Thousands of feet up and racing across the sky at hundreds of miles per hour, US Air Force tankers close to within just 12 feet of fighter jets to refuel them in flight, sometimes as little as 8 feet, ...

The KC-46 tanker’s refueling boom has gotten stuck in at least three fighter jets during missions, resulting in three accidents and damage measured in the tens of millions of dollars, the Air Force ...

A real-world incident resulting in roughly $10 million in damage proved exactly that, exposing critical vulnerabilities in the human element of this high-speed ballet. Both an F-22 pilot and a KC-46 ...

The tail-cone of the KC-46A involved in a mishap July 8, 2025, in which its refueling boom was severely damaged. (U.S. Air Force) A U.S. Air Force investigation found that incorrect manual control ...