The US Air Force’s aerial refueling tanker fleet has fallen short of its readiness goals every year since 2019, a government watchdog found, raising new concerns about a critical part of the US military’s airpower. According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, the Air Force’s aging KC-135 Stratotanker and newer KC-46A Pegasus tanker fleets did not meet availability and mission-capable standards from fiscal year 2019 through fiscal year 2025.
Despite having identified “sustainment risks” for the fleet, the Air Force “has not comprehensively assessed these risks or developed a plan to mitigate them,” the GAO report said. Those risks included shortages of critical repair parts, a lack of personnel to maintain the aircraft, and “infrastructure limitations.”
The report noted that the service has taken some steps to remedy those failures but lacks a comprehensive plan to prevent more breakdowns.
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