About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (June 24, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govedus0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional ~.Research Service Air Force Tanker Strategy Changes Updated June 24, 2021 As discussed in the CRS report Air Force KC-46A Pegasus Tanker, the Air Force is in the process of replacing its fleet of 396 KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft, built in the 1950s and 60s, and 59 KC-10 Extenders, which entered service in 1981. Recent announcements indicate that the planned replacement program is changing significantly from its original form, which Congress may consider in evaluating the FY2022 defense budget requests. The Air Force originally envisaged replacing the current tanker fleet in three stages. An initial acquisition of 179 new aircraft procured through the KC-X competition (won by the Boeing KC-46A) would replace roughly one-third of the KC-135 fleet. A further 179 tankers were projected to be procured in a second solicitation called KC-Y; initially projected as anew competition based on what aircraft were available at the time, it was subsequently recast as a continuation of KC-46Aprocurement. A third program, KC-Z, was to be a replacement for the KC-10 fleet, a larger tanker than the KC-46. Subsequently, the Air Force dropped plans for the KC-Z, envisioning it instead as a third tranche of KC-46s. However, it now appears that tanker procurement plans have changed in at least two ways. One is that the KC-Y program is to be a full and open competition rather than a follow-on KC-46 contract. The Air Force released a sources sought notice on June 16, 2021, seeking a commercial derivative tanker aircraft. This would seem to limit the field to the KC-46 and the Airbus A330 Multi- Role Tanker Transport. An earlier version of the A330 tanker lost to Boeing after three rounds of a protracted and controversial KC-X competition. The Air Force is referring to this prospective procurement as a Bridge Tanker, to fill in between the current KC-X and future KC-Z; it is not clear how or whether that nomenclature distinguishes the program from the already-scheduled KC-Y The service projects issuing a formal request for proposals for the Bridge Tanker by the end of calendar 2022. In another change, the Air Force view of KC-Z has been evolving for some time, and the Bridge Tanker sources sought announcement recast KC-Z as an Advanced Air Refueling Tanker, albeit without further detail. This follows recent remarks by service leaders indicating an interest in focusing the former KC-Z Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11537 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Membersand Committeesof Congress

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most