Shaheen pushes defense nominee for KC-46A tanker upgrades at Pease
Shaheen questioned Austin as he appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Jan. 19.
The new fleet, which cost billions of dollars, has been hampered since arriving at Pease in 2019. The aircraft need improvements to the Remote Vision Systems model, which are cameras and sensors used by the new tankers. The cost of the upgrades is expected to be more than $550 million for the entire fleet, including the 12 KC-46A tankers at Pease, where the final aircraft is expected next month.
Shaheen raised the “continuing issues” of getting the updated RVS model online and available for use, saying she hopes the incoming Department of Defense will continue to work on the upgrades.
Just 9 days until Inauguration Day, President-elect Joe Biden s Cabinet picks are in. The theme of his inauguration has been announced. Get the latest.
The president-elect announced his final nominees this past week, completing a diverse team of two dozen people. He noted Friday that this will be the "first Cabinet ever" to reach gender parity and include a majority of people of color, notable given earlier concerns that he was leaning largely on white men.