SALT LAKE CITY — If you’ve flown out of Salt Lake International Airport, you may have noticed several large military aircraft called KC-135s on the east side of the runways.
What you might not know is the history behind them and how vital they are for the future of the Air Force and the United States.
I visited the Roland R. Wright National Guard Base at the end of last year to see how Utah airmen are changing the future of the Air Force with their efforts.
THE HISTORY
The year is 1957: Black and white TVs have just hit the market, Elvis Presley emerges as a rock star, and one of the most important U.S. military planes takes flight for the first time.
Based on the Boeing 707, the KC-135 is considered by many to be one of the most impressive jets ever designed. Revolutionizing mid-air refueling as the first-ever jet engine-powered tanker, the KC-135 has served in missions across the globe.
After almost seven decades in the air, some are in museums, like the Hill Aerospace Museum, but many are still flying today. Out of around 800 initially built from 1957 to 1963, 396 are still flying. Of those, 153 are in active duty units, 171 in Air National Guard units, and 72 in Air Force Reserve units.
THE 151ST AIR REFUELING WING
Each time pilots and airmen from the Roland R. Wright National Guard Base take to the skies over Utah, they understand the crucial role they play.
"Every mission that we fly, the Air Force includes air refueling," Major Mike Starley said.
Since 1946, the base has served as the home to refueling jets and now operates KC-135R models.
"She is a beautiful aircraft. Our oldest one is from 1957, our newest one is from 1963, but she doesn't look like it from the outside. They look the same visually as your F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s," said Col. Douglas “Masters” Foster, the commander of the 151st Wing.
They take flight every single day, which brings the three people we interviewed great job satisfaction.
Stepping inside the aircraft is an experience, showcasing brand-new upgrades alongside the original flight controls from the 50s.
"The airplanes that we're still flying to this day are from 1957 to 1963," explained Jeff “Padre” Gould, the 151st Wing's operations group commander. "There's no change to that. It's gone over iterations of adding different avionics to the airplane, new engines in the 1980s, and more avionics in the 1990s; it’s kind of sat stagnant for the past couple of years.”
This is where the Utah airmen come into the picture, led by Foster.
"She's just an amazing aircraft. After what, am I on 24 years of flying this aircraft? Now, I don't think I could have picked a better aircraft," he said.
VIDEO BELOW: Col. Foster talks about flying the KC-135 during operations in the Middle East:
"I’ve been flying the KC-135 since 2006, and I don't want to do anything else," Gould said.
"This particular aircraft is something I've thoroughly enjoyed flying," added Major Mike Starley, the KC-135 test detachment director.
AIRCRAFT 0275
Aside from loving what they do, the men and women of this wing have been tasked with upgrading the KC-135R to keep flying through the next generation of tankers. It all started when Col. Foster approached Col. Gould with the challenge.
“In the beginning, it was just me,” Gould said, adding that as they continued to work with The Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center in Tucson Arizona, the results started pouring in.
"We have what the Secretary of the Air Force thinks are his capability gaps, and we think that we can fix them," Foster said.
"We were nominated by our TAG [Adjutant General] Major General Boyak to actually become a test [detachment] location, and the National Guard said, 'Yes, we’ll actually put it there,'" Gould added.
This is a true honor and testament to their work, and now this jet is ready to go with upgrades to not only help this aircraft stay in the fight, but keep it safe, too.
Gould described the upgrades: "We're adding Link 16. It's a data link capability that allows us to talk to other airplanes, essentially like texting someone with that.”
They also have been working on adding Starlink to the aircraft, which will add higher speed connectivity than possible otherwise.
"The tagline we push is 1 and 0. The data we pass through the tanker is just as valuable as the gas we pass," Gould explained.
"It's going to be the Wi-Fi hotspot in the sky for everybody's data exchange," Foster added.
UTAH'S MARK
A new standard for KC-135s and future generations of tankers has been established, and it only makes sense that it represents Utah.
"Just recently, we painted on the tail itself — the Minuteman," Gould said. "It helps represent Utah. When people see that, they see that as Utah.”
Visible from miles away, if you see this particular, jet you’ll notice the Utah Air National Guard Minutemen painted across the entire tail of the plane, showing how proud they are that this mission is right here.
"Your Air National Guardsmen here are leading the charge on everything that we're doing to modernize the 135 for combat effectiveness," Foster said.
Being 70 years old, with these upgrades, Gould mentions: "We expect the 135 to continue to fly through 2060, potentially up to 2080, depending on the airframe itself."
Major Starley added: "So my grandkids could potentially fly this airplane.”
Their work leaves a Uniquely Utah mark on an aircraft that has been, and will continue to be, written into the history books.
Learn more about the Utah Air National Guard's mission and this particular KC-135 here.
