Achieving Final Assessments for Future Tanker Designs (Next-Gen Tankers)
Next-Generation Air-Refueling System Analysis Nears Completion
AURORA, Colo. - The U.S. Air Force's Air Mobility Command (AMC) is nearing the completion of its analysis of alternatives (AoA) for the Next-Generation Air-Refueling System (NGAS), according to General John D. Lamontagne. The AMC chief revealed this during the AFA Warfare Symposium on March 5.
Lamontagne stated that most of the analysis has been submitted to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, with a few finishing touches scheduled to be finalized over the next couple of months. Initial plans, as shared by former Air Force acquisition executive Andrew Hunter, suggested the AOA would be completed by the fall of 2024.
The NGAS study evaluates various solutions for addressing the Air Force's need for a new air-refueling platform. It focuses on the tradeoffs among runway size, fuel delivery capacity at range, and signature management—the ability to remain undetected in demanding threat environments.
The urgent need for a replacement for the aging KC-135 fleet is emphasized by Air Force officials. Lamontagne highlighted that the KC-135, which forms the bulk of the Air Force's tanker fleet, is entering its sixth decade of service. Using the KC-135 in response to a current conflict would be akin to employing World War II-era aircraft, such as P-51 or B-17, which would have been around six decades old during the September 11 attacks.
General Randall Reed, head of U.S. Transportation Command, echoed these concerns during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing the same day. Reed pointed out that the Air Force aims to procure 179 KC-46 tankers to replace half of the current KC-135 fleet, but the average age of the remaining KC-135 aircraft will reach 67 years by the time the Air Force accepts the last KC-46 contract.
Over the past few years, industry has presented various concepts for NGAS, including Lockheed Martin's crewed flying wing and stealthy, autonomous designs. An Air Force spokesperson confirmed that the Department of the Air Force tapped startup JetZero in August 2023 to build a prototype Blended-Wing Body aircraft for testing new technologies, though the BWB effort is not officially connected to NGAS.
The timeline for NGAS remains uncertain. Early visions proposed new stealthy tankers becoming available around the mid-2030s, with interim "bridge tankers" taking over for some of the remaining KC-135s. In the meantime, Air Force officials have advocated for modernizing the mobility fleet as a whole, emphasizing the need for advanced sensors, beyond line-of-sight communications, tactical datalinks, and robust defensive systems to cope with future contested air environments.
AMC is also working on a capabilities-based assessment for a next-generation airlift platform. However, the urgency for this program is less pressing compared to NGAS, according to General Lamontagne, who stated, "We want to figure out what those next requirements look like before we fly the wings off the C-17." With the C-17 having a healthy lifespan left, the Air Force aims to stay ahead in its planning for a future airlift platform.
- The next-generation air-refueling system will necessitate advanced defensive systems, considering the need to operate in contested air environments.
- The U.S. Air Force is evaluating various technologies for the next-generation air-refueling system, including concepts like Lockheed Martin's crewed flying wing and stealthy, autonomous designs.
- The analysis for the next-generation air-refueling system has been submitted to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, with a focus on balancing factors such as runway size, fuel delivery capacity at range, and signature management.
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