10. The Stratotanker, KC-135
Joined the Service in 1956
Not retired: N/A
Price: $39.6 million
An aircraft used for refuelling is the Stratotanker. The 367-80 prototype served as the model for the KC-135. The Boeing 707 airliner was also built from the 367-80, therefore the KC-135 wasn’t the first aircraft to originate from that prototype. The USAF began using the KC-135 Stratotanker in 1957.
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Only six fixed-wing aircraft have been in continuous military service for 50 years, all of them still owned by their original operator, including the Boeing. Although research indicates that the Stratotanker will largely be able to continue flying until at least 2030, maintenance expenditures for both the Stratotanker and its complement, the KC-10, have increased.
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