Originally Posted by
melmothtw
Really? Because in 2017 the chief of USTRANSCOM, General Darren McDew, told Congress that the shortfall in tanker capacity was the thing that was causing him "to lose sleep at night". He added that plans to retire the KC-10A from 2019 to 2024 were being considered because of this shortfall in capacity.
Yes, really. I said USAF had not lost any tanking capacity. It has not. The shortfall is due to an increase in tanking requirements, not a decrease in tanking capacity. That's why USAF is looking at delaying KC-10 retirements, looking at buying tanking services from vendors versus buying tankers for organic tanking, further extending the life of KC-135s, and more. Now keep in mind that if USAF decides to buy tanking services, there will be a plethora of vendors who will convert old aircraft into tankers to provide those services and that Lockheed/Airbus will have to compete with those low-cost providers. Good luck with that.