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.”
All of the U.S. military services are pursuing capabilities to complement GPS amid concerns that the constellation is increasingly vulnerable to interference, but a new government watchdog report calls for better coordination and prioritization among those efforts to avoid delays and duplication.
