The U.S. system created the world’s most advanced military. Can it maintain an edge?
By
Missy Ryan
April 1, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. EDT
EVERETT, Wash. — As they conduct bombing and surveillance missions around the globe, today's U.S. military pilots rely on aerial refueling aircraft built as early as 1957, when the Soviet Union dominated American security fears, the average home cost $12,000 and "I Love Lucy" was debuting new episodes.
The cost of keeping those aging jets in the air has grown sharply while the military awaits a next-generation refueling plane whose rollout has been repeatedly delayed by design and production issues.
The Air Force’s two-decade effort to field a 21st-century tanker, one of several premier air systems whose development has been beset with problems, is emblematic of the challenges Pentagon leaders face in seeking to maintain the U.S. military’s shrinking edge over its chief competitor, China.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/china-us-military-technology/2021/03/31/acc2d9f4-866c-11eb-8a67-f314e5fcf88d_story.html
