An icon of airpower takes final bow: Ethel’s fini flight

KC-135R/T Stratotanker “Ethel,” from the 350th Air Refueling Squadron, McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, flies over the U.S., Dec. 19, 2025, during its final operational mission. First introduced during the Cold War era, Ethel accumulated more than 41 thousand flight hours throughout six decades of service years, equating to more than 4 consecutive years of flying if sorties were stacked back-to-back. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Paula Arce)

PHOTO BY: Senior Airman Paula Arce
VIRIN: 251219-F-SC213-1159.JPG
FULL SIZE: 4.96 MB
Additional Details

CAMERA

NIKON Z 7_2

LENS

NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR

APERTURE

11

SHUTTERSPEED

1/4000

ISO

1600

IMAGE IS PUBLIC DOMAIN

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This photograph is considered public domain and has been cleared for release. If you would like to republish please give the photographer appropriate credit. Further, any commercial or non-commercial use of this photograph or any other DoD image must be made in compliance with guidance found at https://www.dimoc.mil/resources/limitations, which pertains to intellectual property restrictions (e.g., copyright and trademark, including the use of official emblems, insignia, names and slogans), warnings regarding use of images of identifiable personnel, appearance of endorsement, and related matters.