AIRCRAFT FOR PERFORMANCE OF AERIAL REFUELING MISSION.

SEC. 134. AIRCRAFT FOR PERFORMANCE OF AERIAL REFUELING MISSION.(a) Restriction on Retirement of KC–135E Aircraft.—The Secretary of the Air Force shall ensure that the number of KC–117 STAT. 1413 135E aircraft of the Air Force that are retired in fiscal year 2004, if any, does not exceed 12 such aircraft.(b) Required Analysis.—Not later than March 1, 2004, the Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to the congressional defense committees an analysis of alternatives for meeting the aerial refueling requirements that the Air Force has the mission to meet. The Secretary shall provide for the analysis to be performed by a federally funded research and development center or another entity independent of the Department of Defense.