Boeing KC-46 Tanker Suppliers Behind on Deliveries, GAO Finds

Boeing Co.’s suppliers on its $51 billion KC-46 tanker program have fallen behind in designing and manufacturing the aircraft’s aerial refueling systems, according to congressional auditors.

Subcontractors are having difficulty making the boom used to connect to another aircraft for midair refueling, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in its annual weapons assessment report. The boom for the first KC-46 has been “delayed by eight months due to design changes and late parts deliveries,” according to the agency, which didn’t name the subcontractors.