![]() ![]() The USAF based KC-135 tankers in Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and Guam. Air Force HC-130P tankers, which were modified C-130 Hercules transports, helped search and rescue and special operations HH-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters greatly extend their range. The USAF tested the concept of in-flight helicopter refueling in 1965 and began operations in mid-1967. Many pilots owed the success of their missions - and some owed their lives - to being refueled by tankers. Tankers often overflew hostile territory to meet and fuel planes that otherwise would not have made it home. ![]() Sometimes 50 or more aircraft met and circled over a wide area as fuel changed hands. Several meeting areas called "anchors" over Thailand, Laos, South Vietnam and the Gulf of Tonkin were set up so fighters could select the nearest airborne gas station on the way to and from their targets. Refueling fighter and reconnaissance planes near combat zones was complicated. The others stayed a mile behind and slightly above, and they spread out while refueling bombers to keep a safe distance between them. When meeting B-52 bombers on long-distance missions, for example, three or four KC-135 Stratojet tankers would fly together, with the leader responsible for navigation and timing. Bombers, fighters and reconnaissance aircraft were carefully scheduled to meet tankers at given times and places. In-flight refueling depended on precise timing and navigation. Getting gas from tankers allowed them to carry maximum bomb loads, and search and rescue helicopters increased their range with air refueling as well. Heavily-laden aircraft like the F-105 Thunderchief, F-4 Phantom and B-52 Stratofortress needed fuel on the way to and from their targets. Refueling in flight made long-distance flying operations possible in Southeast Asia. ![]()
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