Northrop Grumman Plans Three-Part Approach For USAF Tanker Program

Northrop Grumman is presenting a three-pronged approach to the U.S. Air Force if the service progresses with its current “family of systems” framework for future refuelers—from a large blended-wing body down to a small, uncrewed tanker, according to industry sources familiar with the plans.

The prime’s strategy includes both an in-house design of the smaller, low-observable aircraft along with partnerships with other companies to offer the range of options for the Next-Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS) umbrella program. Northrop Grumman’s approach comes about two decades after it initially won the U.S. Air Force KC-X program to replace the KC-135 as part of a team with Airbus, before losing bidder Boeing successfully challenged the award and walked away the winner with the KC-46.

Northrop Grumman and Embraer are announcing the new partnership on Feb. 19, using the latter’s KC-390 as a midsized “tactical” tanker for the service. This would be accompanied by the large, blended-wing-body demonstrator Northrop and partner JetZero are working on, bolstered by funding from the U.S. Air Force.

The three-pronged approach would be presented as a package of options to the Air Force, allowing the service to pick and choose numbers of each option if it selects Northrop Grumman, industry sources say.

The Embraer partnership will “position us to deliver a non-developmental, multi-mission tactical refueling solution for the U.S. Air Force and others,” the company says in a statement to Aviation Week.

In 2023, Northrop and JetZero announced plans to build the full-scale blended- wing-body demonstrator as a tanker-transport for the Air Force. The companies were awarded a $235 million cost-sharing deal to build the demonstrator, which is set to fly in 2027.

“By focusing on advanced designs (JetZero) and current tankers with operational strengths like Embraer’s KC-390, Northrop Grumman is investing in varied approaches to ensure we are prepared to offer effective and adaptable solutions that meet the evolving requirements of our domestic and international customers,” Northrop says.

The blended-wing-body design provides increased efficiency, which in turn can provide the service with more range for operations in the Indo-Pacific.

Northrop Grumman declined to expand on discussions with the U.S. Air Force on requirements. The service in August 2025 released its latest request for information for NGAS, though the solicitation was marked as “controlled unclassified information” and no specific requirements were disclosed. The service had conducted an analysis of alternatives for the program, though its timeline has slipped as the Air Force has funded other priorities such as the Boeing F-47.

Meanwhile, the Air Force has announced plans to field an additional 75 KC-46s to bridge a gap between the current program of record and the fielding of a future refueler, though a specific timeline has not been provided.