America's New Tanker: Needed Now

The October issue of Air Force magazine carries a sobering article concerning the advancing average age of the entire Air Force fleet and what needs to be done to reduce it. The headline, "Needed: 200 New Aircraft a Year," says it all.>> "The Air Force's aircraft have been flying, on average, for 24 years, representing the oldest fleet in the service's 61-year history," writes reporter Megan Scully who then gets to the heart of the matter - highlighting perhaps the most egregious example of the aging fleet, the KC-135. "Some aerial refueling tankers, in particular, date back to the 1950s, posing serious operational and maintenance challenges to an Air Force at war.">> The article then offers minute detail - listing aircraft after aircraft - and the Air Force's estimate of its needs. The bottom line, the story says is a need for prioritization. "Without the extra $20 billion annually the Air Force has said repeatedly that it so desperately needs, where does the force spend its limited dollars?">> Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz offered the answer: "'We have said that it's the [next generation] tanker first,' Schwartz said.> "That is the appropriate first priority.'">> In other words, the Air Force needs a new tanker now. Unfortunately, as has been so often reported, the tanker competition has been delayed, which was the wish of original loser of the competition, the Boeing company.>> This has exacerbated a problem that the article points out is getting high level notice. "Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), second-ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, likewise expressed concerns about the age and operational stress on the tanker fleet.