Boeing KC-46A To Fly On September 25

An artist’s impression of the KC-46A refuelling a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.

The tanker is on track for its scheduled first flight on Sept. 25.

Brig. Gen. Duke Richardson has been passionately defending the program, telling an audience at the Air Force Association’s annual Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition that more CR would create a “very large problem”.

The EMD aircraft, a modified 767 without a functioning boom, has been flying since the end of last year, but the first flight of a “full-up” KC-46 has been delayed several times. “The air force has funded some of these and we’re in discussions about the others, but many are funded programmes of record”.

General Hawk Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, said recent stress tests of the F-15C had revealed longer-term structural issues, and the airplanes might eventually need new wings and longerons.

Boeing Co. plans to deliver the first 18 KC-46A of the 149 aircraft tankers to the Air Force by August 2017. It declared after-tax charges of $272 million and $536 million, respectively, in July 2014 and July 2015 because of KC-46A issues.

But that could go away under the CR, Richardson noted, if the Air Force is unable to reach a requirement to award two low-rate initial production (LRIP) contracts to Boeing once the program reaches Milestone C in April of 2016. “Shortly thereafter, we’ll unreel the drogue systems and see how they’re doing”. This will be followed by free air stability testing, during which the tanker will fly with refueling equipment deployed to demonstrate its ability to refuel different types of aircraft, including the F-16, C-17, F/A-18, A-10, AV-8B and a receiver KC-46A. Richardson said.

Congress must pass legislation funding the government before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.