Boeing has completed its maiden flight for KC-46A tanker. http://alph.st/bc4b895b
In addition, it also carried out tests as per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines. $BA expects to deliver 18 tankers to US Air Force by early 2018. It has contracts to deliver 34 tankers, which will be replacing the KC-135 fleet used by US Air Force.
Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
Boeing completes KC-46A maiden flight for US Air Force
Last edited by atcsundevil on Thu Dec 07, 2017 4:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Clarified title
Reason: Clarified title
.....
Re: Boeing completes KC-46A maiden flight for US Air Force
Interesting. I didn't know it would have a CDS in addition to the boom.
Re: Boeing completes KC-46A maiden flight for US Air Force
Slug71 wrote:Interesting. I didn't know it would have a CDS in addition to the boom.
Makes sense considering some aircraft can only drink off the drogues, e.g. F-18.
-
- brindabella
- Posts: 775
- Joined:
Re: Boeing completes KC-46A maiden flight for US Air Force
Devilfish wrote:
What use will be made of the underfloor cargo capacity? Or is that refuelling tankage?
cheers
Re: Boeing completes KC-46A maiden flight for US Air Force
brindabella wrote:What use will be made of the underfloor cargo capacity? Or is that refuelling tankage?
The lower lobe ACTs are not designed to be quickly changed-in / changed-out so I imagine they will be installed with the expectation they will usually be there. I could see them being removed for dedicated re-supply or disaster relief missions within the range envelope of the baseline fuel load dedicated to the airframe itself as you could put pallets and ULDs in there for extra cargo volume.
Re: Boeing completes KC-46A maiden flight for US Air Force
What's the point of the air-refuelling receptacle ?
Re: Boeing completes KC-46A maiden flight for US Air Force
Aesma wrote:What's the point of the air-refuelling receptacle ?
Flexibility to perform extremely long-range tanking missions, I imagine via using tankers to refuel the tankers assigned to re-fueling the strike assets. For example, during Operation Black Buck, some of the Handley Page Victor tankers tasked to the mission refueled other Victor tankers in the formation so they could fly deep enough towards the Falklands to refuel the Vulcan bombers that carried out the strike missions.
Re: Boeing completes KC-46A maiden flight for US Air Force
Stitch wrote:Aesma wrote:What's the point of the air-refuelling receptacle ?
Flexibility to perform extremely long-range tanking missions, I imagine via using tankers to refuel the tankers assigned to re-fueling the strike assets. For example, during Operation Black Buck, some of the Handley Page Victor tankers tasked to the mission refueled other Victor tankers in the formation so they could fly deep enough towards the Falklands to refuel the Vulcan bombers that carried out the strike missions.
Will they all have that capability ?
Damn, you couldn't make up that refuelling plan for Operation Black Buck !
Re: Boeing completes KC-46A maiden flight for US Air Force
Aesma wrote:What's the point of the air-refuelling receptacle ?
This aircraft may need air refueling itself when it fulfills its transport role.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: GDB and 40 guests