Stars and Stripes today rolled out a Page One examination of America's aging KC-135 fleet, questioning whether two wars have put too much strain on aircraft designed in the 1950s and facing replacement delays because of mishaps, scandal and politics.

It's a good overall read, and includes interesting insights from a broad range of observers. The story focuses on the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall in England, though many of the sentiments expressed are similar to those I heard during the past few days at Manas Transit Center in Kyrgyzstan, where about a dozen Fairchild tankers are deployed.

Just in case you missed the hyperlink above, here it is again: http://www.stripes.com/news/taxed-by-wars-aging-air-tankers-suffer-fleet-fatigue-1.122207

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