US Air Force rethinks next-generation tanker plans after industry survey

The US Air Force is pulling back from its goal of fielding a new generation of aerial refuelling aircraft after its top acquisitions official said industry proposals fell short.

William Bailey said responses to an industry survey on delivering a more survivable tanker offered modest improvements rather than a genuine leap forward. He spoke at the Air & Space Forces Association's annual conference and is performing the duties of assistant secretary of the air force without Senate confirmation.

The service began its search for a survivable refuelling aircraft in 2023 through an initiative called the Next Generation Air-refueling System, or NGAS. That programme called for an all-new design, not a modification of an existing commercial airliner. Air force leadership said at the time that it wanted a stealthy tanker able to enter service by the early 2030s.

Former air force secretary Frank Kendall said in 2023 that the service had fundamentally changed its approach and needed a refuelling capability resilient enough to survive against a pacing challenge. That commitment weakened after Kendall left office in early 2025, at the start of the second Trump administration.

Months later, a senior air force general indicated the service would consider other options, including using electronic warfare to help conceal a conventional tanker, an approach described as a signature-managed aircraft. The air force issued a new request for information in August of last year.

Bailey said the service will now widen its focus to how tanker access can be assured in contested airspace more broadly.