First KC-46 delivery set for October

Boeing and the Air Force have reached an agreement to deliver the first KC-46 aircraft in October of this year. The first ones will go to McConnell AFB, then Pease, and Altus. Work is still being done on several Category One issues, such as with the RVS suffering from glare off the receiver, and the drogue disconnecting when it isn't supposed to.

The first aircraft were supposed to be delivered in August 2017, but that was slipped due to production and development issues with the aircraft. There are currently 43 aircraft in various stages of production, with 34 in final assembly or modification.

Boeing has reached an agreement with the US Air Force to deliver its first KC-46 Pegasus tanker in October 2018.

The Chicago-based aerospace manufacturer was contracted to deliver the first batch of 18 KC-46s by August 2017 but missed that deadline after having production issues. The USAF said it now expects that the first 18 aircraft will be delivered by April 2019.

This agreement paves the way for delivery of the first new tanker to the USAF 16.5 years after the US Senate first proposed a replacement plan for the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, a 1950s-era tanker.

www.flightglobal.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

I was a part of an aeromedical evacuation team sent to Seattle to work with Boeing to coordinate aeromedical demands that we had hoped to have implemented into the aircraft. Integrated oxygen, household electrical set up, lighting, and as much litter space as we could get.

I ended up PCSing and didn’t get to be a part of the rest of the process. But I’m told they crapped on just about everything we wanted. Regardless, I do wish I could have logged some hours on it before I got out.

a reply to: Assassin82

That sounds about right. "It wasn't designed as a medevac, so why should we put medical equipment into it, except as necessary."