Air Force KC-135 and KC-10 tankers offloaded more than 357 million pounds of fuel in the first four months of 2011 to coalition aircraft flying in US Central Command’s area of operations, according to Air Mobility Command officials. That equates to roughly 53 million gallons, or enough fuel to fill an F-16 carrying two external fuel tanks to its capacity “more than 29,750 times,” they stated. If this pace does not decline, the tanker force will deliver more than 1 billion pounds of fuel to thirsty receiver aircraft this year in Southwest Asia. That would be the fourth consecutive year of eclipsing one billion pounds. The record was in 2008 with more than 1.1 billion pounds. Last year, the total was more than 1.05 billion pounds. (Scott report by MSgt. Scott T. Sturkol)
While U.S. defense officials have spent much of the past decade warning that China is the nation’s pacing threat and its People’s Liberation Army represents an urgent threat in the Indo-Pacific, several defense researchers are skeptical that the PLA has the human capital, the structural ability, or the political appetite…