Quote:
Originally Posted by Prestwick Pioneer
Me and my mates discussed what would make the best tanker and we thought the MD-11 woulda made a cracking MRTT but it wasnt to be for the tri-jet. As to the size issue, surely some of the old cold war bases would have acres of tarmac available for parking these aircraft, rather than throw money away building new bases.
Seperately, a few years ago, Flight International published an artists impression of a Lockheed Martin designed tanker to replace the KC-135 fleet. Not a transport/tanker, just a tanker. It looked neat too. I think it had overwing engines VFW614 style.
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It's not that simple. That Cold War infrastructure is probably in bad shape after all of these years not in use. Many of them have other uses today and are owned by corporations and communities. They have been changed. I'm not saying that current bases won't have the ramp space. It's the buildings that are going to have to be replaced. Places such as Grand Forks, which currently can hold about 60 tankers, will need at least 10 new hangars to accomadate the new tanker. Guard bases which sometimes have as few as 8 KC-135's will need at least 2 new hangars a piece. One for ISO inspections and the other for fuel cell work. Switching to a new plane is expensive to begin with but when you need new buildings it's very expensive. Not to mention Iraq isn't going to end any time soon.