JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and Travis AFB, Calif., were named the preferred location for the next two Active Duty-led KC-46A bases, according to a Jan. 12 announcement. Each base will receive 24 Pegasus aircraft to replace the legacy aircraft already there, with the first aircraft set to arrive in 2019, states the release. The bases were chosen because they “meet all operational mission requirements at the bet value for the Air Force,” and they “support our tanker recapitalization strategy.” Fairchild AFB, Wash., and Grand Forks AFB, N.D., are the reasonable alternatives. The Air Force already has named Altus AFB, Okla.; McConnell AFB, Kansas; Pease ANGS, N.H.; and Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., as future KC-46A bases. McConnell and Altus will receive the first new tankers this fall.
The Air Force should build its capacity and striking power with collaborative combat aircraft but must put the teaming aspect of the new class of weapons first, getting the concepts and software right at the outset to ensure that autonomous airplanes do what’s needed and expected—and can be trusted—argues a…