Rebuild the -135 and use as many NG 737 parts available.

The KC-46 meets the requirements. As I said earlier, the USAF wanted a remote boom station and Boeing gave them what they asked for. After boom operators kept having COTRs (Contacts Outside the Receptacle), they blamed the camera system's fidelity. But the US Air Force ACCEPTED the tanker as is. Then they pressured Boeing for a change.

Yes, Boeing has made mistakes. But so have the USAF -- and then some.

The problem is the USAF's acquisition system, and unreasonable requirements.

The USAF could have bought the existing 767 tanker and gotten a proven airframe/tanker for cheap, and it would have met 90%+ of the requirements.

Instead, they (USAF) insists on meeting 100% of requirements, regardless of cost or complexity.

It is not a nuclear warhead. The system has to change.

Then Congress will have to change it because most of it was inflicted on the military by them, and not just the USAF, ALL the services.

I'm holding out hope the AF will still order some A330 MRTT's. No reason they can't co-exist given the variety of tanker models currently and previously operated by the US military.

The A330 based tanker has some significant issues as well. It’s wingspan would significantly reduce the number of tails that could be parked in a given amount of ramp. The ice shield on the boom is also so fat that it has not been cleared for USAF F15 variants last I checked (It has been a couple years). Finally, while the number of pallets it can carry is impressive for a strat airlifter, it translates into a higher fuel burn that eats away “instantaneous” far more rapidly than a four engine 135. The real problem is the USAF wrote a bad RFP to begin with. Boeing’s malfeasance is merely a rewarded symptom of a broken system.

That's all totally fair and a great analysis. I do agree that the A300 MRTT isn't perfect either and has plenty of its own issues. With that said, I've got a mutual acquaintance flying the MRTT in the RAAF who raves about it. If we're stuck with existing designs for the next few decades, no reason why we can't continue to have a diverse tanker fleet, including the bus. If anyone wants some tanker smut, you can google some great recent pics of RAAF MRTT's refueling USN P8's. Pretty cool.

This would be the dumbest thing the USAF could do. For anyone who has employed tanker MWSs, you would quickly understand why this is a horrible idea. The fact that the USAF even considered the MRTT was a huge mistake -- no pun intended!

No kidding.