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The Boeing 707 tanker
Modern strategists talk about force multipliers, and for air operations, air-to-air refuelling is without doubt the greatest force multiplier of all. In-flight refuelling has enabled the longest bombing missions in history and also persistence in air defence, reach in transport and flexibility in ground-attack tasks.
Originally developed for transatlantic passenger flights, the ‘flying gas stations’ such as the Boeing KC-135 became critical to US Air Force (USAF) Cold War operations.
As explained by Chris Gibson in his book Air-to-Air Refuelling Aircraft, while the KC-135 was developed as a dedicated tanker, Boeing used the basic idea to produce the 707 airliner that plied the airways for decades. In the 1970s, airlines began to trade their 707s for 747s, TriStars and DC-10s, which meant that a lot of low hours 707s were available. Bedek Aviation, a subsidiary of Israeli Aerospace Industries, offered tanker conversions of these Boeing 707s, initially for the Israeli Air Force, but also made the conversions available to other countries.
The Boeing 707 can be fitted with wing pods, a Boeing flying boom system or both. Many modern air forces operate American aircraft with either boom receptacles or probes, and very few have the facilities for both. The solution is to have a centerline-mounted flying boom and drogue pods under the wings. One of the earliest examples was the Bedek Aviation conversion of the Boeing 707, which greatly increases the flexibility in operations and enables air forces with a mixed fleet of aircraft to operate efficiently.
Refuelling F-15s for Operation Wooden Leg
Boom-equipped 707s of the Israeli Air Force refuelled ten McDonnell Douglas F-15 Baz (eight for the attack, two in reserve) for Operation Wooden Leg, the 1982 attack on the Palestinian Liberation Organisation’s headquarters in Tunis. Bedek Aviation also converted Boeing 707s to three-point probe- and-drogue refuellers with an FRL Mk.32 pod under each wing tip and a Mk34 Hose Drum Unit (HDU) in the rear fuselage.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) acquired eight Boeing 707 airliners and contracted Israeli Aerospace Industries/Bedek Aviation to convert four of these into tankers. They were used to support the RAAF on operations including regular RAAF deployments to Malaysia and the Middle East. The RAAF’s F/A-18 Hornet fleet were regular receivers from 33 Squadron 707s, but the Boeings also refuelled coalition aircraft over Afghanistan, especially carrier aircraft from US carriers operating in the Arabian Sea.
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) also used the Boeing 707 as a tanker/transport with Beech Model 1080 ARS fitted on the wing tips of Boeing 707s, which the RCAF called the CC-137 Husky. The RCAF acquired five CC-137 Huskies but only had two pairs of refuelling pods, which were rotated around the fleet to spread the use of the capability. From 1995, the Husky was replaced with the Airbus CC-150 Polaris.
KE-3A
The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) still operates at least one Boeing 707-3J9C equipped with the Beech 1080 ARS on each wing tip, plus a flying boom under the rear fuselage. The IRIAF also operated a Boeing KC-747, which was similar to the KC-33 developed as a bid for the Advanced Tanker Cargo Aircraft requirement. Iran bought four 747s in the late 1970s to support its F-4 Phantom fleet and they saw use in the 1980-88 Iran–Iraq War. The KC-747 remained operational until June 2025 when it was reportedly destroyed by the Israeli Air Force (IAF).
The Italian Air Force (ItAF) operated four Boeing 707s too, designated B-707T/T (Tanker/Transport) for aerial refueling and cargo/passenger transport. These aircraft were acquired second-hand and operated from the early 1990s until 2008, being replaced by the KC-767A.
Another 707 variant in use as a tanker is the KE-3A. When Saudi Arabia ordered five Boeing E-3A Sentries to provide AEW for the Royal Saudi Air Force, they also ordered eight Boeing KE-3A tankers which were powered by the TF33 turbofan. Like the RAF and Armée de l’Air (AdlA) E-3s, the Saudi Sentries and the KE-3s were powered by CFM56 turbofans and fitted with a Boeing flying boom on the centreline and Beech 1080 ARS pod under each wing tip.
Air-to-Air Refuelling Aircraft is published by Key Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo credit: Capt. William E. Gortney / U.S. Navy and Oren Rozen via Wikipedia
