Map of CTA refueling 5 CAPs while shuttle tanking from KC-46A based at intermediate-distance tanker airfields

KC-46A parents, airfield to transfer pointCTA children, transfer point to CAPCAP

Map of the western Pacific: blue KC-46A legs run from airfields in northern and western Australia and from Pacific islands to transfer points, and purple CTA legs run on from there to five CAPs off the PRC coast

In the map above, CTA shuttle tank from parent KC-46A 400 nmi from each CAP. The operation requires 165 KC-46A parents and 75 CTA children (that cost $60.2 billion in tankers) and 75 F-35As, for a total tanker and fighter cost of $66.2 billion. Child CTA are assumed to stay airborne for 72 hours, and fighter airfields are modeled as 500 nmi from the ARCPs.