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Illustrated and signed by: Eric Lian
Customization of this aircraft tail number is available at no additional charge.
BEALE 940th ARW KC-135R 63-8017 with 63-8002 Donor Tail is an aviation art print from an original illustration. (This is not a photograph, a screen capture from a flight simulator, or AI) Meticulously detailed, the art print includes insignias for the Air Force Reserve Command, Fourth Air Force, 940th Air Refueling Wing, Air Combat Command, and the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. The description text is bordered by the American and California state flags and the 940th insignia. The silhouette of the refueling tanker includes an F-15E Eagle and an F-16 Fighting Falcon (Viper).
Perfect for award presentations, the office or home, or as a gift for that aviation fan.
Printed on high quality, heavy weight Luster paper using a 12-color pigmented, archival ink system.
The description on the print states:
KC-135R 63-8017 is one of eight Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers assigned to the 940th Air Refueling Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California. On March 12, 2026, while supporting Operation Epic Fury over western Iraq, the aircraft was involved in a mid-air collision that sheared off the upper half of its vertical stabilizer. Despite losing much of the upper fin and rudder, the crew retained control of the aircraft and made an emergency landing at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel. 63-8017 remained at Ben Gurion for nearly five months before a replacement vertical stabilizer, taken from KC-135R 63-8002, could be installed. With the donor stabilizer fitted, 63-8017 departed Tel Aviv on August 2, 2026, flying as REACH 564 to RAF Mildenhall in England. It continued to Tinker Air Force Base the following day for a comprehensive structural inspection and permanent repairs.
The 940th ARW is part of the air reserve component of the United States Air Force and assigned to the Fourth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command. The unit has a long and distinguished history dating back to 1963. The KC-135 is a military aerial refueling aircraft that has provided the core aerial refueling capability for the U.S. military and has excelled in this role for more than 50 years. The aircraft has four CFM56 turbofan engines which power takeoffs at gross weights up to 322,500 pounds (146,300 kg). Nearly all internal fuel can be pumped through the tanker's flying boom, the KC-135's primary fuel transfer method. A special shuttlecock-shaped drogue, attached to and trailing behind the flying boom, may be used to refuel aircraft fitted with probes. A boom operator stationed in the rear of the aircraft controls the boom while lying prone. A cargo deck above the refueling system can hold a mixed load of passengers and cargo. Depending on fuel storage configuration, the KC-135 can carry up to 83,000 pounds (38,000 kg) of cargo.
