DefenseUS Air Force tanker debate opens space for multi-aircraft NGAS approach
US Air Force officials offered mixed signals this week about the future shape of the service’s tanker fleet, keeping the possibility of multiple aircraft types under the Next-Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS) while reaffirming strong support for the Boeing KC-46.
At the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2026 Warfare Symposium in Colorado, Air Mobility Command’s interim chief, Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss, said NGAS could evolve into a “family of systems” rather than a single aircraft. Such an approach could combine platforms with different sizes, ranges and survivability levels to address operations in both permissive and contested environments.
The debate comes as the Air Force faces mounting pressure to replace its aging fleet of roughly 375 KC-135 Stratotankers, some of which date back to the Eisenhower administration. Of about 500 tankers in service today, the majority are KC-135s. The service plans to acquire up to 260 KC-46 Pegasus aircraft after deciding last year to add 75 more, but that still leaves a gap in overall capacity once the KC-135 retires.
NGAS is expected to address that longer-term requirement, yet key elements remain undefined. Options under discussion have ranged from stealthy tankers to blended-wing-body designs, business jet derivatives and uncrewed refueling aircraft.
Preference for additional KC-46
Northrop Grumman has outlined a three-part NGAS concept that would include a large blended-wing tanker, a midsized aircraft and a smaller uncrewed refueler. As part of that proposal, the company is developing a version of the Embraer KC-390 Millennium equipped with an autonomous refueling boom. The aircraft is not a theoretical option but a defined offering being advanced jointly by Northrop and Embraer as a candidate for a medium tanker role.
However, comments from the Air Force’s top civilian official suggest limited appetite for introducing a new tanker type in the near term.
In remarks to FlightGlobal on the sidelines of the same symposium, Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said he has not examined the KC-390 as part of the recapitalization plan. Instead, he offered a strong endorsement of the KC-46, calling it “a great airplane” and noting that it is actively supporting US combat operations worldwide.
The KC-46 has faced technical challenges since its selection in 2011, including issues with its refueling boom and Remote Vision System, though Boeing continues to address those deficiencies. In 2025, the Air Force expanded its planned KC-46 buy, reinforcing the Pegasus as the central pillar of near-term tanker modernization.
For Embraer and Northrop Grumman, the discussion of a multi-aircraft NGAS architecture keeps their KC-390-based tanker in play, particularly if the Air Force concludes that different threat environments require distinct refueling platforms. At present, though, the KC-46 remains the only tanker firmly embedded in the Air Force’s acquisition roadmap, while NGAS continues to take shape.
About the Author
Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
