{"id":23208982,"date":"2026-09-18T11:15:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T09:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/usaf-next-generation-tanker-unmanned-ngas-tulley-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T11:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T09:16:08","slug":"usaf-next-generation-tanker-unmanned-ngas-tulley-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/usaf-next-generation-tanker-unmanned-ngas-tulley-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Next-Gen Tanker: The Air Force Asks If It Needs a Pilot"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Somebody has flown every tanker the U.S. Air Force has ever operated. The new head of Air Mobility Command would like to know whether that needs to stay true.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>&ldquo;I do not believe that it has to be a manned future air refueling solution,&rdquo; Lt. Gen. Daniel Tulley said on 16 September, which is not a sentence an Air Force three-star says casually about an aircraft type that has carried people since 1957.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px 22px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:17px;color:#1a1a1a\">Quick Facts<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Who:<\/strong> Lt. Gen. Daniel Tulley, commander of Air Mobility Command since early August 2026<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Where:<\/strong> Air &amp; Space Forces Association Air, Space &amp; Cyber Conference, 16 September 2026<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Programme:<\/strong> Next-generation aerial refuelling system, targeted to field in the mid-2030s<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Options on the table:<\/strong> Blended wing-body design, more KC-46s, or a stealthy and possibly uncrewed platform<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Near term:<\/strong> A pending contract for 75 additional KC-46 Pegasus tankers<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>What it replaces:<\/strong> The KC-135 Stratotanker, in service since the Eisenhower administration and still the bulk of the fleet<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>The precedent:<\/strong> The U.S. Navy\u2019s uncrewed MQ-25, which passes 14,000 lb of fuel at 500 miles from the carrier<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>The scale problem:<\/strong> A KC-46 carries 212,000 lb of fuel, more than fifteen times the MQ-25<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Question He Actually Asked<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Tulley was not announcing a programme. He was doing something rarer, which is thinking out loud about a requirement before it hardens.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Whatever that next tanker looks like, our advanced tanker system, it&rsquo;s got to be connected. It&rsquo;s got to be able to defend itself, but it begs the question: does it need to be manned? Could it be optionally manned? It could be autonomous, or is there a family of solutions maybe that would answer that question?&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Lt. Gen. Daniel Tulley<\/strong> &mdash; Commander, Air Mobility Command, at AFA 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Two of those requirements are already settled and both are new. A future tanker has to be networked, and it has to be able to defend itself. Neither has ever been true of a tanker before. Tankers historically orbited somewhere safe and waited.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Once you accept that the aircraft must survive contested airspace, the crew starts to look less like an asset and more like a constraint.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Navy Already Did the Easy Version<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Tulley pointed straight at the MQ-25. Boeing&rsquo;s uncrewed tanker refuels aircraft like the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/fa-18-super-hornet\/\">F\/A-18 Super Hornet<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-35-lightning-ii\/\">F-35<\/a> around 500 miles out from a carrier, in airspace nobody wants to send a crew into.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>It works. It has been passing fuel to manned fighters since 2021. But the numbers do not scale the way the Air Force needs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/kc-46-pegasus-refuels-f-22-raptor-mojave.jpg\" alt=\"A KC-46 Pegasus refuelling an F-22 Raptor over the Mojave Desert\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A KC-46 Pegasus refuels an F-22 Raptor over the Mojave. The KC-46 carries 212,000 lb of fuel, more than fifteen times what the uncrewed MQ-25 can offload. USAF photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>An MQ-25 transfers 14,000 lb of fuel. A KC-46 carries 212,000 lb. The Air Force does not need a small uncrewed tanker that works near a carrier. It needs a very large uncrewed aircraft that works across the Pacific, and nobody has built one.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;How do we, the U.S. Air Force, bring that to bear in scope, scale, and range? An optionally manned or an unmanned tanker at the ranges we need to operate at is a very large aircraft.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Lt. Gen. Daniel Tulley<\/strong> &mdash; On scaling uncrewed refuelling to Air Force distances<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Technology Is Not the Hard Part, Which Is the Awkward Part<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Tulley was careful to say the Air Force is not yet operating fully autonomous large aircraft, but he was equally clear that the technology is arriving fast, and he made a point that is quietly damning.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A modern airliner can already take off with very little help, fly a programmed route and land itself. The capability exists. It simply is not used that way, because there is no commercial reason to remove the pilots and every commercial reason to keep them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Which means, as Tulley put it, the market for autonomy in large aircraft is a military market. If anyone is going to pay to make a 200-tonne aeroplane fly itself, it will be an air force.