Boeing KC-46 Pegasus

Wow, we (or just myself ::) ) missed this news.

Last month, US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said the KC-46A tanker will be called 'Pegasus.'


Pegasus to be Official Name for US Air Force KC-46A
US AIR Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh III announced on
February 20 that the new Boeing KC-46A tanker has been given the
official name ‘Pegasus’, after the winged horse of Greek mythology.
Four engineering and manufacturing development
(EMD) aircraft are currently in various stages of production for
the KC-46A programme, with the first now nearing completion.
After its maiden flight in June, the first aircraft will then be converted
to full tanker configuration before re-flying in early 2015.
First production delivery to the USAF is planned for early 2016,
the contract specifying that 18 combat-ready aircraft are to be
in service by 2017. The USAF will buy 179 KC-46As, with
deliveries continuing until 2027.
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Source: Air Force Monthly, April 2014


Another source: http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20140220/NEWS04/302200040/KC-46A-tanker-gets-new-name-Pegasus
 
Eh. It's not like anyone will actually use the name anyway.
 
Hmm, perhaps it's also a sly nod to the tradition of aerial tankers using gas station names as callsigns? In this case the "pegasus" that has been associated with Magnolia / Standard Oil Company of New York (SOCONY) / Mobil since the 1930s.
mobil-logo.jpg
 

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I like Pegasus, looks like naming planes after classical mythology (Greek) is back in fashion. By the way what was the contract breach during the shut down.
 
Boxman said:
Hmm, perhaps it's also a sly nod to the tradition of aerial tankers using gas station names as callsigns? In this case the "pegasus" that has been associated with Magnolia / Standard Oil Company of New York (SOCONY) / Mobil since the 1930s.
mobil-logo.jpg
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Okay, now that's kinda cool.
 
FighterJock said:
By the way what was the contract breach during the shut down.
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Probably DoD was about to miss a progress payment to Boeing.
 
Here's a glimpse to the prototype !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d583tFqpwU&feature=youtu.be

Deino
 
Is there a reason, why it became so silent around this most important program ??? :eek:

I know so far no aircraft has finished but it's strange that not a single image was officially posted ... all You find are a few images of the three aircraft so far at several blogs and image-hosts. :-[

http://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/385427/usa-air-force-boeing-kc-46a-pegasus/
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7274/13675584755_8ddc38bfa9_z.jpg
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraftsearch=Boeing%20KC-46%20Pegasus%20%28767-2C%29&distinct_entry=true
http://www.miltechmag.com/2014/06/international-opportunities-for-kc-46a.html
http://blog.daum.net/_blog/BlogTypeView.do?blogid=0FLNZ&articleno=11816163&categoryId=598650&regdt=20140502201328


Any info when that will change ???
Deino
 
The first KC-46 was baptised before its birth. ;) ;D


During the Farnborough Airshow in July, I remember reading the following news or even posting it here in this forum. :-\
Defense Undersecretary Frank Kendall told reporters late on Sunday that Boeing was performing "satisfactorily" on the KC-46 tanker program, but several events - including water damage caused by a sprinkler malfunction at the company's Everett, Washington plant - meant costs were higher than expected.
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Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/14/airshow-britain-boeing-tanker-idUSL6N0PP2F220140714
 
Glad to see that the firm-fixed-price aspect of the contract seems to be working -- Boeing, rather than the Government, gets to eat these costs.
 
Until the CFO's office says "bleep that noise" and pulls the plug.
 
Walking away from the KC-46 program would put Boeing in default and probably cost them a lot more that the overrun. It would also kill Boeing's chances of getting any significant new defense contracts for years to come. Past performance counts.




PS: Here's an article from earlier this year on Boeing's position vis a vis overruns on the development contract. They just took a $272 million charge due to overruns so far on the KC-46. They plan to make it up on the procurement end, which is how these sort of contracts always work out.


http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140726/DEFREG02/307260020/Boeing-Discloses-KC-46-Design-Flaw-Companies-Report-Mixed-Earnings
 
Steve Pace said:
The KC-46A has been officially named Pegasus. -SP
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Yes ... already since March this year ! ???

see http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,20705.msg216070.html#msg216070
 
http://paineairport.com/kpae10693.htm

This is the first 767-2C on Sept 22...note tail cone attached to tip of fin.
 
