Overview
- U.S. Air Force leaders and Boeing agreed to a three-part plan that targets near-term availability gains of about 6% and more than 20% by 2030, supported by the FY2027 budget request.
- Five early-build KC-46s will be repurposed to serve as test aircraft and to release high-value spare parts such as engines and landing gear into the operational fleet.
- The upgrade to the Remote Vision System, known as RVS 2.0, will begin fielding in early 2028, with the retrofit window cut from 13 years to seven and aircraft downtime reduced by about 90% by pairing work with depot maintenance.
- A limited five-year performance-based logistics deal will put Boeing on the hook to improve the aerial-refueling subsystem, which the Air Force says is the top driver of low availability, before sustainment returns to Air Force shops.
- Separate from the readiness plan, senators pressed the Air Force on projected unit costs rising from about $235 million in FY27 to roughly $334 million in FY28, and an Air Force official said earlier jets were priced at a loss and that new costs are under negotiation.