@ Honolulu, HI
December 2023
The 154th Wing of the Hawaii ANG, stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (sharing runways with Daniel K. Inouye International Airport), is a composite unit combining airlift, refueling and air defense. This KC-135R is assigned to the 203rd Air Refueling Squadron, a unit of the 154th. The Hawaii Air National Guard has been operating KC-135’s here since the unit was established in 1993. Stratotankers have been in USAF service since 1957 and have begun to be replaced by the Boeing 767-based KC-46 Pegasus. More than 800 Stratotankers were produced by Boeing, 500 would be re-engined in the early 1980’s and designated KC-135R. The KC-135 was developed in parallel with the 707 airliner but has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. The first KC-135 flew in August 1956, nearly 18 months before the first Boeing 707 flight.