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>He was less impressed by the shortcuts on offer. Companies have proposed carry-on autonomy kits that could be fitted to existing KC-135s. His verdict was short: they have not seen them tested successfully.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nNtYrkqHZjs\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em style=\"font-size:14px;color:#777\">A day in the life of a U.S. boom operator, the job an uncrewed tanker would have to replace.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Meanwhile, the Aircraft They Actually Have<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>All of this sits on top of a tanker fleet with real problems. The 75-aircraft KC-46 follow-on contract has been held up by unresolved deficiencies, with the Air Force and Boeing reaching an agreement in mid-May to work through them. The service is also adding connectivity and active defensive systems to both the KC-46 and the elderly KC-135.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Tulley&rsquo;s deputy summed up the timescale better than any slide could.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;We are going to be recapitalizing tankers for decades, and in the interim, the same dedication to bringing on new platforms is necessary to sustain those that we have. The last KC-135 pilot has not been born.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Maj. Gen. Gerald Donohue<\/strong> &mdash; Deputy Commander, Air Mobility Command, at AFA 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>That is the sentence to take away. An aircraft designed in the 1950s will still be flown by people who are not yet alive, while the service argues about whether its replacement should have a cockpit at all.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine; Air Mobility Command; U.S. Navy; Boeing<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Will the U.S. Air Force\u2019s next tanker be unmanned?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No decision has been made. Lt. Gen. Daniel Tulley, head of Air Mobility Command, said on 16 September 2026 that he does not believe the next air refuelling solution has to be manned, and that optionally manned, autonomous or a family of solutions are all being considered.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the next-generation aerial refuelling system?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">It is the Air Force programme intended to replace the KC-135 Stratotanker, with fielding targeted for the mid-2030s. An analysis of alternatives is examining options from a blended wing-body aircraft to buying more KC-46s to a stealthy and possibly uncrewed platform.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How much fuel can the MQ-25 transfer compared with a KC-46?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The uncrewed MQ-25 can pass about 14,000 lb of fuel at 500 miles from a carrier. A KC-46 Pegasus carries 212,000 lb, more than fifteen times as much. That gap is the central problem in scaling uncrewed refuelling to Air Force requirements.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why does a future tanker need to defend itself?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Because the assumption that tankers can orbit safely outside a threat area no longer holds. Tulley said a future tanker must be connected and able to defend itself, which are new requirements for an aircraft type that has traditionally operated well away from danger.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Could existing KC-135s be converted to fly autonomously?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Some companies have proposed carry-on autonomy kits that could be fitted to KC-135s and other aircraft. Tulley said the Air Force has not seen those kits tested successfully.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How long will the KC-135 remain in service?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Indefinitely, on current plans. The deputy commander of Air Mobility Command, Maj. Gen. Gerald Donohue, said tankers will be recapitalised for decades and that the last KC-135 pilot has not yet been born.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Will the U.S. Air Force\u2019s next tanker be unmanned?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No decision has been made. Lt. Gen. Daniel Tulley, head of Air Mobility Command, said on 16 September 2026 that he does not believe the next air refuelling solution has to be manned, and that optionally manned, autonomous or a family of solutions are all being considered.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the next-generation aerial refuelling system?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"It is the Air Force programme intended to replace the KC-135 Stratotanker, with fielding targeted for the mid-2030s. 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Gerald Donohue, said tankers will be recapitalised for decades and that the last KC-135 pilot has not yet been born.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/kc-135-shrapnel-battle-damage-repair-epic-fury-2026\/\">KC-135 Battle Damage: Patching a Smoking Tanker Under Fire<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/kc-46a-foreign-military-sales-ceiling-19-1-billion-2026\/\">KC-46A Exports: America Just Tripled Its Tanker Sales Ceiling<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/usaf-cca-drones-emerald-flag-first-large-force-exercise-2026\/\">CCA Drones Head to Emerald Flag in Their First Real Exercise<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The new head of Air Mobility Command says he does not believe the Air Force\u2019s next aerial refuelling aircraft has to be manned. The MQ-25 proves the idea; the scale is the problem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":23208669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23208982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Next-Gen Tanker: Does It Need a Pilot? | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Air Mobility Command\u2019s new boss says the next US aerial refuelling aircraft need not be manned. 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