{"id":26653,"date":"2018-11-13T16:49:40","date_gmt":"2018-11-13T16:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/11\/13\/us-air-force-kc-135-damage-in-australia-interrupts-bomber-training-mission\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:13:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:13:42","slug":"us-air-force-kc-135-damage-in-australia-interrupts-bomber-training-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2018\/11\/13\/us-air-force-kc-135-damage-in-australia-interrupts-bomber-training-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"US Air Force KC-135 damage in Australia interrupts bomber training mission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MELBOURNE, Australia \u2014 A U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker was damaged Tuesday during a ground-handling incident at an Australian airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A tug, under operation by Australian airlines Qantas, was pushing the KC-135R aircraft from its parking bay at Sydney\u2019s Kingsford Smith International Airport when one of the tanker\u2019s nose landing gear doors was damaged by the tug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a source familiar with the incident, the incident fractured the KC-135R\u2019s rear nose landing gear door; its planned mission is now canceled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A second KC-135R, which had earlier been pushed back in preparation for takeoff, was also subsequently towed back by a replacement tug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two KC-135R tankers, call signs LULU23 and LULU24, are from the Air Force Reserve Command\u2019s 72nd Air Refueling Squadron, 434th Air Refueling Wing, which is based at Grissom Air Reserve Base in Indiana and arrived in Sydney earlier in the week from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.<\/p>\n\n\n\t