Sometime this fall, according to Kenneth Krieg, DOD’s point man on acquisition, the Pentagon may issue a request for information from contractors interested in providing a tanker replacement for USAF’s elderly KC-135s. In responding to questions after a speech last week at the ComDef 2005 Conference in Washington, Krieg said the analysis of alternatives is still under review, but once that is done, out will come the RFI. Just the week before, USAF retracted an RFI on tankers;that it;admitted was “premature.” (DR, 09/02/05) Likely contractors are not waiting for the starter pistol.
As near-peer adversaries have increased their reach and lethality, the U.S. Air Force is accelerating the tanker fleet recapitalization and aggressively pulling forward the Next Generation Aerial Refueling System (NGAS) to meet the threat. Globally operating the KC-46A has advanced mission...