Boeing on wednesday, began assembly of its first prototype KC-46A aerial refueling aircraft for US Air Force, at its Everett production ...
Boeing on wednesday, began assembly of its first prototype KC-46A aerial refueling aircraft for US Air Force, at its Everett production line.
Workers loaded the first wing spar for the first KC-46A tanker, starting production of the aircraft and achieving another milestone toward delivering 179 tankers during the next 14 years.
The KC-46A is based on the commercial 767-200ER, a proven airframe in service as an airliner, freighter and tanker. Boeing has delivered more than 1,050 767s worldwide.
The spar, the main structural component of the wing, is 82 feet 5 inches long. On the aircraft, it provides critical support for flight loads and the weight of the wings when the plane is not flying.
The program’s next major contractual milestone, the Air Force’s Critical Design Review, starts next month.
When the aircraft comes off the Everett production line, it will be a 767-2C Provisioned Freighter that will eventually become a military-configured KC-46 tanker.
The first fully equipped KC-46 is slated to fly in early 2015.
Boeing employees are also preparing the 767 production line for assembly of the next-generation tanker’s aft and forward body structures. The aircraft will be assembled in November and roll out of the factory in January 2014.
Boeing 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.
