The Air Force is again targeting its old tankers for retirement, so it can make room for new KC-46s to come online. The service's 2022 budget request looks to cut 18 KC-135s and 14 KC-10s, as it buys 14 more KC-46s. Maj. Gen. James D. ...
The Air Force is asking to retire 201 airplanes and buy 91 new ones in its fiscal 2022 budget request, representing a net decrease of 110 airplanes. The fighter fleet would drop by 77 aircraft, and the RQ-4 Global Hawk fleet would be cut by ...
The Air Force didn’t effectively oversee the development of the KC-46’s refueling boom, leading to additional delays and costs and a lingering deficiency that prevents the tanker from refueling some USAF aircraft, according to a new Pentagon watchdog report. The Defense Department Inspector General, in ...
Air Force Magazine on May 25 flew aboard a KC-46 during a refueling flight as part of Air Mobility Command’s major exercise Mobility Guardian 2021 in Michigan, the first time an independent media outlet has flown on the new tanker. The KC-46 from McConnell Air ...
The defense budget coming out May 28 will contain few big surprises. Plans to retire some older planes have already been reported, and the longer-range plans typically surfacing at budget time—known as the Future Years Defense Plan, or FYDP—are still being debated. But inklings of ...
The Air Force is ready to start buying some of the technology that will make up the Advanced Battle Management System, moving the program from theory to development, according to a May 21 release. First up will be new communications “pods” for the KC-46 Pegasus ...
The Air Force is considering two bases for the next Active-duty KC-46 component and six bases for the next Pegasus Reserve unit, with a decision expected this fall. The service announced May 13 it is looking at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, and MacDill Air ...
Top Department of the Air Force leaders told lawmakers May 7 they need to divest aging aircraft to make room for more advanced systems, setting up a now familiar budget fight on Capitol Hill. “America cannot wait to modernize the Air Force any longer, not ...
Boeing reported its sixth straight loss in its first-quarter earnings report April 28, including a new charge on the Air Force One replacement program. However, Boeing Defense saw increased revenue, spurred largely by new KC-46, P-8, and V-22 contract awards. Company CEO David L. Calhoun ...
Air Mobility Command is modifying palletized lavatory and galley systems to avoid possible “spillage” as KC-46s take off and land, after issues arose with the system during operations. The Air Transportable Galley-Lavatory is a palletized combination lavatory and galley that provides additional toilets, beverage production, ...
Boeing has only delivered two KC-46 tankers to the Air Force so far in 2021, despite USAF officials saying they expect that total per month, as the service has slowed the delivery pace of the aircraft. Though there are more aircraft ready at Boeing’s facilities, ...
Air Mobility Command has big plans to overhaul its gray-tailed heavies for the high-end fight, turning airlifters into command and control assets and possibly putting air-to-air missiles on tankers. The long-term planning is a shift away from the idea of keeping mobility assets away from ...