Private aerial refueling may help ease the intense demand for tankers, as service leaders and U.S. Transportation Command debate the plan to retire legacy refuelers. The Air Force’s fiscal 2021 budget request calls for retiring 16 KC-10s and 13 KC-135s. Top USAF and TRANSCOM officials ...
Air Mobility Command
The pressure on the aerial refueling community affects more than the iron on Air Force ramps. Total Force aircrews are part of the most stressed force element in U.S. Transportation Command, Army Gen. Stephen Lyons told the Senate Armed Services Community on Feb. 25. Lyons ...
The Air Force’s push to retire aging tankers to fund future capabilities will significantly impact current operations and the ability to fly current wartime missions, the head of U.S. Transportation Command wrote to lawmakers. In the command’s Unfunded Priority List sent to Congress on Feb. ...
Lt. Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost has been nominated to be the second in command at Air Mobility Command, the Pentagon announced Feb. 6. Van Ovost, currently the director of staff at headquarters Air Force, will take over for Lt. Gen. Jon Thomas if confirmed. ...
Boeing has incurred another $148 million in losses for its KC-46 tanker program due to higher than expected manufacturing costs, as the company works with the Air Force to address continued deficiencies in the tanker’s capabilities. The company disclosed the losses in a Jan. 31 ...
A career special operations pilot will become the second-highest officer at the Space Force's Space Operations Command, according to a slew of promotions and job changes announced Jan. 30. Col. Michael Conley, selected for promotion to brigadier general, comes to the Space Force after having ...
Aerial refueling tanker availability remains a major roadblock to readiness for US Transportation Command, prompting the military to look at retaining even more aging tankers as well as the possibility of relying on private contractors to fill the gaps, the head of TRANSCOM said. Army ...
USAF airmen have joined the fight against the wildfires raging across Australia, helping Royal Australian Air Force airmen bring relief supplies to affected areas. Airmen at Nellis AFB, Nev., last week helped load more than 50 bundles of fire suppressant and other equipment onto three ...
The Pentagon is bolstering security at the US Embassy in Iraq after Iranian-backed militias attacked it on Dec. 31. About 750 soldiers are immediately deploying aboard USAF C-17s, with more deployments possible over the next several days. “To Iran and its proxy militias: We will ...
The Air Force on Dec. 18 downgraded one of the top-level problems facing the KC-46 program, lifting a three-month ban that stopped the tanker from carrying personnel and cargo as Boeing began installing new cargo locks on the aircraft. The redesigned lock has been retrofitted ...
A KC-46 from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnell AFB, Kan., took off Nov. 13 and spent 13 days traveling around the world before landing home Nov. 26. The trip included visits to RAF Mildenhall, England, and the Dubai Air Show, according to Air ...
Air Mobility Command officials recently met with more than a dozen companies to figure out how the Air Force could use privately owned refueling aircraft to take on certain missions, freeing up USAF tankers for more training and operations. The command on Dec. 17 brought ...
