Air Force generals received another reason Monday to keep pushing Congress to deliver funding for the KC-46A tanker program even in the midst of this budget environment.
A KC-135 Stratotanker made an emergency landing Monday at Sol San Juan airport in Palma De Mallorca. The tanker based out of McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas took off from a Spanish air base in Moron.
The Stratotanker was forced to land after a suspected fuel leak was suspected, officials said.
The KC-46A remains the Air Force's top modernization priority at a time when service officials get few choices on what acquisition program they want to deliver. The KC-135 has been in service for more than five decades and remains an integral part of the Air Force's fleet.
This is not the first emergency landings for the KC-135 this year. The aircraft has been forced to land because of engine and landing gear problems. Wouldn't be surprised to hear about those landings in future Congressional hearings. Of course, that's if the government reopens.
