KC-46 Production ramp up

Boeing has built an additional hanger at the South end of Paine field in order to house and complete final assembly of the KC-46's. They will still build the air frames in the Everett plant on their 767 assembly line, which is at the North end of Paine, then move them to the new hanger for installation of the fuel delivery plumbing, avionics and other military systems.
This new hanger is in addition to the space they currently use for tanker modifications at Boeing's Paine field property.
Boeing is to make the first delivery of the KC-46 in the summer of 2017.

Puget Sound Business Journal

The Air Force eventually wants 179 of the jets to replace the aging KC-135 tankers, which are based on the venerable Boeing 707.
Once the 767s come off the commercial production line in Everett, Boeing workers will install mission systems and test them in the new facility, said Boeing spokesman Chick Ramey, who confirmed the new building has opened. The facility can hold one plane at a time.

a reply to: Sammamishman

Our guide wasn't far off. That was five sitting by the door and six behind it based on four just rolling out.

a reply to: Zaphod58

For being a tour guide she knew her stuff surprisingly well.

a reply to: Sammamishman

Yeah she did. I was really impressed.

There does seem to be a lot of tanker sales recently so is it just the old stuffs getting too old to repair or a lot of countries upping their air power and have many more hungry mouths to feed?

a reply to: Maxatoria

It's the old stuff getting too old. The KC-135's are based off of 707 platforms that have been around for 50 years.

I just built some pulleys at work lately that were slated specifically for the tanker. I'm not sure how long we have been filling the orders but it's possible they just started labeling the production orders this way.

I'd sure like the chance to see the factory in Washington though, at least to see the stuff I build actually on the airplanes.

a reply to: Maxatoria

A little of both. NATO realized after Libya that they're largely reliant I the US for tanker support during large operations. So the nations that are replacing are adding one or two more aircraft, and several nations have put together a tanker Alliance and are buying s number of tankers that will be used to support NATO, with combined crews, and splitting the costs.

a reply to: Shaker

It's definitely worth the tour. Right now, they have approved 19 aircraft for purchase, heading towards 179 total.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Maxatoria

A little of both. NATO realized after Libya that they're largely reliant I the US for tanker support during large operations. So the nations that are replacing are adding one or two more aircraft, and several nations have put together a tanker Alliance and are buying s number of tankers that will be used to support NATO, with combined crews, and splitting the costs.

So us Brits have access to a flying boom tanker to refuel our shiny new ASW aircraft when we get them ?

a reply to: yittak

The US has tankers currently based at Mildenhall, that will probably move to Germany but will still be available, the French have C-135s, and are buying A330MRTTs, it hasn't been announced if they'll have a boom, but the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, and Norway are buying A330MRTTs that will have a boom.

The UK will have access to boom equipped tankers as necessary.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Will that be Norways first tanker?

a reply to: tomra

Yes. The Netherlands operates KDC-10s, but of the original three members they're the only one that has had a tanker prior to now. Germany has some converted Airbus tankers.