While carrying out the same amount of workload, with fewer missions. Thereby, making great savings in fuel costs.
Average flight hours for US Air Mobility Command (AMC) are increasing to meet US commitments for peacekeeping forces and humanitarian relief. This increased operational tempo is depleting the remaining useful life of the existing US strategic air lifter fleet at a rate far exceeding that predicted several years ago. The current USAF "Air Mobility Master Plan" calls for the replacement of the C-141 transport by the year 2006 and retirement of the KC-135 tankers to begin in 2013. These 700+ aircraft, 80% of the current mobility fleet, are now 30 to 35 years old and are experiencing fatigue and corrosion problems leading to low availability rates. The C-141B represents 35% of the current US strategic airlift capability while the KC-135 comprises 90% of the tanker fleet. Corrosion of the KC-135 fleet may accelerate the retirement of those aircraft before the currently planned date, leaving a gap in the US airlift and tanker capability. Reduced procurement budgets will not allow a !.
one-for-one replacement of these aircraft, creating a need for a true multi-mission aircraft to maintain critical tanker and airlift capability. .
USAF will only be able to afford 300 aircraft to replace current 600 aircraft tanker fleet. .
Reduced fleet requires enhanced refueling productivity.
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Tanker replacement issues, Military transport aircraft remain in service much longer than their commercial counterparts. The extremely long service lives of these military aircraft, much longer than envisioned when they where designed, has forced the military into a series of update programs to keep these aircraft compatible with the commercial airways and to replace obsolete systems. Two examples of this are the KC-135 and KC-10 tanker aircraft. .
The KC-135 preceded its close cousin, the Boeing 707, into service in the late 1950's to become the mainstay of the USAF tanker force.