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Originally Posted by SUBMAN1
That's the deal - the KC-135's are doing just fine! They are not falling apart in the air.
-S
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Ok, that's exaggerated, but old aircraft are maintenance intensive.
More maintenance, less ready aircraft, more spares in case something breaks down, less tankers overall, less sorties by fighter aircraft.
Most of these planes are Vietnam veterans and did cheesy movies with Jimmy Steward!
Ok, there are the KC-10s but those are not enough. Also, the rest of NATO depends on the US tanker fleet. The RAF is the only force that has somewhat close to as many tankers it needs. All others just have a few token tankers to support long range transfer flights.