Boeing’s troubled KC-46 Pegasus refueller is once again battling quality control issues.
The US Air Force (USAF), which operates 89 of the 767-derived tankers, has paused delivery of new aircraft after the discovery of structural cracks in two recently assembled jets that Boeing was preparing to turn over.
US defence news outlet The War Zone reports that the USAF and Boeing are temporarily pausing KC-46 deliveries until the issue can be addressed.
“We are working closely with the customer to assess a potential issue on KC-46 aircraft and to mitigate any potential impact to the fleet and in-production airplanes,” Boeing tells FlightGlobal.
The air force says the delivery pause took effect on 27 February, with affected aircraft grounded until repairs can be made. The cracks in question are not located on critical flight surfaces, the service adds, but on support structures.
“Boeing, the [KC-46] programme office and Air Mobility Command are working to quickly identify the root cause and develop both a near- and long-term way ahead,” the USAF says.
Neither Boeing nor the air force provided a timeline for repairing the flaws. Boeing has not offered an explanation as to what caused the cracking in the first place.
The KC-46 programme has been a major source of pain for the airframer, with design flaws and production delays generating billions of dollars in penalty charges against Boeing in recent years. Multiple onboard systems have required redesigns, including the tanker’s fuel transfer boom and the Remote Vision System (RVS) digital viewing station that controls the boom.
A new system, known as RVS 2.0, is intended to address an issue with glare and visual washout in conditions of low-angle-sun exposure. Boeing has said it expects to deliver RVS 2.0 in 2026.
Lesser deficiencies have also been identified with the KC-46’s cargo system.
