Air Force contemplates unmanned tankers

The U.S. Air Force is monitoring Navy progress with unmanned aerial refueling as it considers how autonomous tankers might support future operations. Officials acknowledge that reliable autonomy for very large aircraft is not yet mature, but see potential for reducing crew exposure and extending fighter operations in contested theaters. Any operational concept will have to address safe formation flight, fuel transfer, communications loss, certification, cyber resilience and integration with crewed aircraft, making incremental experimentation more likely than a near-term replacement for the KC-46 or KC-135.