WICHITA, Kan. – With fanfare, Boeing’s Wichita plant unveiled its first KC-767 tanker at a special ceremony on Thursday, the first of four it is building for the Italian air force. The plane was assembled in Everett.
Boeing officials hailed the airplane based on the 767 commercial airframe the world’s most advanced aerial refueling transport plane at a ceremony in Wichita. But the company says it will decide this summer whether to stop 767 production if it didn’t get enough orders to keep the line open.
Boeing has 25 commercial orders remaining for 767s.
If a deal for U.S. refueling tankers doesn’t come through on a “timely basis,” production will have to stop, said Boeing CEO Harry Stonecipher, who was in Wichita to celebrate the rollout. “Then restarting the line costs somebody some money,” he added.
Wichita workers modified the tanker, which was assembled in Everett. It will be capable of carrying cargo and passengers as well as refueling jets in flight. With the structural modifications completed, the tanker will undergo ground and flight testing before being delivered to Italy in April 2006.
The modifications to the 767 were extensive. It took 1 million hours of engineering and 250,000 hours of labor, officials said.
The rollout was attended by Italian air force and other dignitaries; city, county and other government officials; and Boeing officials, employees and suppliers. Media from Italy and Japanese news outlets also were present.
With the rollout, “Italy is launching a new era of aerial refueling,” said Jim Albaugh, head of Boeing’s defense and military division. The plane will have the ability to refuel any NATO or Italian military aircraft, Albaugh said.
Gen. Giovanni Sciandra, commander of the Italian air force logistics command, said the government wanted a tanker with speed, agility, deployability and sustainability.
Modifications on the three remaining tankers Boeing will build for Italy will be done in Naples, a condition of the sale.
Japan has ordered four 767 tankers; three of those also will be modified in Naples.
With the event, Boeing put on its “Sunday best, because this is a special occasion,” said Jim O’Neill, vice president and manager of the 767 tanker program.
The large hangar where the plane was docked was transformed with dramatic lighting, a stage, seating and large white panels that hid the plane from view until they were dropped to reveal it amid swirling lights.
Boeing officials said there are opportunities for Boeing to sell its 767 tanker to other countries, but the biggest market remains the United States, which operates the largest fleet of refuelers in the world.
Last year, Congress rejected a previously approved $23 billion deal with Boeing for a new fleet of tankers, citing ethical concerns about the role of a former Pentagon procurement official.
Darleen Druyun is serving a nine-month prison sentence for lining up a job with Boeing while she was overseeing the contract review. One-time Boeing chief financial officer Michael Sears was sentenced last week to four months in prison for illegally negotiating to hire Druyun at the same time she was reviewing the bid.
The Pentagon is expected to reopen the tanker competition later this year. Boeing’s only serious competition for the contract would come from Europe’s Airbus.
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