by OVERLORD_CHRIS » Thu Jan 20, 2011 2:58 pm
When they bought the original 60, they were some of the last few new ones off the assembly line, and they waited to late to decide that they needed more, and by that time, every one started moving on to Twin Engine ETOPS once engine performance was much more reliable. Now they are becoming harder to maintain with the ops tempo. But since they can still fly until the KC-Y/Z bid comes up, it is cheaper to go glass flight deck like the Dutch KDC-10.
Also the USAF would not buy used cargo planes for fuelers, they would have to be new, since they would have to be able to fly for no less then 40years before they consider replacing them with something with greater capacity, rage, and performance.
So it would not make since to buy a used DC-10, or MD-11 and convert it, because the way they fly it, much like FedEx and UPS, they would run the air frame hours up in a hurry, as well as run the risk of unforeseen metal fatigue like in the KC-135.
**Also C-17 & C-5 Pilots hate taking gas from 3 Engine Tanker, even though they carry the most fuel. The #2 motor blows directly onto the Horizontal Stabilizer During Air refueling, it causes to much turbulence and you run the risk of breaking away more often**
Last edited by
OVERLORD_CHRIS on Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
