https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/y...-tanker-crews/
Air Force considers removing co-pilot from Boeing KC-46 tanker crews
Officials in the Air Force’s mobility enterprise are considering amending rules to allow just two crew members onboard the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tankers during dangerous missions, raising eyebrows among airmen.
Air Mobility Command is discussing the option as part of how it may handle war in the Indo-Pacific, where it believes large, slow jets including tankers would be more vulnerable to attack from Chinese anti-aircraft missiles. Shrinking the number of airmen onboard a tanker could help minimize potential troop casualties while still getting combat jets the fuel they need.….
The Air Force said the notion of a slimmed-down crew, with one pilot and one refueling boom operator, isn’t set in stone. Nor would it necessarily become standard procedure.
“The command is currently reassessing minimum flight crew requirements as we explore and validate new tactics, techniques and procedures oriented towards a dynamic, future fight,” AMC spokesperson Maj. Hope Cronin told Air Force Times July 15….