Unaffordable Cargo Hauler
knowitall replied to my prior:
"if you could find a fleet of 179 identical (or nearly identical) aircraft than it might be a viable option"
They don't need 179 all same airplanes; otherwise they would have bought 500 KC-10A Extender in 1983, rather than just 60. Most of the differences between fleets of 767-200s and DC10-30s are nonstructural, and would go away in the conversion process.
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"one of the main reasons for buying a Multi role tanker transport is that it will take alot of work from other hard pressed fleets like the C17"
Oh, so now the A330 is supposedly capable of short or rough airstrips like the C-17 was built for?
The KC-10A has full upper deck available for pax or cargo, yet it's probably rarely used for that. Most of the US military cargo is hauled by private companies like Evergreen Intl, Atlas/Polar, Kalitta, etc., using veteran 747-1 and -2, most of which have had cargo doors cut in them to convert from pax config, btw.
The USAF should not be in the pax or cargo hauling business, when competing private companies do it more efficiently, and with elastic supply.
A tanker is much like a fire truck. It has to be ready to go when you need it.
GB