Boeing’s $44 Billion Tanker May Miss a Milestone by Three Years
- Delay mars arrival ceremony at Kansas Air Force Base this week
- Subcontractor is running late on wing-mounted refueling pods
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Boeing Co.’s first aerial refueling tanker in a $44 billion program is scheduled to land Friday at an Air Force base in Kansas for a celebration tempered by what now may become a delay of at least three years in meeting its most important milestone.
A ceremony is planned for the arrival of the KC-46 at McConnell Air Force Base, with scores of Air Force personnel on hand, along with Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and the state’s two U.S. senators, Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran. The Air Force accepted the first delivery despite unresolved issues including fixing a troubled camera system used in refueling operations.