Lockheed Martin is providing the US Air Force (KC) with proposals for a large number of unmanned refuelling aircraft. In designs for the USAF-Z project, a stealth tanker to refuel military stealth jets, one concept is to provide smaller unmanned aircraft, to be used in conjunction with traditional tankers, delivering fuel in high risk areas. As well as reducing the risk to pilots, this disperses the KC's refuelling system, making it harder for its adversaries to target. This means military opponents, such as Russia and China, would have to spend more resources in hunting down these smaller aircraft.
Lockheed Martin is providing the US Air Force (USAF) with proposals for a large number of unmanned refuelling aircraft. In designs for the KC-Z project, a stealth tanker to refuel military stealth jets, one concept is to provide smaller unmanned aircraft, to be used in conjunction with traditional tankers, delivering fuel in high risk areas. As well as reducing the risk to pilots, this disperses the USAF's refuelling system, making it harder for its adversaries to target. This means military opponents, such as Russia and China, would have to spend more resources in hunting down these smaller aircraft.