Aiming High

Two of the Air Force's biggest priorities will take up an increasing share of the service's research, development, test and evaluation budget in the coming years, Air Force officials said today. Between the service's next-generation bomber and the KC-46 refueling tanker, the Air Force plans to spend $11.7 billion in RDT&E funding over the future years defense plan.

In budget briefings given today by Air Force officials, and in justification documents released by the service tonight, the Air Force revealed that its FYDP, spanning fiscal year 2013 through FY-17, includes a request for $5.4 billion in RDT&E funding for the KC-46 tanker.

At this time last year, the service announced plans to put $3.2 billion toward KC-46 development between fiscal year 2012 and 2016. This year, the service is saying it now plans to invest $5.9 billion over five years.

RDT&E funding for the tanker will actually peak in FY-13, with a request of $1.8 billion, and progressively shrink from there as the program moves into procurement.

At a budget briefing today, Air Force Deputy for Budget Marilyn Thomas said the program's funding profile has been “rephased” because Boeing was awarded its KC-46 development contract later than anticipated, but she did not directly address the rising RDT&E price tag.

“There has not been a restructure of the tanker program,” Thomas said. “The contract award occurred later than we had originally expected, so the funding profile has been rephased some, but the program has not been restructured.”

Service officials also announced today that the new budget request projects $6.3 billion in funding or the next-generation bomber, referred to in the budget documents as “Long Range Strike,” over the FYDP. The service received $294 million from Congress in fiscal year 2012 for formal research on the program, and the Air Force plans to request $292 million in FY-13.

Looking forward, the bomber funding profile increases rapidly, going over $1 billion in FY-15 and up to $2.7 billion in FY-17.