Tanker Race Gains Dark Horse

June 13, 2006

The Air Force opened the door to contract aerial refueling operations and Omega Air stepped on through. Omega beat the deadline for responses to USAF’s request for information by announcing June 9 that it would serve up 60 modified DC-10s to fill the service’s tanking requirements, reports Dow Jones Newswires. This is not a new field for Omega, which currently provides contract refueling for Navy and Marine Corps aircraft using a Boeing 707 airframe. As far as we know, Omega is the only company that has offered to provide refueling service vice selling or leasing tanker aircraft to the Air Force.

Related Content

SECAF, B-21, Budgets: The Top Stories We’re Tracking for 2025

Dec. 30, 2024
Air & Space Forces Magazine traveled the the globe in 2024 to cover the biggest stories involving the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, from Ukraine to the Middle East, from Florida to California. Between regional conflicts in Europe and...

DOD to Track Suicide Deaths By Job Specialty Under New Law

Dec. 23, 2024
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.

DOD, Lockheed Agree on Price for Next 145 F-35s

Dec. 23, 2024
The F-35 Joint Program Office has agreed in principal to pay up to $11.8 billion for the next 145 F-35s from manufacturer Lockheed Martin—but final details on the deal won’t be hammered out until the spring.  The action specifies that...

Air Force Reopens Competition for New F-16 Ejection Seats

Dec. 23, 2024
The Air Force is partially reopening the competition for its Next-Generation Ejection Seat program, giving vendors the chance to offer their solutions for a new seat for the F-16 while sticking with its choice for the F-15. 

Refueling and Maneuvering Satellites in Orbit Is Key to National Security 

Dec. 23, 2024
“Military history shows that the best defense is almost always a maneuvering offense supported by solid logistics. This was true for mechanized land warfare, air combat, and naval operations since World War II. It will also be true as the world veers closer to military conflict in space,” writes Aidan…

How Miss America 2024 Took the Air Force Somewhere New

Dec. 20, 2024
When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.