The flip side of all this is what Wynne called “the wear-out factor.” It’s not known what the long-term implications are of using all of the force at a higher rate. One thing’s for sure, though, said Wynne, “We are flying more hours than we planned.”
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.