During Operation Creek Party, which started in 1967 and lasted for 10 years, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve tankers supported active duty USAF and NATO units in Europe. The aircraft on display, flown by the 160th Air Refueling Group of the Ohio Air National Guard, participated in this operation, and on June 7, 1973, the mayor of Zeppelinheim, a town near Rhein-Main Air Base in West Germany, christened this aircraft in his town's honor. The Zeppelinheim was flown to the museum in August

Boeing KC-97L Stratofreighter: A Workhorse of Aerial Refueling ⛽✈️ Originally developed as a cargo version of the B-29, the C-97 Stratofreighter took its first flight in November 1944. By 1950, Boeing introduced the KC-97 tanker, featuring the now-standard flying boom refueling system. In total, the USAF ordered 890 aircraft, including 74 C-97 cargo planes and 816 KC-97 tankers. As high-performance jet aircraft entered service, the USAF gradually replaced its KC-97s with KC-135 jet tankers after

X-47B made aviation history by successfully conducting the first ever autonomous aerial refueling of an unmanned aircraft – unlocking the full potential of what an autonomous surveillance, strike and reconnaissance system can do in support of critical national security missions. #NorthropGrumman #FlyingWingFriday | Northrop Grumman Corporation

Check out this video with interior shots of the Boeing KC-97L Stratofreighter located in the Cold War Gallery. Learn more about this aircraft here--> http://bit.ly/2nUCXvI | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force