Indeed - per my previous posts, the Tristar KC1 ai
Post# of 2306
https://www.facebook.com/275486342562773/phot...mp;theater
As you will have seen from the interior photos I posted, it's role as a tanker is not affected by the additional carriage - in the main cabin - of passengers on proper airline type seats - not "para" seats as in the USN C-130 - large pallets, or stretchers for medical evacuation of casualties.
The USN does not have any "fast" turbofan MRTT - only the slow KC-130 Hercules.
This makes the Tristar employable on inter-base deployments of USN fast-jet fighters both within the USA and abroad, for delivery of US manufactured aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, and for supporting aircraft on trials - any mission that requires groundcrew and spares to go as well.
In addition, the USN could contract it for fast spares delivery [for example a replacement engines, tools and a repair team for a stranded aircraft] or other NATO countries who don't have their own MRTT could hire it ad hoc.
In terms of getting up and running, 6 months is not a bad working figure - could be a lot less.
Getting the aircraft ready to redeploy from the UK to the USA should not take long at all - perhaps weeks depending on GJD Services workload but they are a significant UK aerospace company.
https://www.gjdservices.co.uk/
Aircrew recruiting and qualification on type will probably be the determining factor.
The availability of a simulator and an aircraft for check rides in the USA - if Northrop Grumman were happy to make time available - would speed things up considerably.
Then it comes down to how may US military retirees would be interested in vacancies - they don't need many compared to the number of KC-135 / KC-10 / KC-130 pilots that must leave or would be prepared to leave the military each month. Many of the USAF tankers are manned by Air National Guard / Air Force Reserve pilots - many of whom fly for airlines in their other career - who could probably switch across more readily.
It probably would be nearer 6 months if they chose to use the EB-3 Visa route for ex-RAF personnel.
https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/p...rence-eb-3
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how long it takes to start - there is more than enough work out there for them to earn the full $121M in "pay as you go fuel by the lb delivered / flying hour flown" by 2024.
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