FY2027 budget request highlights shift in USAF’s future aerial refuelling priorities
The USAF recently inked a contract with Boeing for 15 additional KC-46A aircraft at $2.4 billion. (Photo: USAF)
The USAF’s Next-Generation Aerial Refuelling Programme is coming under scrutiny in the wake of the Pentagon’s FY2027 budget request, signalling a change in how the force could prioritise the modernisation of its tanker fleet.
The US Air Force’s (USAF) future priorities to shore up and modernise its aerial tanker fleet could see a shift in focus in light of recent defence budget requests for FY2027 published this month.
The USAF’s work to develop a sixth-generation tanker platform, named Next-Generation Aerial Refuelling System (NGAS), is currently already underway via a study to assess its feasibility. In the wake of FY2027 budget requests, however, the force has said it wants to move funds from the NGAS programme to a new effort named the Advanced Tanker Systems (ATS) programme – with no 2027 funding requested for NGAS but US$13 million
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