From: Harold Brattland <habrattland@arvig.net> Sent: Monday, June 15, 2026 1:42 PM To: Brattland, Mike * <mgbrattland@gerlecreek.com> Subject: Aviation Week :: U.S. Air Force Weighs Steps To Expand Its Tanker Force Check out this site https://aviationweek.com/defense/budget-policy-operations/us-air-force-weigh... -- U.S. Air Force Weighs Steps To Expand Its Tanker Force Brian Everstine <https://aviationweek.com/author/brian-everstine> June 11, 2026 <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2026-06/tanker_us_air_force_promo_1.jpg?itok=JGOEyLcY> The Air Force is pushing Boeing’s KC-46 production line to full capacity, the service’s leader says. Credit: Staff Sgt. Tryphena Mayhugh/U.S. Air Force The U.S. Air Force has set a goal for its refueling tanker fleet but lacks a clear plan to achieve it. The service has a legal requirement to increase its overall fleet of refuelers to 502 by the end of fiscal 2028, up from its current 466. The bulk of those are aging Boeing <https://aviationweek.com/term/boeing> KC-135 Stratotankers, but more Boeing <https://aviationweek.com/term/boeing> KC-46s are being delivered to modernize in the interim. Beyond the current KC-46 program of record, a large gap needs to be addressed. * KC-46 vision system wraps up early tests * Six Boeing <https://aviationweek.com/term/boeing> KC-135s undergo repairs following damage by Iran “Our intent, our strategy, is to replace all the 135s in the fleet going forward,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told the U.S. Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee on June 9. This year is shaping up to be a pivotal moment for the service’s tanker modernization effort. More than 105 KC-46s have been delivered as of early June. Boeing <https://aviationweek.com/term/boeing> announced on June 3 that it had completed initial flight testing of the long-awaited and required overhaul of the tanker’s Remote Vision System, first announced in 2020 and repeatedly delayed. The new 4K, full-color camera system is slated for installation on new-build tankers beginning in 2028, though it is not yet clear how the rest of the delivered fleet will be overhauled. At the same time, the Air Force has been touting the combat capability of its KC-46s with the existing Remote Vision System, some of which are serving heavily in operations in Iran. The fleet is picking up missions and taking major steps toward a refueling role for nuclear bombers that are on alert. In mid-May, the 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnell AFB, Kansas, conducted a Nuclear Operational Readiness Inspection. Air Mobility Command in the announcement said it is committed to including the new tanker in the deterrence mission, adding that the inspection was a key step forward. “Though we cannot comment on the status of the aircraft’s inclusion in the nation’s nuclear mission, this inspection marks a significant milestone toward the aircraft’s ability to conduct nuclear support operations,” the command tells Aviation Week. The Air Force has been accepting KC-46s at a rate of 15 per year. That number is expected to jump to 18 per year beginning in 2028 under a budget increase as the service maxes out Boeing <https://aviationweek.com/term/boeing> ’s production line, Meink told lawmakers in June. This coincides with new contracts with the airframer, which include a substantial rise in individual flyaway unit cost to $321.9 million per aircraft in fiscal 2028 from $199.7 million in fiscal 2027. The Air Force plans to field 188 total KC-46s under the current program; procurement is set to wrap up in 2032. The service then intends to begin a production extension for another 75 of the tankers, bringing the operational KC-46 fleet to 259—slightly more than half the congressionally mandated total. In the early days of the fiscal 2027 budget process this spring, the service briefly publicized a goal of buying 319 total KC-46s. However, when Aviation Week asked about that number, the service said the figure was a mistake and needed to be revised down to 259. The changing tally indicates uncertainty about how the overall refueling fleet will increase and that more tankers could from Boeing <https://aviationweek.com/term/boeing> in the long term. “We are essentially maxing out Boeing <https://aviationweek.com/term/boeing> ’s ability to produce really at the max rate that Boeing <https://aviationweek.com/term/boeing> ’s capable of producing tankers,” Meink said. The Air Force had completed an analysis of what would follow as part of the Next-Generation Aerial Refueling System program before putting that on ice this year. Instead, the service is focusing on short-term upgrades to situational awareness and survivability in its current fleet. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John Lamontagne, who previously led Air Mobility Command, said during a June 4 event at the Mitchell Institute that the analysis looked at offloading more fuel at a long range, signature management of aircraft and other factors. However, the service’s procurement accounts have become “crowded,” and there was not enough funding to go ahead with the new development. To ensure it has enough tankers flying, the Air Force is metering out how many KC-135s it is retiring as the KC-46s come on board, Lamontagne said. The tanker fleet has been damaged in recent operations in the Middle East. One KC-135 suffered a total loss in a crash in Iraq, and six others were damaged on the ground in Iranian attacks on bases across the region. “The other six aircraft, we believe, are in the process of being refurbi,shed and will be back in inventory but nonetheless, it’s old,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach told lawmakers on June 9. “These are old airplanes that we’re replacing as quickly as we can.” <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/author_thumbnail/public/2021-11/Brian%20Everstine%205x7_1.jpg?itok=wafr1QlB> Brian Everstine <https://aviationweek.com/author/brian-everstine> Email: brian.everstine@aviationweek.com <mailto:brian.everstine@aviationweek.com> Brian Everstine is the Pentagon Editor for Aviation Week, based in Washington, D.C.