KC-46A Begins Production With the Loading of the Wing Spar

As most of you know, I've been following the news when it comes to the new tanker Boeing is building. The KC-46A has started production in Everett, WA with the building of the 767-200 Extended Range Airframe's. They will be sent to Boeing field to install military stuff and to be turned into a tanker.

EVERETT, Wash. - Boeing Co. said it began assembly of the first KC-46A tanker for the U.S. Air Force at its production center in Everett, Wash., on Wednesday. Chicago-based Boeing, which won the tanker contract in 2011, said it loaded the first “wing spar” for the plane inside its Everett factory. The 82.5-foot spar is the main structural component of the wing. The tanker, based on a commercial 767-200 Extended Range airframe, is the first of 179 that Boeing is due to deliver to the Air Force over the next 14 years.

A total of 179 KC-46A's will be built at a cost of about 44 billion or so. They will be replacing the aging KC-135 fleet who's about to receive a block 45 upgrade to keep them flying for 40 more years!

Next June, Boeing will begin installation of military-unique systems on the aircraft at Boeing Field in Seattle as well as testing. First flight for the fully provisioned tanker is scheduled for early 2015, with first delivery in 2016. Boeing said it expects to build and deliver the first 18 KC-46As by 2017 and a total of 179 by 2027 if all options under the contract are exercised.

KC-46A

reply to post by boomer135


It's still Frankentanker, but not as bad as the first time around. This one has some interesting changes to the standard 767 in it.

Looks like Boeing is on track to have the 1st batch of 18 delivered on time and 300 million over budget, which isn't bad. Boeing has to cover that because of the fixed price contract. But they will more than make that bad with 179 orders.

pretty strange celebrating war machines, perhaps its a new reality tv show in the making, "the people who love killing machines and the billions of dollars wasted on building them". to each their own i suppose.

reply to post by LittleBlackEagle


War machines or peace keeping machines guess it depends on your point of view.

Never seen missiles loaded on a tanker.

Originally posted by kuhl
reply to post by LittleBlackEagle

 

War machines or peace keeping machines guess it depends on your point of view.

Never seen missiles loaded on a tanker.

yeah, peace keeping machines.

reply to post by LittleBlackEagle


Tankers support aircraft used in fighting yes, but they have also been used to evacuate people from disaster areas, as medevac units, to fly cargo into places that desperately need it, and to carry fuel into places that are supporting disaster relief efforts. They are far more useful than to just be called a "war plane".

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by LittleBlackEagle

 

Tankers support aircraft used in fighting yes, but they have also been used to evacuate people from disaster areas, as medevac units, to fly cargo into places that desperately need it, and to carry fuel into places that are supporting disaster relief efforts. They are far more useful than to just be called a "war plane".

whatever you use to justify the military industrial complex is fine by me, but please don't ask me to believe that BS you just wrote. you get off on war planes, it's cool as everyone should have a hobby yet justifying the war machines as being anything but killing machines, save that for the Afghanistan's, Syrians, multiple African countries and i could go on but i digress as they all bring the same thing death.

reply to post by LittleBlackEagle


I don't "get off on warplanes" at all. I'm so terribly sorry that studying aviation offends you so much.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by LittleBlackEagle

 

I don't "get off on warplanes" at all. I'm so terribly sorry that studying aviation offends you so much.

it doesn't offend me and you do get off on war planes,but it's cool and i didn't mean to insinuate it's a bad thing, just strange or perhaps you never really thought about it in that way, i don't know really.

reply to post by LittleBlackEagle


I lived the first 30 years of my life on an Air Force base, including losing pilots and crews. I know exactly what I'm studying, and what they are used for, far better than most, with the exception of the crews of that aircraft.

What a waste of money. Think of all the children's lives that could be spared if money earmarked for such barbaric relics were sent to worthy causes instead. The Globalist I mean US military could be pared down by easily 75% and still have enough capacity for deterrence, disaster relief domestic or international. Those who continue to advocate and glorify such a misuse of human resources will have to live with it on their conscience and soul in this physical life and what follows.

Originally posted by LittleBlackEagle
pretty strange celebrating war machines, perhaps its a new reality tv show in the making, "the people who love killing machines and the billions of dollars wasted on building them". to each their own i suppose.

Yes, a human being who does not "get" this has their priorities out of whack, has been completely indoctrinated by propaganda or is totally ignorant to what is important in life. However, I will not judge, souls are at different stages, and I accept what is.

I used to be like this, enamoured with the machines of war, until I saw the light.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by LittleBlackEagle

 

I lived the first 30 years of my life on an Air Force base, including losing pilots and crews. I know exactly what I'm studying, and what they are used for, far better than most, with the exception of the crews of that aircraft.

im unsure of your point but honestly i know you're not a bad person and i hope i didn't sound that way. just that a very large portion of our population has no idea what they're doing nor why, in this crazy world.

i think aircraft are great and have done a lot of good for our world, but the military industrial complex has ruined it for you and everyone else. they have made your hobby tainted with blood, lies, corruption and more. our soldiers die for money and greed, not saving lives and it's far from their fault as our leaders have done the same to them.

in our time of the truth becoming more prevalent everyday, it gets harder to ignore the reality behind the machine's. hundreds of thousands of innocent people have died, far more than ever saved, by killing machines used by the corrupt governments of the world. really leaves a bad taste in the mouth when you get honest about what they do and do not do.

