Will the Air Force see 222 C-17s? That’s the number the service has often stated as being the minimum required to fulfill airlift requirements. The currently funded number is 180 C-17s. But Jumper said, “anything beyond 180 is part of the discussion” for both the capabilities study and the QDR. The answer could center on whether the Pentagon does decide to incorporate tankers into the lift-carrying equation.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.