An analysis by AEI conducted in partnership with Breaking Defense scoured thousands of pages of fiscal 2026 Pentagon budget documents, some of the most definitive accounting yet for DOGE’s impact at the Department of Defense.
The Air Force’s statement brings to end to more than a year of speculation about its strategy for a “bridge tanker” meant to fill the gap between the KC-46 and its Next Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS), formerly called KC-Z.
Cybersecurity skills must evolve in near-real time as Zero Day threats continue and AI provides new challenges.
The services’ unfunded requests, obtained by Breaking Defense, reflect sharp increases compared to last year.
The Air Force plans to use the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus’s Capability Production Document “as the most affordable requirements basis” for the new program, potentially giving the embattled aerospace manufacturer a leg up in a competition.
Turkish defense expert Barin Kayaoglu told Breaking Defense that the decision to buy new tankers is a “big need, and timely.”
The US Air Force halted acceptance of the troubled tanker in February, following cracks discovered on the aircraft’s “outboard fixed fixed-trailing-edge support structure.”
The new timeline is a setback for the beleaguered tanker, whose deliveries have been halted since February.
The deals include seven new P-8s and 15 KC-46s.