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 Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…