Triton said:
Not sure when it happened, but the official name for the KC-46A is Pegasus.
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This has been said at least twice, the last of which being less than a fortnight ago... ::) (see top of page)
 
:mad:
First flight is skipped to the second quarter of calendar year 2015 (April to June).
[...]
A provisional test 767-2C, a freighter variant of the aircraft, and the first EMD KC-46 are scheduled to fly in the second quarter of calendar year 2015. [...]
The company launched a wiring audit that found about 5% of the aircraft’s 98,000 wiring bundles were installed too close to redundant counterparts. The first four engineering and manufacturing development aircraft had to be rewired before they could roll off the production line.
[...]
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Source: Flightglobal.com- Boeing fixes KC-46 wiring issues, sets first flight for spring 2015
 
??? , :-\ & :-[

Sorry folks, I got mixed up about the KC-46 prototype designations and their planned first flights.
First flight test window for the 767-2C EMD-1 is set for December 27th or 28th; KC-46 EMD-2 first flight planned for April 2015.
[...]The first flight test window for the 767-2C – which includes wiring, plumbing, doors and floors – is set for Dec. 27 with a backup one day later, USAF Brig. Gen. Duke Richardson, program executive officer for tankers, said in an interview with Aviation Week.
This first flight for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD)-1 aircraft is critical toward the next first flight milestone. EMD-2, the first fully configured KC-46 aerial refueler, is slated to take to the skies in April.[...]
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Source:
AviationWeek.com - Aerospace Daily & Defense Report: Amy Butler - USAF Tanker Platform Slated For Year-end Debut (16.12.2014)
 
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/exclusive-meet-the-usafs-long-awaited-kc-46a-pegasus-t-1675663600
 
Welp, so much for an April "first flight". . . :-\

SecAF: KC-46 First Flight 'Hopefully' Summer

by Aaron Mehta
19-March-2015, 4:28 PM
Defense News

WASHINGTON — The Air Force secretary expects the KC-46A tanker to have its first flight sometime over the summer, a "several month" delay for a milestone on the program.

The timeline laid out for Defense News by Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James clarifies comments made Tuesday by Brig. Gen. Duke Richardson, program executive officer for tankers, that the tanker was going to miss the expected first flight date of mid-April.

"It is concerning me," James said in a Thursday interview. "My best belief, at this point, is it will be a several-month delay. So hopefully summertime is when it would occur."

This is not the first delay of a major test point on the tanker. The first test flight of a Boeing 767-2C, a test version of the KC-46A without the refueling boom and other tanker equipment, was scheduled for June 2014; it eventually occurred just before the New Year.

Executives for Boeing have emphasized that its focus is on a contractual obligation to provide 18 ready-to-go tankers on the ramp by 2017, and noted that first flight dates are targets, not obligations.

James did say that the KC-46 program has some good news, noting that the costs are capped and the company is largely on track for its major contractual requirements.

However, Richardson warned on Tuesday that the margin built into the schedule was essentially gone, and that any delay in getting that first flight up was a concern because of the need to get air worthiness certifications.

James echoed Richardson's concern about the lack of margin, and added that Boeing has submitted a new integrated master schedule, laying out its internal target dates, for review by the Air Force.

"The worrying news is that underneath those contractual and milestone requirements, there are a whole lot of other milestones," James said. "This is the internal plan for how do you get from here to there to meet the milestones. That's where there have been challenges and slippages and so forth, so that is the worrying part."

The KC-46A will replace the majority of the service's tanker fleet with 179 new planes, based on a Boeing commercial design.
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Matt Cawby is reporting that VH001 did a functional check flight on Wednesday.
 

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Boeing Moves Top Executive to Fix Aerial Tanker Project

By Jon Ostrower
July 30, 2015 4:02 p.m. ET


Boeing Co. has assigned its aircraft development chief to right its troubled aerial refueling tanker project, on the heels of a surprise $835 million charge to its second-quarter earnings, the company said in an internal memo to staff.

Scott Fancher, vice president of airplane development, will take on “a special interim assignment to provide senior executive oversight and increased management support to the tanker program,” according to the memo from Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing’s newly appointed chief executive.

