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Altus AFB celebrates 70 years of the KC-135

  • Published
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  

The 97th Air Mobility Wing held a celebration to honor the 70th anniversary of the KC-135 Stratotanker at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Aug. 31 – Sept.1, 2026.

The mighty KC-135 Stratotanker first took to the skies on Aug. 31, 1956, becoming the military’s first all-jet engine air refueling aircraft.

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft flies over aircraft static displays at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Aug. 31, 2026. Airmen, families, and community members had the opportunity to tour a KC-135, KC-46 Pegasus, and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Emma Wright)

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft flies over aircraft static displays at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Aug. 31, 2026. Airmen, families, and community members had the opportunity to tour a KC-135, KC-46 Pegasus, and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Emma Wright)
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Over the past 70 years, the aircraft has been a cornerstone of global power projection, extending the boundaries of aerial refueling and expanding the reach of U.S. and allied aircraft around the globe. Behind this enduring capability is Air Education and Training Command’s foundational mission to recruit, train, and educate the exceptional Airmen who operate and sustain the fleet.

“The KC-135 is a true power-projection platform that allows us to overcome the tyranny of distance,” said retired Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II, former Air Mobility Command commander. “It remains essential to our global mobility, and its enduring legacy is a testament to the thousands of Airmen who have maintained and flown it over the decades.”

Past and present KC-135 aircrew and their families, community members, and several retired Air Force general officers were in attendance to celebrate this historic milestone.

With so many members of the KC-135 community in attendance, the Altus Boom Association took the opportunity to host its annual Boom Memorial Ceremony. The ceremony honors fallen boom operators from across the aerial refueling community whose names are inscribed on a memorial in Wings of Freedom Park. During the ceremony, each name is read aloud.

This year, the names of Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, two boom operators from Zeus 95, were added to the memorial. They are the first names to be added to the memorial since 2013.

“By adding the names of Tech Sgt. Pruitt and Master Sgt. Simmons to this memorial, we ensure their sacrifice is never forgotten,” said Staff Sgt. Sage Ledet, president of the Altus Boom Association. “We carry their memory, along with that of all fallen boom operators, on every flight.”

U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft perform a flyover during the Boom Operator Memorial Ceremony at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Sept. 1, 2026. The memorial is held annually at Altus AFB, the premiere training installation for KC-135 and KC-46 Pegasus aircrew. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jonah Bliss)

U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft perform a flyover during the Boom Operator Memorial Ceremony at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Sept. 1, 2026. The memorial is held annually at Altus AFB, the premiere training installation for KC-135 and KC-46 Pegasus aircrew. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jonah Bliss)
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The event also allowed base personnel, families, and community members to view KC-135 simulators as well as a static display of a KC-135, KC-46 Pegasus, and a C-17 Globemaster III. The immersive flight simulators underscored AETC’s ongoing commitment to modernizing training pipelines through advanced learning technologies, producing mission-ready mobility forces faster and more effectively.

Altus has been home to KC-135 training since 1957 and opened the training school on base in 1994. Over the decades, as part of AETC’s critical training enterprise, the 97th Air Mobility Wing has trained thousands of pilots and boom operators, ensuring the fleet remains ready for any mission. Even as the Air Force continues to modernize its aerial refueling fleet with the KC-46 Pegasus, the Stratotanker remains a vital asset. The 70th anniversary not only highlighted the enduring mechanical legacy of the KC-135, but also honored the generations of aircrew and maintainers developed through rigorous institutional training who have kept it flying.

“The KC-135 is an incredible aircraft, but it is the dedication of our Airmen—those who fly, fix, and support it—that truly keeps this mission in the air, and have done so for seven remarkable decades,” said Chief Master Sgt. Jonny Adams, 97th Air Mobility Wing command chief. “Their professionalism, resilience, and commitment deliver global mobility to the Joint Warfighters whenever and wherever the nation calls.”