France retires Boeing refueling aircraft

The French Air Force officially ended last Monday (30), operations with the Boeing KC-135 refueling aircraft, marking the end of a trajectory started in 1964.

The deactivation ceremony took place at the Istres Air Base, where the last three C-135Rg of Squad 4/31 were removed from service. One of the planes made a farewell flight alongside the acrobatic team Patrouille de France as part of the tribute. The last official flyer is scheduled for July 14, during the Bastille Day parade in Paris.

According to General Stéphane Verre, commander of strategic air forces, the aircraft was a key piece in the France’s nuclear air component, as well as playing a relevant role in various air and international air operations.

Over the course of six decades, fleet C-135FR/RG has accumulated about 422,000 hours of flight, also acting on the transportation of equipment and personnel and medical evacuation missions.

The final three specimens began their useful life in the United States Air Force between 1962 and 1963. Acquired by France in 1995, they were modernized with CFM56-2B engines of CFM International and returned to the operation in 1997.

Despite retirement, airplanes will have future use: the US company Metrea, which specializes in commercial air replenishment, has acquired eleven units C-135FR from France in an agreement signed by mid-2024.

The replacement of veterans KC-135 is already underway, with the incorporation of fifteen Airbus A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport), called Phénix, which will assume the aerial replenishment missions in the French Air Force.