61-2669 Boeing C-135C
The immaculate "Speckled Trout" transport/testbed aircraft on show at the 1999 RIAT, RAF Fairford.
"Speckled Trout" is the official name of a combined SAF/CSAF support mission and concurrent test mission. It was also the official nickname given to this modified C-135C used by the Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force for executive transport requirements. Fully equipped with an array of communications equipment, data links and cryptographic sets, the aircraft served a secondary role as a testbed for proposed command and control systems and was also used to evaluate future transport aircraft design. The 412th Flight Test Squadron (412 FLTS) of the Air Force Material Command (AFMC) at Edwards AFB, California operated the C-135 Speckled Trout airframe and managed its test mission.
The name Speckled Trout applies to both the organization and the aircraft. The name was chosen in honor of an early program monitor, Faye Trout, who assisted in numerous phases of the project. The word "speckled" was added because Trout apparently had "a lot of freckles."
Speckled Trout acquired C-135C 61-2669 in 1974 and retired the aircraft on 13 Jan 2006. The current aircraft used in this role is KC-135R 63-7980. The KC-135R Speckled Trout also supports additional tests and air refueling requirements that the C-135C could not.
61-2669 Boeing C-135C
The immaculate "Speckled Trout" transport/testbed aircraft on show at the 1999 RIAT, RAF Fairford.
"Speckled Trout" is the official name of a combined SAF/CSAF support mission and concurrent test mission. It was also the official nickname given to this modified C-135C used by the Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force for executive transport requirements. Fully equipped with an array of communications equipment, data links and cryptographic sets, the aircraft served a secondary role as a testbed for proposed command and control systems and was also used to evaluate future transport aircraft design. The 412th Flight Test Squadron (412 FLTS) of the Air Force Material Command (AFMC) at Edwards AFB, California operated the C-135 Speckled Trout airframe and managed its test mission.
The name Speckled Trout applies to both the organization and the aircraft. The name was chosen in honor of an early program monitor, Faye Trout, who assisted in numerous phases of the project. The word "speckled" was added because Trout apparently had "a lot of freckles."
Speckled Trout acquired C-135C 61-2669 in 1974 and retired the aircraft on 13 Jan 2006. The current aircraft used in this role is KC-135R 63-7980. The KC-135R Speckled Trout also supports additional tests and air refueling requirements that the C-135C could not.