Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne says that the Air Force expects an “imminent” release of a request for information from industry, followed by a request for proposals in September. Wynne, who was speaking at the 2006 spring policy-briefing luncheon hosted by the House Aerospace Caucus on Thursday, said, “We think that’s going to come very, very shortly.” He projected a contract award for mid-2007. Wynne noted that the $100 million provided by Congress in the 2006 budget will be used for tanker studies and the competition, adding, “It should be adequate to get us under way.”
Numbers Game Squeezes USAF Fighter Force
Dec. 15, 2025
Congress set the legal floor for how many primary mission aircraft the Air Force had to have in its fighter force in 2018, requiring at least 1,145 fighters through Oct. 1, 2026. In each of the past past two legislative cycles, lawmakers agreed to reduce the number. But when the House passed…
