Airforce Mismanagement Of Boeing KC-46 Aircraft Costing $100 Million dollars

Air Force's Mismanagement of KC-46 Tanker Program Is Costing It $100 Million, IG Says

 

Reports and data released are saying the KC-46 Tanker Program is worth $100 million dollars!

 

 

KC-46 Tanker's booming issues have given hard times even before. The government is planning to invest in the redesigning of the KC-46 Tanker Program. The new prototype which will have major enhancements in the booming system will cost nearly around $100 million.

 

 

Announcements have created a lot of fuss and debate around KC -46. Official body even doubted the KC-46  is tangible for the addition of new improvements. The government is taking a huge financial risk by employing the KC-6. A new article is to inform what went wrong in KC-6 46.

 

 

Recent reports say Airforce accepted to take all the risks involved in redesigning the prototype of KC-46. Air Force will suffer in terms of services in case the redesign is delayed. They will have to pay financially and even in terms of services.

 

In 2020, Boeing agreed to the condition by signing a Memorandum which says that they will address issues in KC-46. Their new prototype is going to be a copy of RVS 2.0 and they committed to completing the task by mid-2024.

 

Various contradictions are coming forth, GOA specifically mentioned the Airforce must ensure that the issues are being addressed or not.

 

 

What are the defects in the KC-46 program?

 

 

KC-46 program is an aerial refueling tanker used to fuel aircraft. The previous attempt was inclement and the US government is again planning to reconstruct the prototype. There are tremendous opportunities to improve. Read below to be informed about what went wrong!

 

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), there are seven issues in KC-46, including cracking in refueling tubes. , separate drain mast, fuel system leaking, and other minor defects.

 

 

KC-46 program had several defects but one of the major issues is in its Remote Vision System, or RVs, that system gives the average image of the booming connection between two aircraft.  Boeing is working to improve the RVS of the KC-46A tanker.

 

 

According to IR, the redesigning of the KC-46 Program has been managed successfully,  the management,  testing, and refueling are in progress. And the GoA is expecting better results in the next testing.

 

Another issue Refueling Aircraft is the refueling boom. The issue is highlighted from 2012 then again tested in 2014 after updates. Boeing continues to update the system, the hardware, and the software, and test are being performed continually.

 

Even after multiple attempts, the Airfueling tank boom was scrapped again in 2018. But according to the current scenario, booming is in control and the government had successfully managed the issue. 

 

 

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) successfully managed to solve some issues out of seven and some still progress.

 

 

So far, Boeing has delivered 46 KC -46 aircraft to the government, and in the future the government plans to order another 179 aircraft.

 

Despite all these issues and past experiences, again buying the same aircraft may be considered as repeating the same mistake.

 

 

What are the The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggestions?

 

 

 

GOA specifically mentioned a few opinions which focus on the amount of risk the Airforce is taking. GOA did the proper research and then commented on the issue.

 

GOA said “These choices mirror those made during the development of the KC-46 that led to the delivery of an aircraft that did not fully meet its requirements, and the Air Force stands poised to potentially repeat its past mistake,” GAO said.

 

 

As per the above statements, KC-46  is unfitly chosen with multiple technical errors. Later GOA used the term "an immature design " for the new system. GOA's main concern is to warn Airforce about the coming risks. GOA also citizen their testing method. They even doubt that Boeing is not planning to test the prototype to know the errors.

 

" This arrangement, effectively, reversed the original terms of the firm-fixed price contract that aimed to hold Boeing fully responsible for delivering a system that would work in any lighting conditions,” GAO wrote.

 

GOA criticized the decision in many ways but intended to come to the conclusion. They said KC-46 can be used in only certain conditions that this program is used to train aircraft. The study should be done next year to test its ability.

 

GOA already  tried to highlight the coming risk and the past mistakes the country encountered while testing. They only want to reduce the financial risk.