Originally Posted by
TwoStep
If you mean, can the A330 MRTT refuel at night under strict lightning conditions, yes it can and does over Iraq and Syria.
No, that is not what I meant. KC-767 does that. As does KDC-10, and KC-10, and KC-135, all Boeing products. USAF has some VERY robust requirements for refueling stealth aircraft under certain lighting condition. No tanker can meet those requirements. NONE, including KC-46. However, Boeing has proposed a software upgrade for KC-46 that USAF has (preliminarily) accepted will meet the requirements. At a future date. At Boeing expense to integrate, test, and install.
Can a KC-46 get airborne with a full load of fuel from a 9,000 foot runway? I'd question that.
Question it all you want. What matters is does USAF have such a requirement? If not, what's your point? My point is and has been that no off-the-shelf tanker could meet all USAF's requirements. NONE. It took more years of development and more money than USAF's firm-fixed-price contract provided to develop, integrate, and test all those requirements. Boeing was willing to pay all those costs and penalties out of pocket. Neither NG nor Airbus were willing to do so.