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Team McGuire welcomes KC-135R

  • Published
MCGUIRE AFB, N.J. --  The New Jersey Air National Guard's 108th Air Refueling Wing celebrated the arrival of the first KC-135R to the wing Oct. 15 in a ceremony attended by distinguished visitors, Team McGuire members and retirees.

"This is a new day in the wing's history," said Brig. Gen. Michael Cunniff, 108th ARW commander.

As the audience watched, the aircraft rolled down the flightline to the hangar and served as a backdrop to the stage. This is the first of eight R-model Stratotankers that will serve the wing.

"The professional competency of the members in the 108th is unmatched," stated Maj. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth, The Adjutant General, New Jersey.

Rieth enumerated the many ways that the 108th members work to prove that competency. Some of the missions were the partnership with the 177th fighter Wing, Atlantic City, to provide patrol flights up and down the Atlantic seaboard. Another example was the way wing members "stood up to help the people of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina with more than 40 sorties delivering water and other supplies to the survivors."

He added that "I am proud to serve with each and every one of you."

In 1954, the Air Force purchased the first 29 of the future 732-plane fleet of KC-135A Stratotankers. The first aircraft flew in August 1956 and the initial Stratotanker was delivered in June 1957. The last KC-135 was delivered to the Air Force in 1965.

Of the original KC-135A's, more than 410 have been modified with new engines. The re-engined tanker, designated either the KC-135R or KC-135T, can offload 50 percent more fuel, is 25 percent more fuel efficient, costs 25 percent less to operate and is 96 percent quieter than the KC-135A.

Also speaking to the group was Gen. Arthur Lichte, commander, Air Mobility Command. He told the audience that the R-model sitting on the ramp was from the 60's and not the 50's as the aircraft that have been with the 108th since it became a refueling wing in 1993.