Protecting Tankers & Lifters: Enhanced Missile Defense Capabilities Needed
High-value airborne assets—including KC-46 and KC-135 tankers, C-5 and C-17 cargo aircraft, and P-8 maritime patrol platforms—form the backbone of U.S. military power projection. Yet these critical enablers face a growing threat from advanced adversaries deploying long-range weaponry that’s reshaping contested airspace. Traditionally, tankers and cargo aircraft operated in relative safety, far from engagement zones. But proliferation of sophisticated surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles by China and Russia is fundamentally changing the operational calculus. “We still need to perform aerial refueling and cargo transport missions,” explains Jared Belinsky, product line director of Integrated Survivability Solutions at BAE Systems. “But our tankers and cargo aircraft are going to be pushed farther away from their area of responsibility or they’re going to need protection—either electromagnetic or kinetic—to fly in contested spaces.”