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By (https://www.twz.com/authors/howard-altman) Howard Altman      Published  Sep 16, 2026 7:58 PM EDT     (how-the-air-force-patched-up-a-shrapnel-damaged-kc-135.html#comments)    0           (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=twz.com) Add TWZ (opens in a new tab)      More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results.        (The Air Force is beefing up its forward maintenance and repair work amid Iran fight.)   (Aviation photographer Andrew McKelvey)    The TWZ Newsletter Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.   (handle_newsletter_email_submission) (049ef6aff6)  (/air/how-the-air-force-patched-up-a-shrapnel-damaged-kc-135)  (TWZInline) (0) Email address  (Enter your email) (Please enter a valid email address)  Sign Up  Thank you!      (https://recurrent.io/terms-and-conditions/) Terms of Service and(https://recurrent.io/privacy-policy/) Privacy Policy        The head of (https://www.amc.af.mil/) Air Mobility Command  (AMC) on Wednesday offered some new details about what went into repairing a KC-135 Stratotanker (https://www.twz.com/air/battle-damaged-kc-135-seen-covered-in-shrapnel-patches) riddled with shrapnel holes from an Iranian attack. We have (https://www.twz.com/news-features/another-battle-damaged-kc-135-tanker-seen-passing-through-raf-mildenhall) previously written about a couple of these jets damaged during Operation Epic Fury (OEF) as they came through (https://www.twz.com/air/veteran-kc-135-base-commanders-view-of-epic-furys-strain-on-the-tanker-force) RAF Mildenhall in the U.K. on their way back to the U.S. for comprehensive repair work. We are also getting new information of how AMC kept its fleet operating at such a prolonged high-tempo ahead of and during OEF. The discussion about the damaged tanker took place during a panel at the(https://www.afa.org/air-space-cyber-conference/) Air & Space Forces’ Air, Space and Cyber Conference that TWZ is attending. The tanker in question was damaged as it was preparing for a mission, explained AMC commander (https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/1803033/daniel-h-tulley/) Lt. Gen. Daniel H. Tulley . (A U.S. Air Force maintainer performs preflight maintenance on a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft at a base in the Middle East, April 30, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. James Cason))  A U.S. Air Force maintainer performs preflight maintenance on a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft at a base in the Middle East, April 30, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. James Cason) Master Sgt. James Cason  “A KC-135 ops crew is in the jet,” he said. “KC-135 maintenance team is about to launch this jet. Unexpected Alarm Red [an attack warning]. Everyone jumps in a bunker.” After the barrage, the airmen emerged from their bunkers and checked out the plane. “That aircraft is smoking,” Tulley said. “There are holes in it, and it’s a fully loaded KC-135. Two hundred thousand pounds of jet fuel. Took 48 hours for that [fuel] to be drained out of that aircraft. In the meantime, first on the scene was I think the pro super [(https://www.facebook.com/366FW/posts/production-superintendents-affectionately-known-as-pro-supers-are-known-as-the-b/1480085734147309/) production superintendent ] and the expediter. They immediately began to collect the fuel… They start to patch the holes. They start to fix all the systems. Long story short, they were eventually able to get that plane to make a transoceanic flight back home to be fully repaired.” Tulley did not say where the attack took place. However, as we have previously reported, (https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/us-israel-iran-war-news-2026/card/five-air-force-refueling-planes-hit-in-iranian-strike-on-saudi-arabia-wHYFMW2YG3p0rwH3HaGU?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqds6Ghlvt0FQbU0kVHC0Q_yeZSF4JCTJWLdrbeaFQi0Q4bnov-JRJ5K&gaa_ts=69c8b50b&gaa_sig=So0HE8S6raDckFg9EkXzDaf1mO1rnTD885ePEYFRKDELxj6Y5ngj56obfmDULnZ_7EcwgzAfnmlD5J5I2iw3rw%3D%3D) five tankers were reportedly damaged in an Iranian long-range strike on Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB) in Saudi Arabia on March 14. That was later confirmed in a Department of War Inspector General report (https://media.defense.gov/2026/Sep/09/2003993626/-1/-1/1/OEF_Q3_JUN2026_FINAL_508%20SECURE.PDF) released earlier this week . You can see two of the shrapnel-damaged KC-135s as they passed through the UK on the way home in the following photographs shared with us by aviation photographer Andrew McKelvey. We do not know if either of these is the one discussed by Tulley. ()  (Andrew McKelvey)   (Another battle-damaged KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling jet arrived at RAF Mildenhall.)  (Andrew McKelvey)  Lt. Gen. Linda Hurry, Commander of Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), followed Tulley’s comments with additional details about the repair work. “I’ll pick right up on that because it was our aircraft battle damage repair team that was actually able to patch their aircraft back together to get it back to Tinker [Air Force Base in Oklahoma] that can put it completely back where it needed to be,” she noted. Tinker is home to the Expeditionary Depot Maintenance (EDMX), which is “responsible for maintaining the Air Force’s sole source for Aircraft Battle Damage Repair (ABDR) rapid repair capabilities for the entire tanker and bomber fleets,” (https://www.afmc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2605820/b-1b-spectre-finds-retirement-job-with-76th-edmx/) according to the Air Force . “So with Operation Epic Fury, we’re asking those questions: What can we sustain for how long? And it begs a question about regeneration,” Tulley further explained. “You know, our new teammates have regeneration as part of their doctrine, so readiness in contact is the way we’re approaching this. What can we do to improve how we generate capability while under fire, in contact, persistently in an extended or protracted conflict? Lots of great examples of work being done to get after this. General Hurry’s team has brought a lot of capability forward at Mildenhall Air Base.”  