Yet its replacement, the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus, is highly controversial because it has suffered from severe design flaws, multi-billion-dollar cost overruns, and critical safety hazards. Even though the Pegasus has high-profile flaws, the Air Force has run out of time. In 2024, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall publicly expressed his concern that the force lacks sufficient resources to field a clean-sheet NGAS. The US Air Force dropped the specific NGAS funding item in their most recent budget request for fiscal year 2027. As of May 2021, the Air Force plans to purchase a total of 263 KC-46As, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.