TANKER TROUBLES: AS CRITICISM MOUNTS, BOEING LOOKS TO KEEP PACE WITH KC-46 DELIVERIES.

AuthorMayfield, Mandy

Following years of delays and high-profile snafus, the Boeing Co. is predicting the KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling tanker program will meet its key performance goals.

Boeing won the $4.9 billion fixed-price incentive contract in 2011 to build the tanker after successfully protesting a previous award to Airbus. The company has recently faced bouts of criticism from government officials and watchdogs over design issues, problems with foreign object debris and late deliveries.

The Air Force accepted its first delivery of the tanker in January, but has since halted deliveries of the aircraft twice due to the discovery of foreign object debris, or FOD.

Former Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson confirmed during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in April that deliveries of the aircraft had been paused for a second time due to debris in some closed compartments.

"We have got corrective action in place, including [a] 100 percent look at some of those closed compartments to make sure that the production line is being run the way that it needs to be run," Wilson said.

The service began accepting the tankers again in April, according to the Air Force.

Boeing said the company is continuing to work with the service on solving the issue.

"We [at] Boeing are very committed to delivering FOD-free aircraft to the Air Force. Safety is our No. 1 priority," Boeing spokesman Charles Ramey said. "I think it is important to note that none of the FOD-findings have impacted safety of flight."

Ramey said Boeing is conducting additional company and customer inspections of the jets to get at the issue. "We have implemented preventative action plans," he said. "We've also incorporated additional training and more rigorous clean-as-you-go practices and FOD awareness days ... across the company." Nothing has been a higher priority than this issue, he added.

Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, said during a press briefing at the Paris Air Show that the service is having "cultural dialogues" with the company.

Although he is "happy with Boeing leadership and their response to FOD," the Air Force will be working to address the issue for months, he said.

"This is not something that you fix by sending out a memo," Roper said. "Every plane that's on the line today, we expect to have foreign object debris because we expect the same lapse in quality assurance."

The Air Force will not be halting inspections of the KC-46...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT