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.”
A recent seven-day exercise sent Air Force F-22s—along with other USAF aircraft—to austere, challenging environments across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Agile Reaper, taking place for the second time after its inaugural edition last year, featured 800 Airmen and 29 aircraft across five different locations from April 10-16, training…