Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said in a press conference Monday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in Washington that, when the service awards a contract for tankers next July, it will be to one, not two companies. USAF had considered carrying two contractors forward and then competing annual buys, but Wynne told reporters that the Air Force is “constrained” in its funding and simply can’t afford two types, at least, not in the first increment. However, he added that it will take at least 20 years to recapitalize the tanker fleet, so there will be ample time to consider other aircraft. Wynne’s final word, though, was that the initial program needs “to get moving.”
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.