As tanker plans remains uncertain, today’s Air Force refuelers may fly past their 100th birthday
The service may need to look at a service life extension of the KC-135, Air Mobility Command says.
Audrey Decker | March 20, 2025
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As tanker plans remains uncertain, today’s Air Force refuelers may fly past their 100th birthday
The service may need to look at a service life extension of the KC-135, Air Mobility Command says.
Audrey Decker | March 20, 2025
Air Force
The Air Force may have to keep its aging KC-135 tankers flying beyond their planned 2050 retirement, depending on how many new tankers it buys in coming years and whether a next-generation refueling aircraft ever materializes.
Born in the 1950s, the Stratotanker has long been the backbone of the Air Force’s tanker fleet, with numerous upgrades to its avionics and engines over the years. However, with the KC-10 Extender now fully retired, the KC-46 Pegasus grappling with low readiness, and the future of a next-gen tanker becoming increasingly uncertain, the service may need to overhaul its KC-135s to keep them flying well past the program’s 100th anniversary.
Recapitalizing the tanker fleet is a major priority for the command and the service “may need to look at service life extension, potentially, of the KC-135,” Gen. Johnny Lamontagne, head of Air Mobility Command, told Defense One during the State of Defense series.
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/03/uncertain-future-next-tankers-may-keep-air-force-refuelers-flying-past-their-100th-birthday/403920/?oref=d1-homepage-river
