Above the Clouds: A Tanker's-Eye View. Photographed from aboard a piston-and-jet hybrid tanker aircraft, likely a Boeing KB-50 Superfortress, this image captures a spinning propeller and engine nacelle high above a Southeast Asian cloud deck during the Vietnam War. Aircraft like this refueled tactical fighters via probe-and-drogue hose, extending their range and combat endurance during the early years of American air operations over Vietnam. Project: 218473