The U.S. Air Force plans to release a draft request for proposals for the KC-135 Recapitalization Program in fiscal year 2025, but the acquisition strategy remains in development as the service waits for more input from the industry. Known previously as the “bridge tanker,” the Recapitalization Program would provide a seamless transition from the close of the contract for KC-46-expected around 2029 to NGAS.
That said, the Air Force has signaled it will finish ongoing market research before deciding how it will buy the new tankers. “The service is committed to delivering the best tanker to the warfighter at the best value,” an Air Force spokesperson said. Yet the question of whether it will hold a competition remains up in the air. Secretary Frank Kendall has expressed skepticism that a competition would be worth much, citing the costs and delays that might ensue.
With Lockheed Martin’s recent withdrawal of its LMXT offering, which was based on the Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport, Airbus is competing alone. But it said despite Lockheed’s exit, Airbus is committed to providing a modern and capable tanker to the U.S. Air Force. “Airbus remains committed to providing the U.S. Air Force and our warfighters with the most modern and capable tanker on the market,” an Airbus spokesperson affirmed.
To many in the industry, the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus is the logical selection to recapitalize U.S. tankers. The KC-46 possesses an established U.S.-based supply chain, making it more reliable in dependability and logistics. The adaptation of flexible technology by Pegasus allows modification in strategic plans while facing unfolding challenges in real-time. In addition, the KC-46 works as an intelligence hub in the sky, further increasing the competitive and strategic advantage of the US aerial fleet.
The dropout by Lockheed from the tanker competition may or could lead to a better opportunity to secure more KC-46 orders. In a way, the Air Force’s acquisition strategy has undergone major amendments, with plans for buying second-phase tankers cut about in half, to about 75. This has hastened plans to acquire NGAS, a next-generation aerial refueling system.
This is the main goal of the KC-135 Recapitalization Program: to replace the increasingly aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers that have been in service since the Eisenhower Administration. The program is designed to ensure that a line of aerial tanker production is never broken so that the U.S. Air Force would at all times be prepared for any future conflict and competitive in the air.
Meanwhile, the Air Force continues its recapitalization, but at the forefront of this debate is the choice between the KC-46 Pegasus and Airbus MRTT. This ultimate decision will set the future of U.S. air refuelings to project power throughout the world.