A
tanker is usually a
vehicle carrying large amounts of liquid
fuel. The most common use of the word is when referring to a large
ship, carrying
petroleum products. Such tankers have several times caused large environmental disasters when sinking close to coastal regions, see
Exxon Valdez.
A
tanker is an
aircraft used for in-flight refueling.
The
US Air Force mostly uses converted transport aircraft, such as the C-135. The
US Navy tends to use smaller aircraft, often converted attack aircraft such as the A-6.
A
tanker is any crew member of a main battle
tank.