The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center on June 16 issue a call to determine which companies could provide a “bridge tanker” to cover the gap in tanker capacity between the end of KC-46 production and development of a future refueler. The Sources Sought Announcement ...
The Air Force is requesting limited funding for its T-7A Red Hawk next-generation trainer because of technical issues uncovered in testing, which have pushed back the full-rate production decision on the aircraft by a year. The 2022 budget request calls for $188.9 million in research, ...
A feature in the KC-46’s advanced refueling system, designed to improve safety and ease the burden on boom operators, is not working as designed, so the Air Force implemented a workaround. The problem is with the aircraft’s Aerial Refueling Software, which has preset limits for ...
The existing VC-25As, known as Air Force One when the President is on board, may have to undergo another maintenance cycle, requiring Air Mobility Command to take funding from other requirements, as the replacement program faces a possible schedule slip. Boeing presented the Air Force ...
Air Force Global Strike Command boss Gen. Timothy M. Ray said the Air Force did not include any new MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters in its fiscal 2022 budget request because of certification delays related to the pandemic. "I spent some time talking to Boeing about ...
The Air Force's fiscal 2022 budget request for munitions cuts deeply into production of staples like the Joint Direct Attack Munition bomb and Hellfire missile. The service, however, promises its stockpiles are adequate and that it needs to invest in new munitions that are better ...
The Air Force did not request to buy any new MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters in its fiscal 2022 budget, and fielding will be delayed as the service waits to receive Federal Aviation Administration certification. The Air Force bought eight of the new helicopters in 2021, ...
The Air Force didn’t effectively oversee the development of the KC-46’s refueling boom, leading to additional delays and costs and a lingering deficiency that prevents the tanker from refueling some USAF aircraft, according to a new Pentagon watchdog report. The Defense Department Inspector General, in ...
Air Force Magazine on May 25 flew aboard a KC-46 during a refueling flight as part of Air Mobility Command’s major exercise Mobility Guardian 2021 in Michigan, the first time an independent media outlet has flown on the new tanker. The KC-46 from McConnell Air ...
Two Active-duty U.S. Air Force pilots ejected from an F-15QA fighter at MidAmerica airport near St. Louis after the jet departed the runway May 18, the service said. Both pilots received minor injuries. The cause of the accident is under investigation, but the Air Force ...
Boeing reported its sixth straight loss in its first-quarter earnings report April 28, including a new charge on the Air Force One replacement program. However, Boeing Defense saw increased revenue, spurred largely by new KC-46, P-8, and V-22 contract awards. Company CEO David L. Calhoun ...
Boeing has only delivered two KC-46 tankers to the Air Force so far in 2021, despite USAF officials saying they expect that total per month, as the service has slowed the delivery pace of the aircraft. Though there are more aircraft ready at Boeing’s facilities, ...