F-35 Cancelled, then what ?

[Mil-26Man]

Originally Posted by Davef68

Th USAF are/were considering it

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...c-z-ta-429534/

and the US Navy is looking at similar for the MQ25

Yes, I'm not sure I buy that Davef68. Seems to me that Boeing is looking for a differentiator to the A330 MRTT, and this is what they have come up with to justify the USAF's U-turn. Can't see the USAF ever flying a KC-46A in contested airspace. As for the MQ-25, that's less about fielding a tanker and more about finding a mission (any mission) that allows them to develop the unmanned platform they really want for strike and ISR.

So you’re back to dropping nukes on Poland, Hungary or the Baltic states then?

Why would the F-35 need to drop its ordnance directly over where it has tanked? That's not how tanking works, but you already know that.