The Air Force’s long-awaited—and long-delayed—tanker analysis of alternatives is set to be released around Dec. 16. However, it is likely to be a slim document. The RAND study includes proprietary information from Boeing, Airbus, and other companies that cannot be released, so chances are the public version will amount to little more than an executive summary. Word is that the AOA also does not identify an optimum solution—but a range of choices and costs.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.