“We’re close” to launching a new tanker competition, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told reporters Monday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference. He said the new draft for proposals would be out “in a couple of weeks,” with the announcement coming not from Donley but from Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who will also explain the rules of the new contest. And, Donley said he sees nothing in the recent World Trade Organization ruling that would alter the course of the tanker contest. “We see no immediate impact,” he said, since there are still “months” of process and potential appeals remaining to play out over the WTO ruling.
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.