Originally posted by kuhl
reply to post by LittleBlackEagle

 

War machines or peace keeping machines guess it depends on your point of view.

Never seen missiles loaded on a tanker.

Yes, and tankers have never refueled bombers, fighters, etc.

reply to post by PlanetXisHERE


Or, and I realize this is a complete stretch, are interested in the technologies, and the advances, and the possibilities for the future, and like to study things like this. But no, it can't be. We have to be either idiots, indoctrinated, or too stupid to understand what they're used for, right? I mean those are the only possibilities.

reply to post by LittleBlackEagle


You do realize that it's completely possible to study aircraft, without being tied to war, and attacking anyone right? Sometimes people are interested in the aircraft for the technologies involved, and for trying to see what is going to come in the future, not because "it's cool" or that it's used to bomb someone.

An my point is that I know just what a warplane is used for, and just how bad it can be to be on the wrong end of one. I've been on bases with crews that went on training missions and came home in a bag, because they had a bad day, or someone didn't tighten a bolt tight enough. I know exactly what I'm studying, and why they exist, as well as why they have to exist. I don't like that they have to, but I understand the necessity of them.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by LittleBlackEagle

 

You do realize that it's completely possible to study aircraft, without being tied to war, and attacking anyone right? Sometimes people are interested in the aircraft for the technologies involved, and for trying to see what is going to come in the future, not because "it's cool" or that it's used to bomb someone.

An my point is that I know just what a warplane is used for, and just how bad it can be to be on the wrong end of one. I've been on bases with crews that went on training missions and came home in a bag, because they had a bad day, or someone didn't tighten a bolt tight enough. I know exactly what I'm studying, and why they exist, as well as why they have to exist. I don't like that they have to, but I understand the necessity of them.

edit on 7/3/2013 by Zaphod58 because: (no reason given)

how does one study military aircraft without being tied to war? we've been at war for thousands of years now and it doesn't look like any end in sight to me. the "tech" you enjoy as a hobby is used to kill people, i'm sorry if that sounds harsh but it's the truth. i'm also sorry you think they "have to" exist, really 8 trillion dollars worth of "peace keeping" planes over the next 14 years is laughable, we can't even keep cities going right now because our government is so corrupt they spend the money of 7 generations to come, on "peace keeping forces".

the only necessity for adding trillions of dollars worth of war machines is for the corrupt to make bank, they could care less about saving lives, not even of their own soldiers do they care and you for one should know that by now. why don't they put some real money into helping the thousands of soldiers who commit suicide every year. and i don't believe they commit suicide because of the warm fuzzy feeling saving lives truly brings.

our government is shot, our military is shot and we're broke, you can't enjoy military planes without knowing the truth and if that bothers you perhaps their are some private/NASA aircraft that would interest you.

reply to post by LittleBlackEagle


Where did you come up with $8 trillion dollars worth of peace keeping planes? That's not even remotely close to accurate.

Yes, they have to exist. Unless the entire world will suddenly start singing khumbaya if we just get rid of the military. Sorry, but the world doesn't work that way.

You can quite easily separate the tech from the uses of it, and still completely understand what it's used for. You can even not like what it's used for, and still be interested in it.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by LittleBlackEagle

 

Where did you come up with $8 trillion dollars worth of peace keeping planes? That's not even remotely close to accurate.

Yes, they have to exist. Unless the entire world will suddenly start singing khumbaya if we just get rid of the military. Sorry, but the world doesn't work that way.

You can quite easily separate the tech from the uses of it, and still completely understand what it's used for. You can even not like what it's used for, and still be interested in it.

8 trillion was derived from 44 billion per aircraft or i could have misunderstood your wording, is it 44 billion per plane or 44 billion total, either way it doesn't matter, it's money we don't have and never will, but it's okay you will probably be dead and gone when the billions of people starving for the next 100 years comes along, you know the ones who will be paying for these?

we have no friggin money, we have hundreds of years worth of debt, can you eat these planes? can you heal your sickness with these planes? do they make drinkable water? will they clean up pollution? will they lower the need for radioactive waste?

we already have ten times the amount of killing machines to do the job, we don't need anymore so that's not a valid argument.

again i never tried to infer that you liked the killing part of the machines, but you cannot separate them or at least only long enough to realize you had just been deceiving yourself over it..

be nice to see some new radioactive waste clean up equipment being made, or oil spill machinery, aircraft and ships that would do some real good instead of the BS story we always hear from.gov