[A.A. Cunningham]

The future is a long ways away and you apparently have no idea how many manned aircraft are in service and coming on line in the next decade. We’re at least a generation away from commencing the transition to a largely unmanned fleet.

[adorno]

The future is a long ways away and you apparently have no idea how many manned aircraft are in service and coming on line in the next decade.

When you consider the lifetime of a tanker, perhaps 40 to 50 years, and the lifetime of fighters and bombers, then perhaps the future is not so distant. By the time we're ready for the next wave of fighters and bombers, and if a large number of those aircraft were to be designed as pilot-less or as drones, then perhaps we won't have such a big need for so many tankers and such a heavy expenditures.