Boeing representatives confirm that deliveries of the KC-46 tanker will be delayed. This year marks 12 years since the company received a contract from the US Air Force.
Boeing CFO Brian West said Wednesday that Boeing will be charging extra for KC-46 tankers due to quality issues with the central fuel tank supplier. West did not disclose the exact amount of additional fees that will be announced as part of the company’s first-quarter earnings.
Boeing confirms delivery delay
The KC-46 is an American military tanker developed by Boeing based on the Boeing 767 wide-body airliner. This aircraft was chosen by the US Air Force as a replacement for the aging Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. The first Pegasus units were delivered to the US Air Force in January 2019.
West stressed that if freight “returns in the second quarter” then tanker deliveries will take longer, but the CFO assured us “we’ll be back a year.” West also confirmed a slight schedule delay for the Boeing 737 MAX 10, which is “likely” to be certified and delivered next year.
Boeing previously confirmed that deliveries of the Boeing 767 cargo plane and KC-46 tanker were delayed due to the supplier not completing cleaning and painting processes for the central fuel tanks. The primer inside the fuel tank must be removed and repainted before Boeing can deliver the aircraft.
– We know how to fix it – West said. “But now we have to implement the fix both on production aircraft and on some aircraft in the fleet.” added.
As Reuters recalls, since the US Air Force signed a contract with Boeing in 2011 (the concern then beat Airbus), the company has raised $ 6.8 billion. As for tankers, Boeing is bound by a fixed price contract under which it is responsible for all spending in excess of $4.9 billion.
Source: Wprost
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