‘Category 1 Deficiencies’: The Tanker U.S. Air Force Bombers and Fighters Need Looks Like a Liability Now

‘Category 1 Deficiencies’: The Tanker U.S. Air Force Bombers and Fighters Need Looks Like a Liability Now

Summary and Key Points: The U.S. Air Force has accepted 105 Boeing KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling tankers without ever fully certifying the program as operational, despite three active Category 1 deficiencies — the Pentagon’s most serious problem designation, reserved for failures that directly compromise an aircraft’s ability to execute its mission, according to defense analyst Dr. Andrew Latham of Macalester College. And the new B-21 Raider is…