KC-135 Prototype Project

Staff Sgt. Brian Harris, 191st Maintenance Squadron, prepares to cut an opening in the top of a KC-135 Stratotanker at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., Jan. 30, 2013.Tthe opening will accommodate an additional antennae on the aircraft, which will allow it to serve as a platform for testing a prototype of a new aircraft defense system. The aircraft is assigned to the 127th Wing, Michigan Air National Guard. (Air National Guard photo by Brittani Baisden)

KC-135 Prototype Project

Technical Sgt. John Kerschenheiter, an avionics technician with the 191 Maintenance Squadron connects wiring for a new antennae to the flight controls of a KC-135 Stratotanker at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., Jan. 30, 2013. The KC-135, assigned to the 127th Air Refueling Group of the Michigan Air National Guard, was being outfitted with the additional antennae to allow it to serve as a platform for testing a prototype of a new aircraft defense system. (Air National Guard photo by Brittani Baisden)

KC-135 Prototype Project

Senior Airman Jake Tufts, 191st Maintenance Squadron, performs an air test during work on a KC-135 Stratotanker at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., Jan. 16, 2013. The test reports on the presence of jet fuel vapor in the air, a critical safety consideration during indoor maintenance work. The KC-135, assigned to the 127th Air Refueling Group of the Michigan Air National Guard, was being prepared to serve as a platform for testing a prototype of a new aircraft defense system. (Air National Guard photo by John S. Swanson)

KC-135 Painting

Staff Sgt. Brian Harris, 191st Maintenance Squadron, removes a yellow mask from the newly-painted 127th Wing logo on the fuselage of a KC-135 Stratotanker at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., Jan. 17, 2013. Over the past year, the fleet of KC-135s at Selfridge have been receiving a checkerboard and stripe and logo paint scheme as mission requirements and other maintenance work allows. The checkerboard design has been used by the Michigan Air National Guard on aircraft at Selfridge since at least the early 1970s when the “Michigan Six-Pack” was assigned F-106 Delta Dart fighter-interceptors. The stripe on the fuselage harkens back to the former Strategic Air Command, a former Air Force major command that operated bomber and air refueling aircraft in the 1940s-1990s. (Air National Guard photo by John S. Swanson)

KC-135 Painting

Staff Sgt. Brian Harris, 191st Maintenance Squadron, applies tape to mask off a checkerboard pattern being painted on the skin of a KC-135 Stratotanker at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., Jan. 16, 2013. Over the past year, the fleet of KC-135s at Selfridge have been receiving the paint scheme as mission requirements and other maintenance work allows. The checkerboard design has been used by the Michigan Air National Guard on aircraft at Selfridge since at least the early 1970s when the “Michigan Six-Pack” was assigned F-106 Delta Dart fighter-interceptors. The stripe on the fuselage harkens back to the former Strategic Air Command, a former Air Force major command that operated bomber and air refueling aircraft in the 1940s-1990s. (Air National Guard photo by John S. Swanson)

Avionics Testing

Avionics specialists from the 127th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron prepare an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft for a radar threat detection test on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013 at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich. The test ensures that the aircraft threat warning system operates properly to ensure pilot safety during flight. (Air National Guard photo by TSgt Robert Hanet)

Avionics Testing

Avionics specialists from the 127th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron prepare an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft for a radar threat detection test on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013 at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich. The test ensures that the aircraft threat warning system operates properly to ensure pilot safety during flight. (Air National Guard photo by TSgt Robert Hanet)

Selfridge Photos of the Year

PHOTO OF THE YEAR: This composite photo of photos taken by Technical Sgt. Robert Hanet, highlight the work of Airmen from the 127th Maintenance Group as they change an engine in an A-10 Thunderbolt II as part of a routine, scheduled maintenance operation, Sept. 16, 2012. The photo composite was one of the finalists for the title of 2012 Photo of the Year at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich. (Air National Guard photo illustration by TSgt. Robert Hanet)

Insignia Tells Tanker Story

U.S. Air Force pilots wear cloth name tags on their flight suit uniforms that often feature several distinctive marks. In this photo illustration – the name has been altered for security purposes – a patch of a pilot from the 171st Air Refueling Squadron is seen. The squadron’s colors are seen in the patch, yellow and black. The checkerboard stripe has been utilized by the squadron as a marking since the early 1970s. This individual is rated as a senior pilot, which is indicated by the star located above the wings. (Air National Guard photo by Brittani Baisden)

Insignia Tells Tanker Story

Tail markings are seen on a KC-135 Stratotanker at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich. This aircraft is operated by the ANG – Air National Guard. The first digit in the number below represents the year that the aircraft was manufactured, in this case 1959, as well as the tail number. Every aircraft has its own distinctive tail number. (Air National Guard photo by Brittani Baisden)

Insignia Tells Tanker Story

The 191 Six Pack engine covers on this KC-135 Stratotanker honor the heritage of a key unit of the Michigan Air National Guard. The 191st can trace its history back to World War II and has been operating at Selfridge since the early 1970s. (Air National Guard photo by Brittani Baisden)

Insignia Tells Tanker Story

The 127th Wing crest rests on a checkerboard stripe on a KC-135 Stratotanker at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The checkerboard salutes the heritage of the 171st and 191st squadrons at Selfridge, which have been using the checkerboard design, often seen in black and yellow, since at least 1972. (Air National Guard photo by Brittani Baisden)