New Study Rebukes Tanker Corrosion Claims

Defense Daily 09/13/04
author: Sharon Weinberger

A new study by the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) concludes that corrosion among the KC-135 tankers is not a significant problem, undercutting the Air Force's major argument for quickly modernizing its fleet of refueling aircraft.

The CNA study, called "Summary Analysis of the Material Condition of the KC-135 Aerial Refueling Fleet," was conducted as part of a congressional requirement to assess corrosion issues. "Our principal conclusion is that rends in KC-135 readiness and maintenance resource requirements are reasonably steady and that corrosion has not been a major contribute in those cases where adverse trends have been observed," the study says.

Among the conclusions was a determination that operational readiness was mostly stable from 1996 to 2003. The study also says there is not "a steady upward trend in the number of aircraft requiring corrosion repair or in the amount of time required to repair the corrosion."
...
The Air Force's plans to lease and buy 100 KC-767 tankers from Boeing [BA] has been on hold since early this year after a former service official admitted to having illegal employment negotiations with the company. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is expected to make a decision in November on how to proceed with the acquisition, when two Pentagon-backed studies are completed.

Who the heck knows the truth anymore? Is there an independent source of truth these days? It certainly is not the media. How can we really know what is going on in the world, since everyone who wants to convey information these days has an agenda?