Boeing Co. may have to wait an extra eight months for $3 billion in contracts on its KC-46 tanker because of delays caused by flaws in the refueling plane’s wiring and parts for its fuel system, according to the U.S. Air Force.
“Low-rate production” contracts to build the first 19 of the tankers may be delayed from August to as late as April 2016 in the latest of several schedule revisions agreed on by the Air Force and Boeing. In addition, the planned first flight of a fully equipped KC-46 is being delayed to as late of September of this year after missing an April goal.
Difficulties with the tanker based on Boeing’s 767 jetliner are affecting the performance of the Chicago-based company. Boeing said on July 17 that it will revise its full-year profit forecast because of a $536 million after-tax charge due to higher costs associated with developing the plane. It’s the second such charge in the past year.
Boeing discovered the need for wiring changes while working on the second of four development aircraft as well as encountering delays in “qualifying some of the fuel system parts,” Charles Gulick, an Air Force spokesman, said in an e-mail.
“Boeing is working through typical challenges associated with first-of-model aircraft design,” Gulick said. “Even with these slips, Boeing projects they that can achieve” the program’s most important contractual goal: delivery of 18 tankers by August 2017, he said.
I personally have my doubts that "18 tankers by August 2017" is achievable. From where I sit (admittedly, a thousand miles away) they're going to be lucky to achieve that by August 2018.