The U.S. Air Force has developed a method for launching small drones from its KC-135 aerial refueling tankers and is studying the implementation of the modifications to the aircraft.
According to the Air Force, the refueling aircraft could deploy UAVs (unmanned aerial systems) to help defend against future threats.
In addition to supporting direct defense, the drones could also provide additional situational awareness and potentially carry out other missions in the future.
The prototype work for the KC-135’s drone delivery mechanism (DDM) began in 2023 and was completed in fiscal year 2024, which ended on September 30.
However, according to TWZ, the milestone only appears to have been revealed in the Air Force’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026, which began to be released last week. To complete the project, the Air Force is requesting $12.96 million.
The DDM budget request describes the system as intended to provide “onboard defensive/ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] capability for operations in a contested environment.”
“The drone launch mechanism capable of deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from a KC-135 in flight [aims] to provide an onboard defensive capability,” the Air Force added in the request.
“A prototype integrating a Common Launch Tube (CLT) with a modified KC-135 aft hatch [was used] to produce and determine the feasibility of this concept.”
The CLT is a standardized aerial launch system used by the U.S. military across various platforms, especially fixed-wing special operations aircraft and drones, to deploy precision-guided munitions and small unmanned aerial systems.
In general, CLT launchers are often reloadable from inside the aircraft on which they are mounted, which could allow KC-135s to fire multiple payloads via the DDM.
Now, “Air Mobility Command and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center [are] in discussions on [the] best approach to transition the KC-135 Drone Delivery Mechanism (DDM) to the appropriate POR [program of record] and implement the capability into the KC-135 fleet.”
Photo and video: USAF. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
