Boeing KC-46

[truthseeker2010]

The KC-46A will be externally similar to this Italian Air Force KC-767A.

The Boeing KC-46 is a military aerial refueling and strategic transport aircraft developed from the Boeing 767-200LRF. In February 2011, the tanker was selected by United States Air Force as the winner in the KC-X tanker competition to replace older KC-135Es.

Development

Background

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) ran a procurement program to replace around 100 of its oldest KC-135E Stratotankers, and selected Boeing's KC-767. The Boeing tanker received the KC-767A designation from the DoD in 2002 and appearing in the 2004 edition of DoD Model Designation report. The Air Force decided to lease 100 KC-767 tankers from Boeing.

Despite several nations leasing military aircraft, there was criticism. U.S. Senator John McCain and others criticized the draft leasing agreement as being wasteful and problematic. In response to the protests, the Air Force struck a compromise in November 2003, whereby it would purchase 80 KC-767 aircraft and lease 20 more.

Then in December 2003, the Pentagon announced the project was to be frozen while an investigation of allegations of corruption by one of its former procurement staffers. In January 2006, the lease contract was formally canceled.

USAF KC-X Program

In 2006 the USAF released a request for proposal (RFP) for a new tanker program, KC-X, to be selected by 2007. Boeing had also announced it may enter an even higher capability tanker based on the Boeing 777, named the KC-777 Strategic Tanker. Airbus partnered with Northrop Grumman to offer the Airbus A330 MRTT, the tanker version of the A330, which was being marketed to the USAF under the unofficial designation of KC-30.

In late January 2007 the USAF issued the KC-X Aerial Refueling Aircraft Request for Proposal. The RFP called for 179 (4 system development and demonstration and 175 production) tankers, in a contract worth an estimated US$40 billion. However, Northrop and EADS expressed their displeasure at how the RFP was structured and threatened to withdraw, leaving only Boeing to offer an aircraft.

On 12 February 2007, Boeing announced it was offering the KC-767 Advanced Tanker for the KC-X Tanker competition. Boeing stated that for KC-X's requirements, the KC-767 was a better fit than the KC-777. On 11 April 2007, Boeing submitted its KC-767 tanker proposal to U.S. Air Force. The KC-767 Advanced Tanker offered for this KC-X round was based on the in-development 767-200LRF (Long Range Freighter), rather than the -200ER that Italian and Japanese KC-767 aircraft are based, differing by combining the -200ER fuselage, -300F wing, gear, cargo door and floor, -400ER digital flightdeck and flaps, uprated engines and "sixth-generation" fly-by-wire boom.

Boeing submitted the final version of its proposal on 3 January 2008. On 29 February 2008, the DoD chose the Northrop Grumman/EADS KC-30, now officially designated the KC-45A, over the KC-767. Boeing submitted a protest to the United States Government Accountability Office on 11 March 2008 and began waging a fierce public relations campaign in support of their protest. On 18 June, following a series of admissions by the Air Force on the flaws in the bidding process, the GAO upheld Boeing's protest and recommended the contract be rebid. On 9 July 2008, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that the Air Force would reopen bidding on the tanker contract. Secretary Gates put the contract for the KC-45 into an "expedited recompetition" with Defense Undersecretary John Young in charge of the selection process instead of the Air Force. A draft of the revised RFP was provided to the contractors on 6 August 2008 for comments. By mid-August the revised RFP was to be finalized. However, on 10 September 2008, the U.S. Defense Department canceled the KC-X solicitation.

On 24 September 2009, the USAF began the first steps in the new round of bids, with a clearer set of criteria, including reducing the number of requirements from 800 to 373 in an attempt to simply the process and allow a more objective decision to be made. On 4 March 2010, Boeing announced it will bid the KC-767 tanker for the new KC-X round. EADS announced in April 2010 it would submit a tanker bid without Northrop Grumman as a U.S. partner. Boeing submitted its KC-767 bid on 9 July 2010.
On February 24, 2011, the Air Force announced the selection of Boeing's KC-767, with the designation KC-46A.

Specifications

Specifications for KC-767A Tanker Transport (767-200ER based), except for KC-767 Advanced Tanker (767-200LRF based) data at bottom.

Data from KC-767A, KC-767 Advanced Boeing 767-200ER specifications

General characteristics

* Crew: 3: 2 pilots, 1 boom operator
* Capacity: up to 200 passengers or 19 463L pallets
* Length: 159 ft 2 in (48.5 m)
* Wingspan: 156 ft 1 in (47.6 m)
* Height: 52 ft (15.8 m)
* Empty weight: 181,610 lb (82,377 kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 395,000 lb (186,880 kg)
* Powerplant: 2× GE CF6-80C2 turbofan, 60,200 lbf (268 kN) each
* Maximum Fuel Load: 160,660 lb (72,877 kg)

Performance

* Maximum speed: Mach 0.86 (570 mph, 915 km/h)
* Cruise speed: Mach 0.80 (530 mph, 851 km/h)
* Range: 6,385 nmi (12,200 km)
* Service ceiling: 40,100 ft (12,200 m)
* For KC-767 Advanced Tanker:
* Max takeoff weight: over 400,000 lb (181,000 kg)
* Maximum Fuel Load: over 202,000 lb (91,600 kg)
* Capacity: 190 passengers, 19 463L pallets or 19 patients
* Powerplant: 2x Pratt & Whitney PW4062, 63,500 lbf (282 kN) each