Oklahoma bases not stalled by KC-46 Pegasus tanker slowdown
Officials at Tinker Air Force Base and Altus Air Force Base said they remain on track to provide support and training for crews who will fly the KC-46 Pegasus tanker, despite a recent prediction it may take longer to complete an initial production run of the aircraft.
Initially, the aircraft’s manufacturer, Boeing, agreed to deliver the first of the KC-46 tankers by February 2016, and complete delivery of the first 18 by March of this year. Ultimately, the contract requires Boeing to produce 179 of the aircraft for the U.S. Air Force as part of a $44 billion program.
Now, it will be September before Boeing is expected to deliver the first three aircraft to the Air Force, and it isn’t expected to deliver the first 18 aircraft until March 2018.
A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office said an initial delay involved wiring problems and design issues with the fueling system that since have been overcome.
It said the latest program delays are attributable to pending certifications for the aircraft and its refueling pods from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA is waiting for more detailed design schematics of the Wing Air Refueling Pods that are mounted on the outboard of each wing. Once Boeing has those certifications in hand, it should be able to complete its remaining flight tests and meet other key milestones, the report said.
At Tinker and Altus
Both Tinker and Altus Air Force base have been assigned responsibilities involving the KC-46.
At Tinker, officials broke ground in 2016 on its KC-46 Sustainment Campus, a 158-acre complex that will handle repairs, maintenance and overhauls of the tankers.
This week, base officials said construction on the complex continues, and that Tinker would be ready to “be prepared to support depot operations when the KC-46 is delivered.”
The story from Altus Air Force Base is much the same. Base officials previously have said it continues to prepare for its mission to train crews to operate the new aircraft as it becomes available.
The base has completed work on $40 million in construction and renovation projects in preparation for the tanker’s arrival, including office spaces, training areas, and a flight and fuselage training center that will house simulator systems.
A spokesman also has said it expected to reactivate a squadron to conduct the training.
A Boeing spokesman said in an email this week the company has 20 of the aircraft under construction and that he agreed with the GAO’s latest timelines on deliveries.
“Regarding flight test, we continue to make steady progress and are working closely with the Air Force to ensure we are aligned on the test schedule,” wrote Chick Ramey, Boeing’s communications manager for the KC-46 program.
“The majority of developmental testing is complete, which reduces the risk to the certification and verification testing. The test team expects to be much more efficient during the second half of testing, now that the design has stabilized.”
Ramey also noted the GAO report reaffirmed Boeing will deliver all the capabilities it promised as part of the program. The report also informed Congress that the total acquisition cost has dropped by about $7.3 billion.
New and improved
The KC-46, a militarized version of the Boeing 767, will have the capability to conduct inflight refueling of as many as two aircraft at one time. It’s cargo deck also includes space for three times as much cargo and twice as many passengers as the KC-135.
The ability to transfer fuel from airborne tankers to combat and airlift forces is critical to the U.S. military’s ability to effectively operate globally, the report notes, and adds the KC-46 is among the Air Force’s highest acquisition priorities.
Currently, the Air Force’s fleet of 455 tankers — mostly KC-135 Stratotankers — provide tanking to Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied aircraft.
The addition of the 179 KC-46 aircraft would allow the Defense Department to meet its requirement for 479 operational tankers, and allow it to retire about a third of the oldest ones, enabling it to meet its operational requirements at lower costs.
In March, the GAO issued an annual report on the project to the U.S. House and Senate appropriations and armed services committees.