[Blood of Tyrants]

The KC-135 is the Air Force version of the 707. Old planes. The last 707 came off the assembly line sometime in the 60's.

[Jeff Head]

I know the KC-135's are 707 mods. I was betting that the new tankers would be 767 mods. As fixit showed us, that's right, sounds like the KC-767A. Apparently italy and Japan had previously signed contracts.

Good choice too ... though I'd still like 4 engines.

In The Dragon's Fury Series it's 767's.

[El Gato]

The KC-135 is the Air Force version of the 707.

Almost. The -135 series and the 707 share many features, but they are both variations from a basic design, one is not a variant of the other. Both derive from the Boeing model 367-80, a one off demonstrator, which Boeing developed on mostly on it's own nickle. The -135 design was approved and while the intial units were being built, the 707 design was completed. The -135 has a smaller diameter fuselage and is shorter. The Air Force does have some 707 based aircraft. The AWACS and JSTARs along with the some of the special air mission (VIP) fleet. The Navy's E-6 is also based on a 707 airframe. JSTARS and AWACS (us ones that is) use the much older, less powerful, and less fuel efficient TF-33 engine (comparable to commercial JT3D) while the E-6 along with the UK, France (excuse me while I spit) and Saudi AWACs use the CFM-56, F-108 in military parlance.

The -135Es were re-engined with commercial "take off" JT3D, redesignated TF-33 (with a different dash than those on AWACS and JSTARS) F-108/CFM-56 powers the -135Rs. They are going to re-engine the JSTARS (it's woefully underpowered) but not with F-108/CFM-56, but rather with JT8D, which will be an improvement, but not as much as F-108s would have been.