The acquisition strategy for the KC-X tanker “hasn’t changed” and will not suddenly permit a two-contractor approach, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz told defense reporters Tuesday in Washington, D.C. The plan is to acquire 179 aircraft from a single contractor because that’s all the Air Force can afford, said Schwartz. The minimum economic order quantity on tankers would be 24 a year with two contractors, but the Air Force can only afford to buy about 15 annually, he said. Moreover, “Why should I have two separate support . . . and training requirements, if I can avoid that?” he asked.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.