After $7 billion in losses, Boeing and the Air Force claim refueling tanker plane is finally fixed

After $7 billion in losses, Boeing and the Air Force claim refueling tanker plane is finally fixed Boeing and the Air Force have spent years trying to fix the tanker's remote vision system (RVS), critical for midair refueling with its boom - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments The U.S. Air Force is confident a fix has been found for long-running troubles with a key system on Boeing's KC-46 aerial refueling tanker, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday. Boeing and the Air Force have spent years trying to fix the tanker's remote vision system (RVS), critical for midair refueling with its boom. "We believe we've fixed and tested the new 2.0 vision system, and should start rolling that into the production line in '28," Meink said during Tuesday's hearing. This timeline is five years later than initially planned. Boeing has delivered over 100 of the 188 ordered tankers, incurring over $7 billion in losses on the fixed-price contract for the 767 commercial model derivative, leaving it responsible for cost overruns. Air Force officials state they will only order more tankers if Boeing fixes lingering problems, despite Boeing announcing on June 4 that it had completed initial flight testing of the RVS 2.0 upgrade. Retrofitting existing aircraft will take seven years, the Air Force announced in May. The KC-46 has also faced problems with its boom and fuel system leaks. "Obviously, this has been a bad contract for the last decade, this existing contract," Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told investors in January. Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments