Lt. Gen. Christopher Kelly told members of the House Armed Services Committee last night that USAF could buy 50 new tankers with the $6.1 billion the service would save through 2030 simply by retiring the oldest KC-135Es by 2010. It would not pay, he asserted, to re-engine these oldest tankers. Lt. Gen. Donald Hoffman told reporters during a break in the hearing that the service expected to issue a request for information to industry within the next month and will have an official request for proposals out by fall. (Watch this space for more hearing coverage.)
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
