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With powerful and intelligent sensors, the military will need
to be able to transmit and understand more data than
ever. That requires coordination of datalinks between
platforms that, in many cases, were not designed to com-
municate with one another.

To solve for that, the Intelligent Gateway system turns dis-
connected platforms into connectivity hotspots for data to
pass through. At Northern Edge, the Intelligent Gateway,
NOT JUST A TANKER combined with a battlespace command-and-control
center capability, demonstrated how the KC-135 could
serve as a command-and-control node to conduct battle
management and dynamic targeting.
In a recent demonstration, the Meanwhile, Gen. Mike Minihan, the head of the USAF’s Air
KC-135 showed it can do more in the U.S. Mobility Command (AMC), suggested the use of the aerial
military’s future approach to combat refuelling aircraft to carry dozens of drones as well as force
them to be closer to the fight.

By JAY MENON A drone could come out [of the KC-135] and it could
provide [positioning, navigation, and timing, or PNT] to
The KC-135 has been the backbone of the US Air Force’s someone who doesn’t have it,” Minihan was quoted by
aerial refueling tanker fleet since 1957, and is projected to U.S. media reports. “It could fly a life vest to a downed pilot
serve until the 2040s. Through the years, the KC-135 has or a radio to a downed pilot. You could actually fly down
been altered to do other jobs ranging from flying com- and survey the runway, which you’re about to land on. ... it
mand post missions to reconnaissance. Now, the flying can provide some sort of search mechanism for an enemy
gas station for military aircraft, in a recent demonstra- force if you want it or you can simply fly down and go to
tion showed it can do more in the U.S. military’s future sleep and be there available for when you want to wake it
approach to combat. up. ... it can provide decoys ... it can provide some sort of
ELINT [electronic intelligence], some type of [intelligence]
collection. ... I see that those types of things [what these
Equipped with a system known as the Intelligent Gateway drones could do] are limitless.”
from Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, the tanker
bridged disparate networks – some within the line of sight,
some beyond – at Northern Edge 2023, a military exercise “Hopefully, you know, [it will happen] during my time
led by the U.S Indo-Pacific Command in Alaska and the at AMC... [but] what it takes to get it from operational
Western Pacific. concept to program of record, probably a little more chal-
lenging,” Gen. Minihan added.

In that exercise, a modified KC-135 supplied by the Utah Air
National Guard flew alongside the Multi-Program Testbed The tanker force will be forced to be closer to the fight.
– a modified Boeing 727 outfitted with powerful sensors by As a result, improvements in defensive systems—to include
Raytheon, also an RTX business – and seamlessly trans- electronic warfare capabilities—will be a requirement for
ferred targeting data on simulated threats at the tactical future acquisition, he noted.
edge, a term for the front lines of battle. The Intelligent
Gateway then used autonomous routing to filter data and “Hang an automated missile defence system and an
send it securely to U.S. and allied decision-makers across electronic warfare pod off the wings and belly. Do it now
multiple classification levels. under-wing of a KC-46A or of a modified KC-135. You
have now changed the calculus for the enemy. You have
“We only have so many surveillance aircraft available, and now created enormous dilemmas for the enemy. Creating
in a theatre as large as the Indo-Pacific, there’s going to doubt and increasing cognitive load defeats the enemy’s
be a lot of holes with no command and control,” said U.S. will to win, these efforts will deter,” Gen. Minihan said.
Air Force Maj. Mike Starley, Air National Guard Air Force
Reserve Command Test Center KC-135 test detachment The suggestions come amid efforts to gradually replace
director, in a Pacific Air Forces article. “But we’re always the advanced tanker aircraft with advanced Boeing KC-46
going to have a tanker there, no matter what. Now we’re Pegasus. However, the KC-135 is expected to remain in
able to take advantage of all that space and use the service for the foreseeable future, fulfilling critical aerial
KC-135 that’s already in the fight anyway for command refueling needs until the transition to newer platforms is
and control.” complete..

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