Air Force Seeks to Bridge Aerial Refueling Gap.

• Author: Tegler, Jan

The Air Force is facing a gap in aerial refueling capacity through the mid-2020s as it retires aged KC-10 and KC-135 tankers faster than they can be replaced by the troubled KC-46A Pegasus or a follow-on tanker aimed at serving as a bridge between existing and next-generation capabilities.

A Hudson Institute report released in November, "Resilient Aerial Refueling: Safeguarding the U.S. Military's Global Reach," estimates the service will experience an approximately 6 to 11 percent reduction in aggregate fuel offload capacity this decade.

In 2021, the Air Force's 442 operational KC-lOs and KC-135s and 50 partially operational KC-46As were "likely capable" of delivering approximately 33 million pounds of fuel at 2,500 nautical miles, said Timothy Walton, lead author of the report. By 2024, he assessed fleet capacity may drop to "around 30 million pounds of fuel, using a nadir of 479 fully operational tankers."

The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act would allow the Air Force to retire 14 KC-10s this year, another 12 in 2023 and 22 KC-135s in 2022. That's a reduction of 48 tankers in the next 23 months. Any plans for further cuts in 2023 likely won't be known until March or April when the president's budget request is expected to be released.

In statement to National Defense in early February, Air Mobility Command acknowledged that there is a "projected AR capacity shortfall." But the organization says it can "close" the shortfall by getting utility now from the 55 KC-46As delivered to date by Boeing as part of the KC-X contract for 179 tankers awarded in 2011.

Already years behind schedule, the KC-46 will not be certified for full operations or cleared for full-rate production until 2024 or later due to ongoing deficiencies including problems with its remote vision system. However, AMC has approved four "interim capability releases" since last July.

The releases allow KC-46s to refuel approximately 70 percent of all aircraft supported during Transportation Command taskings, according to Air Mobility Command. The remaining 30 percent, including fifth-generation fighters like the F-22 and F-35 and bombers like the B-1B and B-2, have not been certified for refueling by the Pegasus due to clarity and depth perception issues related to its vision systems. A "stiff boom" problem rules out refueling the A-10 and other smaller aircraft.

Asked how the KC-46 can close the service's capacity shortfall despite being only partially operational, AMC said the KC-10 and KC-135 will provide sufficient capability and capacity to fulfill aerial refueling requirements "not met by the KC-46A throughout the recapitalization...