Everyone is aware of the KC-135 tankers and they’re often thought of as 707 tankers but they are not.  The KC-135 has the slightly narrower original fuselage and was developed in parallel with the 707 but it is not a 707. 

Some may even know of the KC-130 tankers used which refuel aircraft through a chute/drogue system. 

And there are the mighty KC-10 tankers which are prized both for their ability to offload fuel as well as carry cargo. 

But can you name the other three tankers developed from US made commercial airliners?  The answer is after the fold. . .

One is the KC-747.  This was a competitor of the KC-10 (DC-10) but only ordered by Iran. 

Another is, of course, the KC-767 ordered by Italy, Japan and now the United States (as the KC-46). 

But the one that will surprise most is the UC-880.  This was a Convair 880 modified into a tanker by the US Navy and operated in one form or another until it was destroyed in a controlled cargo hold explosion in 1995.

Filed under: Trivia by ajax