NoVAnav
I don't want to go over old ground, but would reflect on MoD's assertion that the Chinook HC Mk1 and HC Mk2 were unrelated (stated by Adam Ingram, Minister for the Armed Forces, under advisement by MoD), and that this utterly clueless statement led directly to the papers being revealed that MoD knew, 21 years ago, that neither was airworthy.
What you've said about the differences between the KC-135 and RC-135W is exactly what was said when comparing Nimrod MR2 and MRA4, yet the latter was cancelled and scrapped precisely because the audit trail tracking the evolution of the Comet > MR1 > MR2 > MRA4 was not seamless, so ultimately no-one was prepared to sign for airworthiness.
This time, I sincerely hope MoD has not ignored these basics and the MAA is satisfied. My main worry would be where did MoD find such a person, given the discipline has been ignored, as a matter of policy, since 1991.