Thu, Sep 29, 2011
Aerial Refueling Tanker Development On Schedule For Next
Milestones
The KC-46 Tanker program successfully completed its Integrated
Baseline Review (IBR) with the U.S. Air Force on Aug. 24 at Boeing
program headquarters in Mukilteo, WA. The assessment, attended by
senior Air Force program officials, validated the program’s
technical scope and finalized key milestones for the design and
development phase of the Air Force's next-generation aerial
refueling tanker.
"We remain on plan with the KC-46 development program from a
technical, schedule and cost perspective," said Maureen Dougherty,
Boeing vice president and KC-46 Tanker program manager. "The IBR
process reinforces that we have the right technical baseline,
management approach and staffing levels in place to execute this
contract. We're well positioned to deliver our first 18
combat-ready tankers in 78 months."
With IBR complete, the program now will focus on milestones that
include a Preliminary Design Review in the first quarter of 2012, a
Critical Design Review in the third quarter of 2013, and the KC-46
tanker's first flight in early 2015.
Since contract award on Feb. 24, Boeing's KC-46 Tanker program
has completed the Air Force System Requirements Review as well as
the 767-2C Provisioned Freighter Preliminary Design Review and Firm
Configuration. The latter review marks the end of the preliminary
configuration development phase for the Boeing commercial airplane
on which the KC-46 tanker is based.
Boeing received a contract to build 179 next-generation aerial
refueling tanker aircraft that will begin to replace the Air
Force's fleet of 416 KC-135 tankers. The contract calls for Boeing
to design, develop, manufacture and deliver 18 initial combat-ready
tankers by 2017.
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