Boeing RC-135

what is it?

The Boeing RC-135 is a family of large reconnaissance aircraft built by Boeing and modified by a number of companies, including General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems, and L3Harris Technologies, and used by the United States Air Force and Royal Air Force to produce theater and national level intelligence with near real-time on-scene collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities. Based on the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter airframe, various types of RC-135s have been in service since 1961. Unlike the KC-135, which is recognized by Boeing as the Model 717, most of the current RC-135 fleet, with the exception of the RAF's RC-135Ws, is internally designated as the Model 739 by the company.

🔎How to recognise it: 4 jet engines · 39.9 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 933 km/htop speed
• range 5,552 kmwithout refuelling
• size 146.3 tmax take-off weight
• built 32made in total

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

• 🎂First flew 61 years ago, in 1965.
• 🏎️Top speed is 7.2× 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 24 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 5,552 km: 31× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.7× 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

1965-04-28

introduced

1965

status

still flying

number built

32

role

reconnaissance aircraft

makers

Boeing

engines

4× CFM International F-108-CF-201

crew

2

length

41.5 m

wingspan

39.9 m

height

12.7 m

max take-off weight

146.3 t

top speed

933 km/h

range

5,552 km

ceiling

15,240 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family