Recommendation:
CRITICAL NEED FOR SUPPORT- The ANG needs to lead the way on adding winglets to the KC-135 for fuel efficiency and combat capability expansion. Originally studied in 1977, the Air Force chose to adopt the integrated fuel Management Program with a nominal average fuel savings of under 2%. Winglets provide an average of 8-10% fuel savings with a return on investment for modification in under 5 years, per aircraft. With the KC-135 expected to remain in the inventory for another 60 years, depending on modification timelines, each aircraft modified with save approximately $500,000 per year in fuel costs. If one aircraft is modified within 1 year of today, that single aircraft will save ~$27M over the remainder of its service life and that could be scaled to the entire fleet of 170+ ANG KC-135aircraft. STATES IMPACTED - All ANG KC-135 Aircraft. DEPLOYMENT JUSTIFICATION- The ANG has always provided combat capability at a far reduced cost, this effort will help all parties in a fiscally constrained environment now and into the future.