KC46 | Common News Update

May242020 by adminNo Comments

Senators call for investigation of KC-46 problems

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May 22 (UPI) -- Three U.S. senators called on the Government Accountability Office on Friday to investigate delays keeping the KC-46 military aircraft from use in missions. In a letter, Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., demanded "periodic assessments" of the progress made by builder Boeing to fix longstanding problems of the cargo and refueling plane, notably its refueling boom and its rearward-facing remote vision system. In addition, the plane has been prone to cargo locks becoming unlocked in mid-flight, and inspections have found tools, rubbish, leftover parts and loose fittings in planes delivered by Boeing since January 2019. "The KC-46 aerial refueling tanker modernization program, currently assessed at a cost of about $ 43 billion, ...

Mar242020 by adminNo Comments

Boeing shuts down KC-46, P-8 plants for two weeks because of COVID-19

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March 23 (UPI) -- Boeing announced a two-week shutdown of its Seattle-area plants on Monday, stopping production of KC-46 refueling and P-8 surveillance military planes. The manufacturing suspension will last until March 25, the company said in a statement. The shutdown comes as Washington state is under a state of emergency because of the spread of COVID-19, and several Boeing employees have tested positive for the virus. KC-46s are made for U.S. Air Force at Boeing's Everett, Wash., plant, and P-8s are made for the U.S. Navy at Boeing's Renton, Wash., facility. The two planes, each delivered at a rate of about one or two per month, are derived from civilian models and are built on the same assembly lines as commercial aircraft. Any delay in commercial production could harm the company ...

Nov122019 by adminNo Comments

Air Force approves fix for malfunctioning KC-46 cargo lock

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Nov. 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force has approved a retrofit to prevent cargo locks on an aerial refueling tanker from coming undone midflight, officials said Tuesday. Will Roper, the Air Force's top acquisition official, told Defense News he's confident the KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling tanker's malfunctioning cargo locks will be fixed within months. In September, after a flight where cargo locks on the bottom of the aircraft's floor became unlocked midflight, the tanker was restricted from carrying either cargo or people in the back of the aircraft. "The Boeing/Air Force team have successfully tested a cargo lock retrofit that prevents the lock from beginning to disengage," Boeing spokesperson Lawrence Chambers told National Defense Magazine on Tuesday. "The retrofit has already flown...

Jul152018 by adminNo Comments

KC-46 tanker aircraft completes flight tests ahead of first delivery

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July 13 (UPI) -- The KC-46 Pegasus has successfully completed its final flight tests, setting the stage for delivery of the first aircraft to the U.S. Air Force in late October. The joint Boeing and Air Force team tested the Remote Vision System and completed tanker aircraft refueling certifications for the F-16 Fighting Falcon and C-17 Globemaster III, the Air Force announced Friday. The testing also included the KC-46 being refueled by the current KC-135 Stratotanker, which fulfills minimum qualifications for delivery of the aircraft. "With this milestone complete, the test program has demonstrated a level of maturity that positions Boeing to deliver, and the Air Force to accept, an aircraft by the end of October 2018," Air Force service acquisition executive Dr. Will Roper said in a p...