US Air Force's 59-1471

On of the 116th Air Refueling Squadron / 141st Air Refueling Wing's KC-135Ts, 59-1471 (c/n 17959, l/n 374), is participating in Sentry Aloha 25-1. This Stratotanker is painted in a commemorative livery celebrating "100 Years of Flight", is part of the Washington Air National Guard unit based at Fairchild AFB.

Pregame Flyover

A KC-135R from the Hawai‘i Air National Guard's 203rd Air Refueling Squadron, 63-8030 (c/n 18647, l/n T0686), performed a flyover over the Clarence TC Ching Field at the end of the Star-Spangled Banner, before the UNLV-Hawai‘i football game this afternoon. 63-8030 flew from east to west with its tail boom down and the probe extended. The flyover was part of the Military Appreciation Night event to celebrate Veteran's Day.

203rd ARS Adds 62-3578

The 203rd Air Refueling Squadron has added 62-3578 (c/n 18561, l/n 629) to their fleet of KC-135Rs. 

62-3578's History:

Aug 1963: Delivered to the US Air Force as a KC-135A.

Dec 1985: Assigned to the 42nd Bomb Wing, at Loring AFB, ME.

May 1992: Assigned to the 92nd Wing, and named "Miss Spokane".

May 1998: Converted to a KC-135R, named "High Life", and assigned to 351st ARS / 100th ARW, at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, UK.

___ 2007: Assigned to the 22nd ARW, McConnell AFB, KS.

May 2014: Assigned to the 141st ARS / 108th ARW, New Jersey ANG, at McGuire AFB, NJ.

___ 2019: Tiger stripes painted on the tail.

___ 2022: Assigned to the 173rd ARS / 155th ARW, Nebraska ANG, at Lincoln ANGB, NE.

Operation Centennial Contact

Four KC-135Rs from the Hawai‘i Air National Guard's 203rd Air Refueling Squadron participated in Operation Centennial Contact this morning. It is the commemoration of 100 years of aerial refueling, that many of the US Air Force and Air National Guard refueling units participated in. The four KC-135Rs, flying as TANKER61, performed the flyover with refueling booms lowered, after a refueling training mission. The route took the tankers over Kalaeloa, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i, and the National Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl). 

The four Stratotankers seen in the photos above in order, in the flight were :

63-8030 "Mākaha" (c/n 18647, l/n 686)

63-8883 (c/n 18731, l/n 714)

59-1499 (c/n 17987, l/n 402)

61-0290 "Hōkū Lele" (c/n 18197, l/n 512)

We also shot a video of the Stratotankers on final approach for Runway 8L following the flyover.

HIANG Retires 60-0329 To Museum

The Hawai‘i Air National Guard retired one of its KC-135Rs, 60-0329 "Kape‘a" (c/n 18104, l/n 443) today, after 25+ years with the 203rd ARS. It made its final flight to the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB, in Dayton, OH, where it will be inducted into the museum upon arrival.

During the Vietnam War in 1967, 0329 was involved in the first-ever tri-level air refueling, where it connected with a US Navy A-3, which then refueled a pair of US Navy F-8 Crusaders, then a pair of F-4 Phantoms, and another A-3. The crew was awarded the 1967 Mackey Trophy for meritorious service.

Meta Strategic Mobility's N571MA

Meta Strategic Mobility's KC-135R, N571MA (c/n 18232, l/n 547), is making a stop at HNL. This former Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Stratotanker is another entrant in the defense contract for aerial refueling.

18232's History:

Oct 1962: Delivered to the US Air Force as a KC-135A, registered as 61-0325.

Dec 1997: Re-engined with CFM56-2Bs, and re-designated as a KC-135R.

Jan 2001: Delivered to the Republic of Singapore Air Force as 751.

Sep 2019: Retired by the RSAF.

Sep 2020: Acquired by the Wilmington Trust Company for Meta Aerospace as N571MA.

Key.aero reports that Meta Aerospace acquired all four of the RSAF's KC-135Rs. Here is the information on the other three tankers.

N569MA was USAF 63-8009 (c/n 18626, l/n 665), and RSAF 750.

N572MA was USAF 59-1454 (c/n 17942, l/n 357), and RSAF 752.

N573MA was USAF 63-8016 (c/n 18633, l/n 672), and RSAF 753.

US Air Force's 64-14849

A US Air Force RC-135U from the 45th RS / 55th Wing, 64-14849 "Combat Sent 2" (c/n 18789, l/n 2310), made a stop at HIK. It arrived from LNK as TUSK14. This is one of the last four RC-135s still in service.

This is the final KC-135 that was built by Boeing, delivered in February 1965, and was converted to an RC-135B in 1967. It was converted to a"U" variant in 1971. It had the its JT3D powerplants replaced with CFM56s in the late 1990s.

Hauʻoli Lā Hānau KC-135!

Sixty years ago, the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker made its first flight, and we celebrate its birthday. Presently, the Hawaiʻi Air National Guard's 203rd ARS, in association with the 96th ARS (active duty), has a fleet of eight "R" models.

Further details in this US Air Force article.

154th Wing Participates In Air Show

The Hawai‘i Air National Guard's 154th Wing is participating in the 2015 Australian International Air Show at Avalon Airport, Victoria, Australia.  Two Hawai‘i Air National Guard F-22A Raptors from the 199th Fighter Squadron, and a KC-135R from the 203rd Aerial Refueling Squadron flew Down Under to partner with other aircraft from the Pacific Command.

Further details in this Pacific Air Forces article.

KC-135's 55th Anniversary Of First Flight

Boeing Defense announced that today is the 55th anniversary of their KC-135 Stratotanker's first flight. Also known as the 717-148, the Stratotanker remains the backbone of the US Air Force's tanker fleet.

Pictured above, is 57-1508 "Hōkū-kea" (c/n 17579, l/n 188), a KC-135R, of the Hawai‘i Air National Guard's 203rd Aerial Refueling Squadron, departing HNL's Runway 8R. It's one of a dozen KC-135Rs that the 203rd ARS shares with the 96th ARS (active duty) as part of the US Air Force's "Total Force Integration".

US Air Force's 55-3132

For our March edition of "HNL RareBirds Classic", we go back to August 1995, when a US Air Force NKC-135E Stratotanker, 55-3132 (c/n 17248), of the 452nd Flight Test Squadron, Detachment 2 / 412th Test Wing (Air Force Materiel Command), based at Kirtland AFB, NM, was seen parked on the Anderson Aviation ramp after landing on Runway 4R. It was unusual to see a US Air Force jet parked on the south side of HNL.

55-3132 was nicknamed "Big Crow 1", and was part of the Electronic Warfare Vulnerability Assessment program. It was later used a target bird for the YAL-1A anti-missile laser aircraft. Since 2008, 55-3132 has been retired, and relegated to the AMARC (Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ).