Secretary Wynne notes, however, that it remains an open question how long the existing fleet of KC-135s will last. The AOA was supposed to provide some insight into the life expectancy of the KC-135s, but the fact the Wynne raised the point indicates there isn’t a definitive answer yet. He gave no hint as to when the Pentagon might reach a conclusion. He did say that the KC-135 overhaul operation at Tinker AFB, Okla., is keeping the aircraft going remarkably well.
When Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. Dan Caine described the 150 aircraft used in Operation Absolute Resolve, the mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, he referenced many by name, including the F-35 and F-22 fighters and B-1 bomber. Not specified, however, were “remotely piloted drones,” among them a secretive aircraft spotted and photographed returning to Puerto…
