Air Force Seeks Ideas for New Tanker

Industry partners have until late October to provide their input.

Zach Vasile

Monday, August 25, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A KC-135 Stratotanker [Credit: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Air Force is actively soliciting defense industry ideas for its Next-Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS) project, aiming for a new tanker aircraft to be in service by 2040.
Despite persistent issues with the KC-46 Pegasus tanker, the Defense Department intends to purchase up to 75 more KC-46s in its fiscal year 2026 budget, rather than holding a new design competition for that acquisition phase.
The KC-46 program has been troubled by numerous technical problems, including its remote vision system and airframe cracks, which temporarily halted deliveries earlier this year.

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The U.S. Air Force is again seeking input from the defense industry as it moves forward with plans to commission a next-generation aerial refueling tanker.

A request for information published August 15 gives industry partners until October 24 to produce fresh ideas for the project, known as the Next-Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS). The text of the request is considered “controlled” and cannot be accessed by the public.