US Air Force tankers are regularly supporting the Saudi-led campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen—a requirement that is expected to stay steady in the near future. Air Mobility Command chief Gen. Carlton Everhart said Wednesday that the service’s tankers are refueling aircraft across the US Central Command region, including Saudi fighters in support of their campaign. US officials have reviewed their support for Saudi Arabia and have expressed concern about reported civilian casualties. The US is extremely careful in its air campaigns, and is sure to “plan, plan, plan” all strikes to avoid civilian casualties, and the US is pressing Saudi Arabia to do the same but it is their campaign, Everhart said.
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.