| C-135 Stratolifter | |
|---|---|
 C-135C Speckled Trout | |
| General information | |
| Type | Military transport aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Status | Active service |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| Number built | 60[1] |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1960–1963 |
| Introduction date | August 1961 |
| First flight | 23 June 1961[2] |
| Developed from | Boeing 367-80 Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker |
| Variants | Boeing EC-135 Boeing NC-135 Boeing RC-135 OC-135B Open Skies WC-135 Constant Phoenix |
The Boeing C-135 Stratolifter is a transport aircraft derived from the prototype Boeing 367-80 jet airliner[3] (also the basis for the 707) in the early 1950s. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave the aircraft the internal designation of Model 717,[4] a name later assigned to a completely different aircraft.
Since the first one was built in August 1956, the C-135 and its variants have been a fixture of the United States Air Force.
It was developed from the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.[3]
- ^ Staff Writer (21 January 2020). "Boeing C-135 Statolifter". Military Factory. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- ^ Hopkins III, Robert S. (2017). The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker; More Than a Tanker. Crécy Publishing Limited. p. 336. ISBN 978-1-91080-901-3.
- ^ a b Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1963–1964. p. 183
- ^ "Historical Perspective, Start of a Proud Mission" Archived 2014-06-12 at the Wayback Machine, Boeing Frontiers, July 2006.