The Air Force has selected 42 airmen to be the first KC-46 initial operational, test, and evaluation aircrew, including officers and enlisted airmen from the Active Duty, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard. The airmen selected are the “best in their field” and came from a selective program, said Maj. Broc Starrett, with the Air Force Personnel Center mobility air forces rated assignments, in a release. “These Total Force airmen will have a significant impact on the future of the Air Force mobility mission.” The KC-46 program checked off another program first when three test aircraft flew missions on the same day, Boeing announced on March 17.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.