The new assignment adds to Mr. Fancher’s current role overseeing the company’s new jetliner development programs. Bob Feldmann, vice president and general manager of the 777X jetliner development, will also become Mr. Fancher’s deputy in the development role on programs such as the stretched 787-10 and single-aisle 737 Max.

Mr. Fancher is no stranger to troubled programs, having served as head of Boeing’s flagship 787 Dreamliner program from 2008, helping to right production and complete development after 3½ years of delays.

Boeing on July 17 announced it was taking a 77 cent per share charge against its earnings after testing revealed issues with the jet’s fuel system. The company aims to deliver the first 18 new KC-46 tanker aircraft to the U.S. Air Force by August 2017.
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http://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-moves-top-executive-to-fix-aerial-tanker-project-1438286578
 
Whoops! :eek:
Chemical mix-up during testing damages Boeing tanker

By Dominic Gates
Originally published July 30, 2015 at 4:19 pm
Updated July 31, 2015 at 7:49 am
Seattle Times



Just weeks before the planned first flight of a fully outfitted KC-46 Air Force tanker, the plane’s fueling system has been damaged by a chemical mix-up, temporarily grounding the jet. Meanwhile, Boeing put veteran executive Scott Fancher in charge of the troubled tanker program.
In a new setback just weeks before the planned first flight of a fully outfitted KC-46 Air Force tanker, the Boeing plane’s fueling system has been damaged by a chemical mix-up, temporarily grounding the jet.
The jet — the first test plane outfitted with working air-refueling systems and designated as a tanker — was at the fuel dock on Paine Field last week when mechanics used the wrong chemical during a test of the fuel system, according to people familiar with the details.
The chemical, supplied by a vendor and mislabeled, caused corrosion and damaged the fuel system, including the advanced new fuel boom designed to offload gas to fighter aircraft, the sources said.
The fuel boom as well as the auxiliary fuel tanks in the fuselage of the airplane have been removed from the aircraft for inspection and any necessary repairs. The Air Force has been informed of the incident.
The auxiliary tanks appear to be undamaged, one source said.
Boeing spokesman Chick Ramey would not provide details but confirmed Boeing is “determining a plan of action” for “an emergent KC-46 issue.”
“We are currently assessing the potential impact of the issue on scheduled program activities,” Ramey said.
It’s unclear how much this incident will delay the plane’s first flight, which was expected in late August or early September.
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**** The rest of the report can be read via the hyperlinked title ****
 
Well, there's an ex-vendor, one imagines. How the heck to do mislabel corrosive materials and stay in business as a chemcial supplier (assuming that's the vendor in question)?
 
TomS said:
Well, there's an ex-vendor, one imagines. How the heck to do mislabel corrosive materials and stay in business as a chemcial supplier (assuming that's the vendor in question)?
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I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit of corporate skulduggery involved somewhere.
 
Grey Havoc said:
TomS said:
Well, there's an ex-vendor, one imagines. How the heck to do mislabel corrosive materials and stay in business as a chemcial supplier (assuming that's the vendor in question)?
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I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit of corporate skulduggery involved somewhere.
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I would be. Who benefits when (not if) it comes out somebody tried to sabotage their own product?
 
Grey Havoc said:
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit of corporate skulduggery involved somewhere.
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Are you suggesting that a Boeing competitor (Airbus, presumably) somehow caused this damage? Seriously? That's just an absurd suggestion.
 
You might be surprised. Suborning a disaffected or otherwise compromised employee is one of the oldest tricks in the book. And, in this day and age they might not have to even do that, depending on how automated the vendor's (most likely not properly walled off from the internet) manufacturing & logistics systems are.
 
No, sorry. The idea of a company causing actual physical damage to a compatitor's hardware is just insane. Doing so without leaving any evidence would be very tricky, and if it was detected (which is likely), the fallout would be enormous -- civil and likely criminal action against Airbus, possible DOD contracting bans, loss of security clearances for the involved emplyees, etc. The downside potential is huge, and the upside benefit is near zero.
 
Corporate espionage is alive and well in the 21st Century; It's one of those things that everyone will admit to defending against, but no-one will admit to carrying out.

The old saw applies: who benefits?
 
In other news: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/israel-evaluates-converted-767-as-tanker-alternative-415375/
 

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