Boeing resumes KC-46 deliveries to the U.S. Air Force after nearly three months
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has received new KC-46A Pegasus tankers again after nearly three months since Boeing last sent one of the aircraft.
And the delivery was double, with jets number 10 and 11 from the 60th Air Mobility Wing taking off for Travis Air Force Base, California.
With the two new aerial refueling aircraft, the USAF now has 91 KC-46As in service.
The program, however, has faced successive setbacks, the most recent of which was on February 27 when the service determined a pause in delivery after discovering cracks in control surface components.
Despite yet another problem, Boeing considered the issue simple to resolve since it affected a limited number of parts and did not pose a safety risk to the aircraft.
Boeing was awarded the controversial KC-X program with a fixed-price contract for 179 KC-46 jets, based on the 767-2QC model.
Technical problems, however, delayed deliveries and increased the program’s costs.
The plan was to retire the KC-135 Stratotanker fleet, which has been in service for many decades, but the Air Force changed its mind and is now looking for a new, possibly stealthy, aircraft to equip its wings in the future.
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