By
Theresa Hitchens on February 02, 2021 at 9:03 AM
KC-46 on Boeing factory floor
WASHINGTON: Air Mobility Command (AMC) is reviewing how many off-the-shelf tankers it will need to buy to “bridge” capabilities provided by the KC-46 fleet once its fully operational and the development of a follow-on tanker, says commander Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost. The Air Force hopes to have figured out a concept for that next-generation aerial refueling aircraft some time in 2022, she said.
The KC-46 is expected to be fully operational that is, able to take on the gamut of missions from medical airlift through aerial refueling in fiscal year 2024, Van Ovost told the Defense Writers Group today.
US Air Force reduces number of most critical KC-46A deficiencies janes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from janes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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STRATCOM: US nuclear strategy endangered if Left cuts modernization funding Print this article
The commander overseeing the nation’s nuclear arsenal said Tuesday that any cuts to modernization efforts would force a reconsideration of America’s nuclear strategy just as adversaries China and Russia are advancing differing nuclear threats to America.
“Let me be very clear: You cannot life-extend Minuteman III,” said Adm. Charles Richard, the head of U.S. Strategic Command, describing the 50-year-old intercontinental ballistic missiles that form the land-based leg of America’s nuclear triad.
In recent months, progressive Democrats have questioned the need for expensive upgrades and the land-based component altogether, but Richard said such a delay would jeopardize America’s nuclear deterrent.
Minuteman III Missiles Are Too Old to Upgrade Anymore, STRATCOM Chief Says
An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test at 1:13 a.m. Pacific Time Oct. 2, 2019, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a $13.3 billion contract to engineer and manufacture its next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. J.T. Armstrong)
6 Jan 2021
The aging Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles that have formed the land-based leg of the nation s nuclear deterrent triad for half a century can no longer be upgraded and require costly replacements, Adm. Charles Richard, head of U.S. Strategic Command, said Tuesday.