WASHINGTON -- The first flight of a KC-46A test model is expected to occur before the end of the year, a major, albeit delayed, milestone for the Air Force's tanker replacement program.
The first test flight of a Boeing 767-2C, a test version of the KC-46A without the refueling boom and other tanker equipment, is currently scheduled for just after Christmas, a source tells Defense News.
Assuming that test flight occurs without an issue, the next step would be to fly a KC-46A with the tanking equipment on it. That test flight remains on track for a Spring flight, the source added.
A spokeswoman for the Air Force directed questions to Boeing, while a company spokeswoman said the test plane is "in final preparations, and it will fly when it's ready."
If the 767-2C does in fact fly before the New Year, it would be a nice little Christmas present for Boeing, which hit some unexpected snags on the tanker program in 2014 -- including a delay in getting the test flight off the ground.
The test flight of the 767-2C had originally been scheduled for June of 2014, then for third quarter of the year. Boeing has downplayed the delay, noting that the test flight is an internal deadline. The service has agreed, emphasizing that it is only concerned that Boeing meet its eventual requirement of delivering 18 aircraft by 2017.
Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, the service's top military acquisition official, last month expressed concerns about Boeing's ability to stay on schedule in the near-future, especially if more delays occur.
"The more I'm slipping this out, the tougher it is to meet that date," Pawlikowski said Nov. 17. "If there are additional challenges going forward, it will be harder to overcome and still hold that [timetable] because you already used the margin that is out there."
Based on Boeing's 767-200ER commercial plane, the KC-46 program calls for 179 new planes to replace the aging KC-135 tanker fleet, with production ending in 2027. It is the first step in a planned three-part program to recapitalize the entire tanker fleet, and has been identified as one of the three top priorities for the service.
Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.
