U.S. Air Force Accepts Its First KC-46A Tanker

.@USAirForce accepts Boeing's first #KC46 Pegasus next-gen tanker. Next stop for the world’s newest tanker: @22ARW #TeamMcConnell.
RELEASE: https://t.co/bQiocKhw0j pic.twitter.com/ttLGitljNq

— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) January 10, 2019

Warzone/The Drive: USAF Finally Accepts Its First KC-46A Tanker, But The Design Still Needs Years Worth Of Fixes

Boeing will begin delivering the aircraft soon, but persistent issues with the refueling system will limit their operational utility in the near-term.

The U.S. Air Force has accepted the first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker, an important milestone for the troubled program. However, the initial batch of aircraft will still have serious problems with their remote vision and refueling boom systems, meaning that the planes remain years away from reaching their full operational potential.

Foreign Policy was the first to report on the agreement between the Air Force and Boeing to proceed with the deliveries of the aircraft, citing anonymous sources, on Jan. 10, 2019. Defense News then reported that the Chicago-headquartered planemaker had agreed to fix the remaining deficiencies and that the Air Force’s top leadership reserved the right to withhold full payment for the planes – up to $1.5 billion in total if the service docks the company for each of the 52 aircraft in the first batch of planes – until it sees real progress.

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