2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Boeing NKC-135A Airborne Laser Lab USAF: Wikimedia Commons· Public domain
- 2. Boeing NC-135 USN on ramp: Jim Kellar· Public domain
what is it?
The Boeing NC-135 and NKC-135 are special versions of the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker modified to operate on several different programs.
How to recognise it: 4 jet engines · 39.9 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- Top speed is 7.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 39.9 m: about 9 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 20 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Can fly 1.4× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).
jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.
spec sheet
- first flight
- —
- status
- retired
- number built
- —
- role
- special test missions aircraft
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- Boeing
- engines
- 4× Pratt & Whitney J57-P-43WB
- crew
- 3
- length
- 41.5 m
- wingspan
- 39.9 m
- height
- 12.7 m
- max take-off weight
- 122.5 t
- top speed
- 981 km/h
- cruise speed
- 856 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 12,497 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
family
Sources: Wikidata Q644818, Wikipedia: Boeing NC-135 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.