KC-46 cleared for production with $2.8B LRIP contract

KC-46 prime contractor Boeing is moving ahead with tanker production after the Air Force this week awarded the company a $2.8 billion contract for low-rate initial production lots 1 and 2.

“It's an important day for the company and the program,” Boeing CEO Leanne Caret said in an Aug. 18 press release. “We're excited about building a low-rate initial production aircraft, and it's only possible because of the hard work of the joint Boeing-Air Force team.”

Boeing plans to build a total of 179 new tankers and will begin delivering the aircraft in 2017. The Air Force declared milestone C for the KC-46 program on Aug. 12 after the company demonstrated key capabilities through a series of ground and flight tests.