Replacement Requested - And Quickly!

America's primary aerial refueling platform is so old it is becoming too cost-prohibitive to keep, the secretary of the Air Force told lawmakers recently.

"The KC-135 Stratotanker is one of our most serious concerns," Dr. James G. Roche told members of the House Armed Services Committee during his fiscal 2004 budget request testimony.

According to Roche, mission-capable rates for the KC-135 are down by 16 percent in the past decade. In addition, programmed depot maintenance costs have tripled, and depot workload packages and flow-days have more than doubled. The problem, he said, is primarily caused by corrosion in the fuselages.

Twice As Old As The Techies Who Maintain It

The oldest KC-135s are approaching 50 years of age, while the newest Stratotankers were delivered to the Air Force in 1965.

"The marginal capabilities (of) the E-model tankers are becoming too expensive to justify," he said. "Its offload capacity is only 84 percent of the R-model, and these aircraft spend almost twice as much time in depot."

No More Retrofits

In the past, fitting them with new engines extended the operational life of the KC-135. However, Roche said, that is no longer an option.

"It's not a matter of re-engining because engines aren't the problem. It's corrosion," he said. "What grabbed me was the condition of the aluminum and other materials on these planes. When you start peeling away these airplanes, you keep finding something that's worse."

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper, who also testified at the hearing, said maintainers at the depot have begun calling the KC-135 the "battery," referring to the similar look of the aircraft's corroded metal to that on a car battery.

"Something Needs To Be Done"

According to Jumper, moisture naturally accumulates between the three layers of different metals in the aircraft's skin. That moisture, over time, corrodes the middle layer, turning it to powder.

"It's to the point that something needs to be done," Jumper said.

The secretary said the Air Force's plan, which would have to be approved by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, is to retire 68 of the older KC-135Es and replace them by leasing 100 Boeing 767s.

"Our idea is, we're willing to take a risk to retire the 68 (E-models) because they're just absorbing people, move (their crews and maintainers) to R-models because they're in much better shape, and then aim for a steady program to replace the tankers," Roche said.

While current economic conditions are such that Roche prefers to lease the aircraft rather then purchase them outright, the secretary admitted his plan is controversial.

"We think it's a good deal, but it is different," he said. "If (it turns out) we can't lease them, then we'll start buying in a few years. The secretary of defense agrees we need tankers -- it's (a matter of deciding) what's the smartest way, on behalf of the taxpayers, to get them. We have a good debate going."

FMI: www.af.mil