Airmen prepare KC-135

Staff Sgt. Timothy Near checks a technical manual prior to performing maintenance on a KC-135 Stratotanker April 14, 2011, at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich. Sergeant Near is assigned to the Michigan Air National Guard's 191st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/John S. Swanson)

KC-46A

The KC-46A is intended to replace the United States Air Force's aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers and provides vital air refueling capability for the United States Air Force. (Courtesy Photo)

Citizen today, warrior Airmen tomorrow

Staff Sgt. Stephen Paluga repairs the navigation system of a KC-135 Stratotanker March 30, 2011. Members of the 313th AEW support Operation Unified Protector, a NATO-led mission in Libya to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack. The 313th AEW provides aerial refueling to U.S. and coalition aircraft with KC-135s and KC-10 Extenders. Sergeant Paluga is an Air National Guard avionics specialist deployed to the 313th Air Expeditionary Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Stacy Gault)

KC-135 LAIRCM

James Shilling, Raymond Berhalter and Lt. Col. Randall Sealy look at a Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures pod attached to a KC-135 Stratotanker on the flightline March 1, 2011, at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. The pod is a laser-based countermeasures system designed to detect and employ countermeasures against infrared-guided surface-to-air missiles. Mr. Shilling is the LAIRCM system manager for Northrop-Grumman in Chicago, Mr. Berhalter is the program manager at the KC-135 System Program Office at Tinker AFB, Okla., and Colonel Sealy is the tanker test manager and chief of the Air Mobility Command Aircraft Test Management Branch. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol)

KC-10's 30th Birthday

Then Technical Sgt. Bill Gross stands on the flightline Dec. 7, 199, at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Sergeant Gross was in Hawaii to help commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Sergeant Gross was a long-time crew chief assigned to the Air Force's first KC-10 and has been stationed with the aircraft for nearly his entire career. As the KC-10 celebrates its 30th year of Air Force service on March 17, 2011, Sergeant Gross can claim that he has been there every step of the way. (U.S. Air Force photo)

KC-135 avionics upgrade helps strengthen bond between U.S., Turkish air forces

Tech. Sgt. Gary Weishaupt answers questions from a captain in the Turkish air force in the cockpit of a KC-135 Stratotanker March 2, 2011, at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. Several Turkish air force and civilian members were here for a two-week course, learning about the Global Air Traffic Management avionics upgrade. The Turkish airmen will receive their first upgraded jet within the next month. Sergeant Weishaupt is a 373rd Training Squadron, Det. 19 communication navigation mission systems master instructor. (U.S. Air Force photo/Karen Abeyasekere)