U.S. Air Force finds additional deficiency in Boeing's aerial fuel system

[rangerrebew]

U.S. Air Force finds additional deficiency in Boeing's aerial fuel system
 

(Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force announced on Monday an additional deficiency in the KC-46 Pegasus aerial fuel system built by Boeing (BA.N), classifying it at the Category I level, meaning it is a major technical issue that may endanger the aircrew and aircraft.

Boeing is contractually obligated to remedy the deficiency at no additional cost to the government, the Air Force said in a statement.

“The Service’s KC-46 Program Office first identified excessive fuel leaks in July of 2019 after an air refueling test,” the Air Force said, adding it is working with Boeing to determine the root cause of the issue and take corrective action.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-boeing-pentagon-idUSKBN21I06C

[Elderberry]

Key system on Boeing’s Air Force KC-46 tanker needs complete and lengthy redesign

American Military News 4/4/2020

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/04/key-system-on-boeings-air-force-kc-46-tanker-needs-complete-and-lengthy-redesign/

Having already written off $3.7 billion on the Air Force tanker program over the past six years, Boeing said Thursday it must now pay for a complete redesign of the remote vision system used to operate the plane’s refueling boom, a project expected to take three-and-a-half years.

In a separate good-news portion of its agreement with the Pentagon, the Air Force said it will release $882 million to Boeing that it withheld due to the multiple technical problems with the KC-46 tankers — $28 million on each of the 33 tankers delivered so far, or about 20% of the total due to Boeing.

This payment is not for the redesign, the Air Force said, but to provide Boeing liquidity during the cash crunch caused by the coronavirus crisis.

The fix Boeing must develop is for the camera and display system that allows an operator seated at a computer at the front of the tanker to maneuver the refueling boom at the tail of the plane so it can connect to a receiving aircraft. The current system does not work well in certain lighting conditions: when the sun is directly behind or directly in front of the tanker.

The Air Force has complained this makes the tanker incapable of fulfilling all its missions and has demanded a fix. Boeing and the Air Force said Thursday they have finally reached an agreement on how to do that.

More at link.