While they’re disappointed not to win Korea’s tanker competition, Boeing officials feel there are other opportunities ahead. “Regarding future tanker sales, world-wide interest remains high and we’re talking to a number of potential customers,” a Boeing spokesman told Air Force Magazine on Wednesday. The KC-46 “is a franchise program for Boeing and we feel that with the advanced capabilities it offers it sets the standard for a next-generation, multi-role tanker.” The spokesman did not have an immediate response when asked if there are sufficient sales opportunities to cover Boeing’s investment in the KC-46 above and beyond the Air Force’s development contract funding. By its own admission, Boeing lowballed its tanker bid in the 2011 US Air Force KC-X contest, deeming it a “strategic investment” in a long-term program offering synergies with its commercial product line. Industry estimates peg Boeing’s tanker out-of pocket at upwards of $250 million. Company officials note privately that while the Airbus A330 MRTT has won the tanker contests so far, the numbers don’t stack up to the 179-aircraft commitment the company has with the Air Force, to say nothing of the future USAF KC-Y and KC-Z competitions, where Boeing thinks it will have incumbent advantage. First flight of the all-up KC-46A has been delayed due to a wiring harness design flaw; Boeing officials hope to fly the tanker in August, about six-eight months late.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.