Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley and Secretary Michael Wynne addressed the KC-X tanker replacement program issue in testimony before the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee Wednesday, agreeing with Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) that it should serve as more than a refueler. “You would always want the airplane to be capable of aeromedical evacuation; you would always want the airplane to be capable in other mission areas,” Moseley said. (The Government Accountability Office recently criticized USAF for failing to do an exhaustive analysis to prove the worth of a hybrid tanker.) USAF included hauling capability—cargo and people—in its nine key performance parameters in the KC-X request for proposal. “We’re looking for the proposals to come back—I think—in mid-summer,” said Wynne, adding, “and we’re looking for the contract to be awarded by year’s end.”
The Air Force has selected Collins Aerospace and Shield AI to develop the software Collaborative Combat Aircraft will use to fly missions alongside manned fighters, the service revealed Feb. 12—and drone-maker General Atomics was quick to announce it has already flown its YFQ-42A aircraft with Collins’ system.
