Adding credence to the need for acquiring more than 180 C-17 airlifters is a Defense Science Board report (dated September 2005, but just released), in which the well-respected panel rings alarm bells over the 2008 cutoff of C-17 production. The DSB recommends the Pentagon keep open the option to “continue C-17 production beyond 2008.” The panel also recommended continued “evolutionary improvements” to both the C-17 and C-5 to increase their capabilities.
KC-46’s Refueling Boom Damaged While Refueling F-22s
July 8, 2025
A U.S. Air Force KC-46 tanker suffered damage to its boom while refueling F-22 Raptors off the coast of Virginia on July 8, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed, with reported radio communication from the crew indicating the boom “detached.”