The U.S. Air Force is studying whether to equip its aerial refueling fleet with active self-defense systems, awarding more than $6 million in contracts to four defense companies to examine options for adding the technology to tanker aircraft.
The market research effort, reported by Aviation Week, focuses on the Air Force's KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46 Pegasus fleets, which play a critical role in extending the range of U.S. military aircraft but have traditionally relied on passive defensive measures rather than onboard weapons.
According to federal contracting records on SAM.gov and USASpending.gov, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's Future Tankers office awarded contracts to Anduril Industries, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Sierra Nevada Corporation between Feb. 12 and March 17 to study potential technologies.
Anduril received a $664,630 contract on Feb. 12. BAE Systems was awarded approximately $1.3 million the same day.
Lockheed Martin received about $1.6 million on Feb. 18. And Sierra Nevada Corporation received the largest award — roughly $2.7 million — on March 17.
The contracts total more than $6 million.
The studies are aimed at exploring technologies that could enable tankers to defeat incoming threats rather than relying solely on passive defenses.
Air refueling tankers have long been considered high-value assets that enable fighter jets, bombers, and other aircraft to operate over long distances.
But their large size and limited maneuverability make them particularly vulnerable in a conflict against a technologically advanced adversary equipped with long-range missiles.
The Air Force has increasingly focused on improving the survivability of its support aircraft as military planners prepare for the possibility of conflict in contested regions, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, where Chinese missile capabilities could threaten aircraft operating far from U.S. bases.
Current tanker aircraft use warning systems and other countermeasures to defend against incoming missiles.