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Letter to the Hon Mac Thornberry, Chair of House Armed Services Committee, the Hon Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, the Hon Kay Granger, Chair of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and the Hon Peter Visclosky, Ranking Member of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee - Larsen, Estes Call for Full Acquisition of 18 Aerial Refueling Tankers

Letter

By: Paul Cook, Steve Knight, Nanette Barragán, Rosa DeLauro

By: Paul Cook, Steve Knight, Nanette Barragán, Rosa DeLauro, Brian Mast, Roger Marshall, Anthony Brown, David Rouzer, Donald Norcross, Chris Smith, Thomas Suozzi, Brian Higgins, Marcy Kaptur, Frank Lucas, Bob Brady, Pete Sessions, Dave Reichert, Jimmy Panetta, Grace Napolitano, Alan Lowenthal, Elizabeth Esty, Dave Loebsack, Lynn Jenkins, Lacy Clay, Jr., Carol Shea-Porter, Frank LoBiondo, Dina Titus, Adriano Espaillat, Chris Collins, Steve Russell, GT Thompson, Jr., Suzan DelBene, Denny Heck, Rick Larsen, John Garamendi, Salud Carbajal, Mark Takano, John Larson, Charlie Crist, Jr., Bobby Rush, Ron Estes, Walter Jones, Jr., Annie Kuster, Tom MacArthur, Pete King, Eliot Engel, Marcia Fudge, Kurt Schrader, John Ratcliffe, Cathy Rodgers

...SEE MORE SPEAKERS

Date: April 27, 2018

Location: Washington, DC

Issues: Defense Government Budget and Spending

Dear Chairs and Ranking Members:

After nearly 40 years, the United States Air Force is on the brink of receiving a new aerial refueling tanker -- the KC-46A Pegasus. This is a welcomed development for the Nation's warfighters, and we ask for your support in the Fiscal Year 2019 defense bills.

As you know, the Air Force is replacing the current tanker fleet of Eisenhower-era KC-135s and Reagan-era KC-10s. These aircraft have been the cornerstone of the refueling mission, but the advanced age of the KC-135s has begun to undermine the fleet's readiness and availability. The Air Force requires the multi-functional capability that the KC-46A will offer. The new platform will provide aerial refueling to U.S. and coalition aircraft via a more modern refueling boom and hose and drogue systems. It will bring the latest tools to detect, avoid, defeat and survive threats, and it can deploy worldwide in any operational environment, designed to transport not just fuel but cargo, passengers, and patients while performing aeromedical evacuation missions.

As the Committees consider annual authorization and appropriations, we respectfully urge you to support the procurement of 18 tankers. The defense Committees have been a steward of taxpayer funding during this program's development under a fixed price contract. The Committees can support the Air Force even further by maintaining steady procurement in this fiscal year.

Our nation's tanker fleet is the cornerstone of any operation that requires aerial assets. However, the current, aging fleet is in dire need of both new and additional assets, and we ask for your continued strong support for KC-46A tankers in the Fiscal Year 2019 Defense Authorization and Appropriations bills. We look forward to working with you throughout the year on this issue of national security. Thank you for your consideration of our request.

Sincerely,

Source

Letter

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