Key facts
- The U.S. Air Force believes a fix has been identified for the remote vision system on Boeing's KC-46 aerial refueling tanker.
- The new Remote Vision System 2.0 has completed initial flight testing.
- The updated system is slated for integration into the production line in 2028.
- Retrofitting the existing fleet with the upgrade is expected to take seven years.
- Boeing has delivered more than 100 of the 188 tankers ordered by the Air Force.
The U.S. Air Force is confident that a solution has been found for persistent issues plaguing the remote vision system of Boeing's KC-46 aerial refueling tanker, according to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink. The critical system, used for midair refueling via the plane's boom, has been a long-standing problem for both Boeing and the Air Force.
Meink stated during a Senate subcommittee hearing that the new Remote Vision System 2.0 has been tested and is expected to begin integration into the production line in 2028, five years behind the original schedule. Boeing announced on June 4 that initial flight testing of this upgraded system was complete. Retrofitting the more than 100 tankers already delivered to the Air Force will take an estimated seven years.
Boeing has faced significant financial repercussions from the fixed-price contract for the 767 derivative, losing over $7 billion due to cost overruns. The Air Force has indicated that further orders for the tanker, of which 188 have been ordered and 75 more are being considered, are contingent on Boeing resolving these lingering problems. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg acknowledged in January that the current contract has been problematic for the past decade.