Aging Air Force Tankers: Flying In The Face Of Danger  Posted on
Fri 02/26/2010 by   By Mackenzie Eaglen  TonyfromOz prefaces …..
The image is that of the aging KC 135 Tanker refueling an F 16
Fighting Falcon. For a little more detail on the Tankers, see
the update at the bottom of this post.  This week, the U.S. Air
Force presented its revised request for proposals for the new
KC-X tanker aircraft.  Industry now has 60 days to submit bids,
and the contract for the new tankers should be awarded sometime
this summer.  A new tanker is long overdue after a much-delayed
and mismanaged process.   …    An AOL News story from earlier
this week paints an alarming picture of the decrepit tanker
fleet.  The KC-135 Stratotanker planes the Air Force flies today
were built during the Eisenhower administration, and many are
more than 50 years old.  AOL News describes how they often need
to be grounded with leaks or broken parts, sometimes for weeks
on end as Air Force engineers cannibalize old tankers in the
“Boneyard” ne