KC-46 OKed

The Air Force's next-generation tanker passed a significant milestone today with the completion of the critical design review of the KC-46 refueling aircraft, which is being built by Boeing. The service put the company through CDR between July 8-10 at a Boeing facility in Washington State, and the review has been completed with three weeks to spare before a Sept. 24 contractual deadline, Air Force Materiel Command spokesman Daryl Mayer said in a statement released this afternoon.

The successful completion of the CDR comes as no surprise, as both the Air Force and Boeing issued statements in mid-July claiming that the review had gone ahead smoothly and would be closed out shortly. Boeing can now move into manufacturing and development test, Mayer said in the statement, although the company has already begun building two KC-46 aircraft and two boom assemblies.

The contract between the Air Force and Boeing calls for the delivery of 179 new tankers, beginning with 18 aircraft by 2017.

"I'm pleased to report that the design of the KC-46A tanker has been locked down," Air Force Maj. Gen. John Thompson, the Air Force's program executive officer for tankers, said in a Boeing statement. "This is great news for the nation’s warfighters. The joint government and Boeing team stayed focused on the design review objectives, and truly delivered."