{"id":45656,"date":"2021-08-09T15:39:39","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T15:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/09\/boeings-kc-46-can-now-use-its-refueling-boom-for-operational-missions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:03:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:03:26","slug":"boeings-kc-46-can-now-use-its-refueling-boom-for-operational-missions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/08\/09\/boeings-kc-46-can-now-use-its-refueling-boom-for-operational-missions\/","title":{"rendered":"Boeing\u2019s KC-46 can now use its refueling boom for operational missions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Air Force has started conducting operational KC-46 missions using the aircraft\u2019s refueling boom, marking another small step forward for fielding the troubled tanker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Transportation Command can now task the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2021\/06\/07\/whats-a-fair-price-for-kc-46-spare-parts-the-air-force-isnt-sure\/\" target=\"_blank\">Boeing KC-46 tanker<\/a> to refuel C-17 cargo planes, B-52 bombers and other KC-46s using its refueling boom. Previously, the KC-46 was only permitted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2021\/07\/12\/the-air-force-gives-a-green-light-for-the-kc-46-to-start-limited-refueling-operations\/\" target=\"_blank\">to use its centerline drogue<\/a> for refueling operations requested by TRANSCOM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision was made by Air Mobility Command head Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost on Aug. 5 and announced by the service on Aug. 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have reviewed many of the KC-46 operational employment criteria over the past several months and it was clear we were ready for another milestone,\u201d said Brig. Gen. Ryan Samuelson, who leads the KC-46 cross-functional team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although a fully mission-capable aircraft is still \u201ca few years away,\u201d the Air Force hopes to accelerate the fielding of the KC-46 by incrementally approving it for operations,  Samuelson added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to an Air Force statement, the KC-46 has safely refueled the C-17, B-52 and KC-46 more than 4,700 times since October 2020 during training and exercises. By allowing the KC-46 to take on operational missions refueling these aircraft, the service hopes to decrease the workload on legacy KC-135 and KC-10 tankers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Air Force leaders have asserted the service will not declare the KC-46 operational until all its critical technical deficiencies are resolved. The program currently has six category 1 deficiencies on the books. Those issues impose a risk to either safety or operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2021\/06\/17\/more-cost-overruns-are-coming-down-the-line-for-boeing-as-the-kc-46-program-logs-another-two-technical-deficiencies\/\" target=\"_blank\">Two recently discovered problems<\/a> are \u201cwell on track to being resolved,\u201d Paul Waugh, the Air Force\u2019s program executive for mobility and training aircraft, told reporters on Tuesday. They include a software issue involving the KC-46\u2032s flight management system and cracking of the drain tube, experienced while flying in freezing temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the biggest problem requires a redesign of the aircraft\u2019s Remote Vision System \u2014which feeds video imagery to the boom operator during a refueling \u2014 and the new system will not be ready for production until at least 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Boeing delivered the newest KC-46 on Aug. 6 to Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The company slowed down the pace of KC-46 deliveries this spring due to the pandemic but is set to ramp up to two a month, Waugh said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As of Aug. 5, the KC-46 is cleared to refuel the C-17, B-52 and KC-46 using its boom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":51786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":88,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[29,116,15,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3297],"class_list":["post-45656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"W7V2KAQJP5GO3I3FUBG6EBCV7E","arc_canonical_url":"\/industry\/2021\/08\/09\/boeings-kc-46-can-now-use-its-refueling-boom-for-operational-missions\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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cleared to refuel the C-17, B-52 and KC-46 using its boom.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/08\/09\/boeings-kc-46-can-now-use-its-refueling-boom-for-operational-missions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Military Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-08-09T15:39:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T22:03:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": 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