Some 12 KC-135E model tankers that have been taking up space—and absorbing resources—of the Kansas Air National Guard’s 190th Air Refueling Wing in Topeka reportedly will be going to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., sooner rather than later. Various news reports cite Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-Kan.) as saying the Air Force would accelerate retirement of the old tankers. The 190th ARW now flies newer R models and has been keeping the E models in condition to fly should they be needed in an emergency. However, the unit complained about the lack of space at its airfield and the expense, including manhours, to keep them in a ready state. Congress, of course, has kept tight strings on the Air Force’s ability to retire older aircraft.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.