Boeing Joins First KC-46A AirframeThe fuselage and wings for the first 767-
2C to be adapted into a
KC-46A for the U.S. Air Force’s aerial refueling tanker program have been joined at Boeing’s Everett, Wash., facility.
Final body join of the first aircraft, dubbed VH001, marks a significant milestone in the $4.4 billion
KC-46 engineering and manufacturing development (
EMD) program, which the Air Force awarded the company in February 2011.
Under
EMD, Boeing is assembling four prototype aircraft that will initially be used for flight test. All four will be delivered as part of the initial tranche of 18 combat-ready tankers contracted for delivery to the Air Force by August 2017.
Assembly of the first aircraft is taking place in Building 40-32, the same line currently producing 767-300F commercial freighters for FedEx. Boeing will continue to build these freighters, as well as a single 767-300ER passenger variant still in the backlog, alongside the 767-2Cs for the tanker program. The company currently has 44 undelivered commercial 767s in the backlog as well as the four 767-2Cs, but anticipates continued production to support deliveries of 179
KC-46s to the Air Force by 2028.
Completion of the major structures comes on schedule and places the tanker program on track for completion of all four initial test airframes by mid-2014, says Tim Peters, Boeing’s vice president for mobility, surveillance and engagement. Commenting at the recent Dubai air show, Peters said the first 767-
2C “looks like an airplane” and is currently beginning systems installation.
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