What Roles Did The KC-135 Stratotanker Play In US Military Missions?

In defiance of the original expectations that prevailed in the heady days of the Cold War, the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker has outlasted the McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender (the latter will be fully retired less than two months from now) as the US Air Force’s go-to platform for midair refueling, and the Stratotanker will continue to hold the refueling line for at least a little while longer until Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus is fully online. As the Fairchild AFB Fact Sheets state: