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The Boeing RC-135 is a family of large reconnaissance aircraft built by Boeing and modified by a number of companies, including General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems, and L-3 Communications, and used by the United States Air Force and Royal Air Force to support theater and national level intelligence consumers with near real-time on-scene collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities. Based on the C-135 Stratolifter airframe, various types of RC-135s have been in service since 1961. Unlike the C-135 and KC-135 which are recognized by Boeing as the Model 717,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=KC-135 )〕 the RC-135 is internally designated as the Model 739 by the company. Many variants have been modified numerous times, resulting in a large variety of designations, configurations, and program names. ==Design and development== The first RC-135 variant, the RC-135A, were ordered in 1962 by the United States Air Force to replace the Boeing RB-50 Superfortress. Originally nine were ordered but this was later reduced to four. Boeing allocated the variant the designation ''Boeing 739-700'' but they were modified variant of the KC-135A then in production. They used the same J57-P engines as the tanker variant did, but carried cameras in a bay just aft of the nose wheel bay where the forward fuel tank was normally located. They had no refueling system fitted and they were to be used for photographic and surveying tasks. The next variant ordered was the RC-135B to be used as an electronic intelligence aircraft to replace the Boeing RB-47H Stratojet on ELINT duties. Similar to the earlier variants, the RC-135Bs were fitted with TF-33 turbofans rather than the older J57s. These ten aircraft were delivered directly into storage in 1965 while they awaited installation of an improved electronics suite. By 1967, they emerged as RC-135Cs and were all delivered that year. The refueling boom was not fitted and the boom operator station was used as a camera bay for a KA-59 camera. Externally, the aircraft were fitted with sideways looking airborne radar (SLAR) antenna on the lower forward fuselage. The RC-135Bs were the last of the new aircraft built. All the RC variants that followed were modified aircraft, either from earlier RC variants or from tankers. In 2005, the RC-135 fleet completed a series of significant airframe, navigation and powerplant upgrades which include re-engining from the Pratt & Whitney TF33 to the CFM International CFM-56 (F108) engines used on the KC-135R and T Stratotanker and upgrade of the flight deck instrumentation and navigation systems to the AMP standard. The AMP standard includes conversion from analog readouts to a digital "glass cockpit" configuration. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Boeing RC-135」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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