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Description
A Boeing KC-135R with the boom down flying over Duxford at the American Air Day. August 22nd 2008.

These tankers have provided this role in the United States Air Force for more than 50 years now. They are also used for transportation of cargo, passengers and capbable of transporting stretchered personel during medical evacuations.

Some of these tankers have been fitted with the Muti-point refueling system, or MPRS. Basicallly this aircraft could only use the current boom at the rear of the aircraft; not all aircraft can be refuled using this, now it can be fitted with pods at the end of the wing that carry the refueling line with the drogue or basket fitted on the end, this facilitates in the refueling of Navy or RAF aircraft that use retractable/non retractable in flight refueling probes.

This KC-135R is based at RAF Mildenhall, the 100th Air Refueling Wing. The "Square D" on the tail was used during WWII on the tails of B-17s as the group identification of the 100th Bomb Group, based at Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk, England. During WWII the Square denoted that it was the 3rd Air Division of the 8th Air Force (HQ Elveden Hall, Suffolk) the 2nd AD were Circles and the 1st AD used Triangles. The letters were for Bomb Groups.

The 100th ARW is the only current USAF unit that is authorized to use its WWII designator.

Description
A Boeing KC-135R with the boom down flying over Duxford at the American Air Day. August 22nd 2008.

These tankers have provided this role in the United States Air Force for more than 50 years now. They are also used for transportation of cargo, passengers and capbable of transporting stretchered personel during medical evacuations.

Some of these tankers have been fitted with the Muti-point refueling system, or MPRS. Basicallly this aircraft could only use the current boom at the rear of the aircraft; not all aircraft can be refuled using this, now it can be fitted with pods at the end of the wing that carry the refueling line with the drogue or basket fitted on the end, this facilitates in the refueling of Navy or RAF aircraft that use retractable/non retractable in flight refueling probes.

This KC-135R is based at RAF Mildenhall, the 100th Air Refueling Wing. The "Square D" on the tail was used during WWII on the tails of B-17s as the group identification of the 100th Bomb Group, based at Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk, England. During WWII the Square denoted that it was the 3rd Air Division of the 8th Air Force (HQ Elveden Hall, Suffolk) the 2nd AD were Circles and the 1st AD used Triangles. The letters were for Bomb Groups.

The 100th ARW is the only current USAF unit that is authorized to use its WWII designator.