average family car
01:20consumes in an entire year.
01:22The aircraft is based on the same design as the Boeing 707 airliner, but has a narrower
01:27fuselage and is shorter.
01:29The tanker has been used by the U.S. military for more than 60 years, replacing the gasoline-fueled
01:34Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter that came before it.
01:38The newer jet-fueled craft was used to a great degree by the United States during the Vietnam
01:43War, where it allowed F-105 and F-4 fighter bombers and F-52 bombers to spend longer periods
01:49at the front lines.
01:51The refueling tanker has since gone through various upgrades, including radar and GPS capabilities,
01:57and has been used in other operations undertaken by the U.S. military, including Desert Storm,
02:01and now Operation Epic Fury.
Comments