{"id":42044,"date":"2020-04-08T19:30:02","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T19:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/08\/boeings-kc-46-tanker-now-has-a-pathway-for-autonomous-aerial-refueling\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:14:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:14:44","slug":"boeings-kc-46-tanker-now-has-a-pathway-for-autonomous-aerial-refueling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2020\/04\/08\/boeings-kc-46-tanker-now-has-a-pathway-for-autonomous-aerial-refueling\/","title":{"rendered":"Boeing\u2019s KC-46 tanker now has a pathway for autonomous aerial refueling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Last week\u2019s deal between Boeing and the U.S. Air Force<\/a> on a fix for the KC-46 <\/a>could pave the way for the tanker to refuel other aircraft without a person needed to manually control the process, a top service official said Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 2, Boeing agreed to fix the KC-46\u2019s troubled Remote Vision System by creating an overhauled RVS 2.0 with new hardware and software. Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper told reporters those changes would include the addition of 4K high-definition cameras that will display imagery in color as well as modern processors and LiDAR (light detecting and ranging) sensors that will help improve depth perception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA proper RVS like that is right on the doorstep to autonomy,\u201d Roper said. \u201cAll you have to do is take that data that tells the world inside the jet the reality of geometries between the airplane and the boom outside the jet. Once you have that, you simply need to translate it into algorithms that allow the tanker to tank itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t