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Air Force

USAF ‘Driving Toward’ 465 Tankers, As Service Accounts for 18-Month RVS 2.0 Delay for KC-46

Frank Wolfe

Wednesday, May 7th, 2025

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USAF ‘Driving Toward’ 465 Tankers, As Service Accounts for 18-Month RVS 2.0 Delay for KC-46

Pictured are personnel from the 22nd Refueling Wing at McConnell AFB, Kans. in the cockpit of a KC-46A Pegasus on April 30 (U.S. Air Force Photo)

U.S. Transportation Command needs some 465 tankers, according to its Mobility Capabilities Study, as the U.S. Air Force looks to fix five Category 1 deficiencies on its Boeing [BA] KC-46A Pegasus in the next year and a half. The KC-135 Stratotanker, which first fielded in 1957, is the backbone of the strategic tanker fleet, and Boeing has delivered 89 KC-46As before stopping in February due to cracks discovered on two planes. Congress has set the minimum tanker number at 466.…

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