[adorno]

Unmanned aircraft need fuel too.

Uuhhh! I had no idea!

But, when you consider the amount of space that pilots and the cockpit requirements would get freed up and that could then be used for more fuel for the unmanned aircraft to fly longer distances, I still don't see the need for so many tankers. A drone or unmanned aircraft might then be capable of flying round-trip to anywhere in the world without the need for refueling.

[Republic of Texas]

Ohhhh, why do we need THAT many tankers? Same reason WIC advertises, if you don’t use the money, you lose it. Doling out contracts is POWER baby.

[tgusa]

Well ...yes and no. Combat requires an awful lot of fuel. And yes, unmanned combat aircraft are envisioned to be capable of inflight refueling - not that much of a stretch in capability especially with the USAF boom.