Boeing nabs $2.1B offer for 15 KC-46A tankers

Jan. 21 (UPI) — The Air Force has awarded Boeing a $2.1 billion deal for 15 KC-46A tankers, the Pentagon and Boeing declared.

In accordance to Boeing, the deal will develop the Air Force’s fleet of aerial refueling aircraft that also act as a type of cellular tower in the sky, connecting forces to data required to “preserve the final decision edge and get on the 21st century battlefield.”

“The KC-46’s adaptability is going to be a recreation-changer for the U.S. Air Drive,” Jamie Burgess, Boeing KC-46 tanker vice president and plan manager, claimed Thursday in a push release.

“We know our defense customers will require to rework how they struggle and acquire in the modern era. That is why Boeing is concentrated on earning confident the KC-46 grows and improvements with them,” Burgess reported.

Boeing sent the very first KC-46A to the Air Power in January 2019, and has because sent 42 tankers to McConnell Air Force base in Kansas, Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Pease Air National Guard base in New Jersey and Seymour Johnson Air Pressure base in North Carolina.

The business is now on agreement for 94 KC-46A tankers, which are created for air refueling, as perfectly as cargo and health-related transportation.

“Our KC-46 fleet is escalating, and we are all set to increase the access of next-era air refueling to more of our Airmen,” explained Col. Jason Lindsey, U.S. Air Pressure KC-46 System method manager.

According to the Division of Defense, do the job on this deal will be executed in Seattle and is thanks to be finish by May well 2024.

This is the second major-ticket order for KC-46A tankers in a thirty day period.

Previous 7 days, Boeing was awarded a $1.7 billion deal to construct 12 of the aircraft for the Air Drive.