Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0605164F/ — data as of August 12, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
Air Refueling Capability Modernization
Budget Figures
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USASpending awards are reported on a rolling basis and the fiscal year does not close until September 30. why partial FY2026 data? →
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY24 | $15.2MR-1 TOA · PB2026 |
| FY25 | $13.7MR-1 TOA · PB2026 |
| FY26 | $0P-40 detail · PB2026 |
The vertical scale does not start at zero: the baseline sits just below this program’s smallest year, so a low point on this line is not a small amount. Read the shape for direction and the grid below for the figures.
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $0 | $11.3M | $15.2M | |
| Enacted | – | $11.3M | $19.4M | $13.7M |
| Request | – | – | $19.4M | $13.7M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2024 book requested $19.4M for FY2024; the PB2026 book reported $15.2M as actual total obligation authority — $4.20M below the request. 15.2 − 19.4 = -4.2 USD millions — the compact figures above are rounded for reading.
Program Lineage
No predecessor/successor lineage was recorded for this program element — no FY-to-FY transfer into or out of this line was stated in the ingested J-books, and none was inferred from the program structure.
Description
Mission — Continued Tanker Recapitalization RDT&E
Accelerating future tanker capability and recapitalizing the Air Force's aging tanker fleet is a top priority for the Department of the Air Force. In FY 2024, the Department of the Air Force broke from its previous recapitalization approaches (KC-X, KC-Y, KC-Z) in favor of more agile methods, prioritizing and accelerating the right capabilities to deliver fuel to the fight. This new approach continues Tanker Recapitalization (PE 0605164F) efforts between KC-46A (PE 040221F) and the Next Generation Air-refueling System (NGAS) (PE 0605057F). The Department of the Air Force (DAF) will use the Tanker Recapitalization program to replace up to 15 KC-135s legacy tankers per year as they retire. The total number of Tanker Recap aircraft procured will be influenced by the FY 2024 NGAS Analysis of Alternatives and dependent on NGAS's first delivery. The Tanker Recapitalization program will deliver an air-refuelable, commercial derivative, limited development tanker that provides fuel to U.S. and coalition aircraft receivers via a boom or drogue system that can operate in day/night and adverse weather conditions to enable deployment, employment, sustainment, and redeployment of U.S. and coalition forces. The Tanker Recapitalization program will have communication, navigation, and surveillance equipment to support worldwide operations and refueling competences in chemical, biological and hostile threat environments through self-defense/protection (both active and passive) capabilities to include the necessary battlespace awareness to mitigate threats. The dynamics and mission urgency of the post-production (post DD-250) environment require the program to maintain a flexible and responsive posture to support a broad range of mission support needs. Tanker Recapitalization program will identify, design, develop, integrate, verify, certify, produce, install, field, and sustain a comprehensive range of non-recurring and recurring post-production, air vehicle enhancements and field support needs to include but not limited to programmed Mobility Air Force (MAF) requirements, Combatant Commander Joint or Urgent Operational Needs (JUON/UON), non-programmed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directives, requirements identified and supported by HHQ Enterprise Capability Collaboration Teams (i.e., High Value Airborne Asset [HVAA], Air Superiority 2030, and Multi-Domain Command and Control [MDC2]), or correction of field deficiencies. Tanker Recapitalization program will develop, field, and sustain warfighter capabilities to meet evolving threats and mission support requirements through Block or discrete modification or modernization programs depending on mission urgency, available funding, and programmatic and technical risks. Post-production requirements may include but not limited to avionics and structural systems/architecture and subsystem updates, general mission equipment updates and procurement, general sustainment support, studies and analyses, future tanker requirements simulation and training, and correction of field deficiencies. Project 645164, Continued Tanker Recapitalization RDT&E will also support Program Support Costs (PSC) activities to include but not limited to market research, acquisition planning, pre-milestone activities, RFP development, test planning, mission planning capability development, future tanker development, and various studies and analyses. This requirement supports performance of a full financial audit as required by title 10 U.S.C. Chapter 9A, Sec 240-D. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program element 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605833F, or 0605898F. In FY 2024 $5.589 million was expended for civilian pay expenses in this program element, in FY 2025 $9.575 million is forecast for civilian pay expenses in this program element. This effort is in Budget Activity 4, Advanced Component Development and Prototypes (ACD&P), because efforts are necessary to evaluate integrated technologies, representative modes or prototype systems in a high fidelity and realistic operating environment.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (1)
Support
Initial market research and program level Business Case Analysis to include Early Strategy and Issue Session forums with HQ AF and program stakeholders and initial Acquisition Strategy Panel.
Budget Line Items(workbook-cited)
P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY24 Actuals | $15.2M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Enacted | $13.7M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Total | $13.7M |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
J-book detail basis (R-2/P-40, USD millions) · PB2026 — a different accounting basis from the P-1/R-1 workbook TOA above; where the two disagree, the reconciliation strip under Budget Figures shows both.
Wider than this screen — swipe the table sideways for the remaining fiscal-year columns.
| Project | All Prior Years | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $0 | $15.2M | $13.7M | $0 | $0 |
| 645164: Continued Tanker Recapitalization RDT&E | $0 | $15.2M | $13.7M | $0 | $0 |
No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 17 of 1,741 programs). why coverage is partial? →
Awards
No awards are linked to this program element at high confidence — the budget→award crosswalk only asserts links it can defend, and this line has none yet.
Lobbying Mentions
No Senate LDA lobbying filing in the tracked data mentions this program element by code or alias.
Oversight
Department-level designation (not specific to this program)
GAO lists 5 high-risk areas for DOD as a whole. That designation covers the department, not Air Refueling Capability Modernization — no program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
No research dossier for this program — dossiers cover 50 of 1,741 programs, the largest fully J-book-detailed lines by FY2026 requested dollars. why no dossier here? →