One example of how this has worked has been repairing damaged aerial refueling booms in the U.K. instead of all the way back to the U.S., Tulley highlighted. The booms, which extend from the back of tankers so that receiving aircraft can get their gas, can be damaged by the process, especially during combat refueling. “I think we turned 30 booms instead of bringing them all the way back to the states,” Tulley noted. ()  A KC-135 refueling boom. (USAF)   Repairing battle damage is certainly a unique situation for AMC airman, but keeping hundreds of the command’s tankers and cargo aircraft moving at such a high rate prior to and during the war was a huge undertaking that was helped by new maintenance concepts. The Air Force sent maintainers and parts to bases in Europe to drastically speed up major maintenance that would have demanded the aircraft return stateside.  “We moved some maintenance actions forward, so they didn’t have to – the aircraft didn’t have to go all the way back to the states,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach said during his keynote speech earlier this week. “We put some of them in Europe, so they could get through some normal safety inspections that were either due or deferred. Got those done, and the aircraft doesn’t have to go all the way back to the states. They can go somewhere in Europe, get the thing done, and then get right back to the flight. And so, those measures by Air Mobility Command paid dividends in the readiness of our mobility fleet.” Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), which maintains the service’s fleet of strategic bombers and its ICBM force, did something similar at RAF Fairford in the U.K., AFGSC commander Gen. Stephen L. Davis explained. “It’s a complex problem,” said Davis. “I would say in the past we probably didn’t do this the right way. When we thought a conflict was kicking off, the first thing we do is start sending bombers forward, and that actually consumes our readiness. So I think we got it right during OEF.” “We pushed maintainers and support personnel forward to RAF Fairford, and then we actually took the bombers, we loaded them up in CONUS [Continental United States]. We took them to the Middle East. They actually did a mission. They employed, deployed, conducted a combat mission, and then landed at Fairford. And then for the next, well, I guess they’ve been there for now six-plus months.” “They’ve been conducting nearly daily operations out of there,” Davis proffered. “When bombers are back at home base, they build readiness. When we deploy it forward, they consume readiness. And then, as [Gen. Hurry] said, we’re getting great support in terms of parts, in terms of supplies, and in terms of forward depot support. So that fleet remains healthy.” (A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., arrives to participate in the Royal International Air Tattoo at Royal Air Force Fairford, England, July 15, 2025. The Lancer is slated to participate in RIAT, which has more than 80 aircraft are scheduled to attend from July 18-20, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Robert M. Trujillo))  A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer at RAF Fairford, England, July 15, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Robert M. Trujillo) Tech. Sgt. Robert Trujillo  Being able to do as much repair and maintenance work as close to the front lines as possible will be hugely important in any future fight against China, and, unfortunately, repairing battle damaged aircraft will be necessary too. Clearly, the Air Force has learned some very important lessons from Epic Fury.  Contact the author: howard@twz.com  (https://www.twz.com/authors/howard-altman) (Howard Altman Avatar)   (https://www.twz.com/authors/howard-altman) Howard Altman   Senior Staff Writer    Howard is a Senior Staff Writer for  TWZ  . He writes frequently about conflict, focusing heavily on the Middle East and Ukraine, and interviews with military and intelligence officials and industry leaders from around the globe. He lives near Tampa, Florida, home of U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command.   (https://twitter.com/haltman)     (https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardaltman/)           (https://www.twz.com/category/around-the-globe) Around The Globe      (https://www.twz.com/category/iran) Iran      (https://www.twz.com/category/middle-east) Middle East      (https://www.twz.com/category/news-features) News & Features         Loading comments…  Comments couldn’t be loaded. Please refresh the page.         Latest in KC-135 (https://www.twz.com/air/kc-135-that-lost-its-tail-in-deadly-collision-over-iraq-now-at-tinker-afb-repair-shop) (A KC-135 Stratotanker damaged in a mid-air collision over Iraq is now undergoing full repairs at Tinker Air Force Base.)     (https://www.twz.com/category/kc-135) KC-135   (https://www.twz.com/air/kc-135-that-lost-its-tail-in-deadly-collision-over-iraq-now-at-tinker-afb-repair-shop) KC-135 That Lost Its Tail In Deadly Collision Over Iraq Now At Tinker AFB Repair Shop   The KC-135 made an emergency landing in Tel Aviv with half its tail sheared off following the collision that occurred during an Operation Epic Fury sortie. By (https://www.twz.com/authors/howard-altman) Howard Altman        1:02 PM  August 7, 2026      (https://www.twz.com/air/will-usaf-tankers-getting-the-boot-from-israels-biggest-airpor-impact-combat-capabilities) (Israel is restricting the number of U.S. Air Force refueling tankers at Ben Gurion International Airport.)     (https://www.twz.com/category/kc-135) KC-135   (https://www.twz.com/air/will-usaf-tankers-getting-the-boot-from-israels-biggest-airpor-impact-combat-capabilities) Will USAF Tankers Getting The Boot From Israel’s Biggest Airport Impact Combat Capabilities?   The USAF had already drawn down a large part of its peak tanker force at Ben Gurion Airport, now additional jets will have to find new homes. By (https://www.twz.com/authors/howard-altman) Howard Altman        7:17 PM  July 14, 2026        ()    The TWZ Newsletter  Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.   (https://twz.beehiiv.com/) Sign Up  By signing up you agree to our(https://recurrent.io/terms-and-conditions/) Terms of Service and(https://recurrent.io/privacy-policy/) Privacy Policy.           More   (https://www.twz.com/air/all-of-frances-kc-135-tankers-bought-by-private-aerial-refueling-company-metrea) (Private aerospace firm Metrea has bought France's entire fleet of KC-135 tanker in a major new bet on contractor aerial refueling services.)     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