Tanker on track to fly this summer

Boeing says its military aerial refueling tanker, the KC-46 is on track to fly this summer, reports the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Talking to investors on Tuesday, Boeing Defense and Space president and CEO Chris Chadwick said, “We have to stay diligent and keep pushing this forward as we go.”

The company’s internal schedule originally had the KC-46 starting test flights by the start of the year. An interim model, known as a 767-2C flew in late December, six months later than the company initially planned.

Design problems have slowed the development schedule. Boeing says it is still on schedule to deliver 18 combat-ready tankers to the Air Force in 2017, as required by its contract.

Chadwick said the company could end up making 400 to 500 of the airplanes in Everett.

Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.

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