US Air Force, WASHINGTON: The RAND Corp. released an executive summary March 7 detailing its findings from an analysis of alternatives study to replace the Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker fleet.
The report states, “A fleet of medium to large (300,000 to 1,000,000 pounds maximum gross takeoff weight) commercial derivatives is the most cost-effective alternative for KC-135 recapitalization.”
The analysis indicates there are a number of competitive aircraft currently available in this size class. RAND also concluded that the present value of all lifecycle costs of the combination of the KC-135 fleet and its replacement is relatively insensitive to when recapitalization begins.
Therefore, the timing of replacing the KC-135 fleet should be based instead on the Air Force's degree of confidence in the viability of the current fleet, annual budget constraints, and the operational risk associated with delaying improvements in the capability of the current fleet, the report said.
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