USAF: KC-46 Extension Best Option As NGAS Accelerates

The U.S. Air Force is pressing to field a next-generation aerial refueling system by as soon as 2036, making a competition for a near-term buy unaffordable, the service says in a new document justifying the production extension of the Boeing KC-46.

The service announced in July that it would buy up to 75 more Boeing KC-46s after the current program of record completes to bridge the gap to a new tanker. In a justification document released Oct. 3, the Air Force says the only other option for the near-term buy would have been the Airbus Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), but procuring that aircraft instead of the KC-46 would have been far more expensive and caused an unacceptable delay.

Over the past several years, the Air Force shifted its tanker plans from a “bridge tanker” or KC-Y, before withdrawing those solicitations and instead opting to base the near-term plan on the KC-46 requirements. Neither the KC-46 nor the MRTT would have met the original KC-Y proposals, but the Boeing option did not require additional development, the simpler plan, as it prioritizes the Next Generation Aerial Refueling System (NGAS).

“This was partially driven by the fact that the USAF determined it simply could not afford two tanker development programs, nor could it delay additional tanker production while waiting for the arrival of NGAS capability,” the document says.

In 2023, the Pentagon’s Joint Requirements Oversight Council validated requirements for NGAS, making it an “immediate priority.” The service began the program ahead of schedule, completed a material development decision and analysis of alternatives, with a follow-on study now underway for trade space analysis ahead of final requirements development.

Initial NGAS fielding could happen as early as fiscal 2036, with continued acceleration, innovation and funding prioritization, the document says. The first award for the KC-46 production extension is expected in fiscal 2027, with deliveries to begin after the current KC-46 program ends in 2030.

The new period of performance will last eight years from the date of award, the document says. Boeing was the “only responsible source” for the award, as an “award to another vendor would result in substantial duplication of cost to the government” of an undisclosed amount and a delay of up to eight years.

The MRTT was the only aircraft that is production-ready and in the same class. But “MRTT is deficient in several mandatory capabilities related to the KCB-46A system specification and would require significant development and engineering investment to address those deficiencies.” Specific deficiencies are redacted in the justification document.

KC-46s will be procured at a rate of 15 per year, the current rate under the ongoing program, though the follow-on program could be shortened if NGAS is possible earlier. Going forward, Boeing will need to address diminished manufacturing sources and obsolescence that is already impacting the KC-46 program, the document says.