“We absolutely accelerated [Mobility Air Forces] connectivity because of Operation Epic Fury,” said Col. Paul Tinker, the deputy mobility program acquisition executive. Shortly following the crash, current and former Air Mobility leaders sounded alarms over the lack of battlespace awareness and connectivity onboard the KC-135. While exact figures weren’t provided, “the majority of the KC-135 fleet is currently equipped with RTIC,” an Air Mobility Command spokesperson told Defense One in an emailed statement Wednesday. The Air Force said increasing the amount of information KC-135 crews can have in the cockpit is a crucial safety upgrade, according to a January Congressional Research Service report. Col. Melvin Baylon, the Legacy Tankers Division’s senior materiel leader, told reporters the acquisitions arm has been working with Air Mobility Command on several upgrades, including increased access to Link 16.