Boeing starts assembling first KC-46A tanker for Japan:
18 September 2019: The Boeing KC-46 team has started assembling Japan's first next-generation tanker, loading an 82.4-foot (25 meters) long wing spar in the company's 767 production facility.
"This is an exciting day for the programme and we look forward to building and delivering these multi-role tankers to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF)," said Jamie Burgess, Boeing Vice President and KC-46 program manager. "From the enhanced flight deck to the modernised boom, this tanker will provide unmatched capabilities for Japan."
Boeing received a Foreign Military Sale contract for one KC-46A aircraft and logistics services in December 2017. The US Air Force exercised an option for Japan's second aircraft in December 2018.
"We're proud to support the JASDF with a production line that emphasises quality, efficiency and safety," said Bruce Dickinson, Boeing 747/767 Vice President and General Manager.
The KC-46A aircraft is being assembled for both the US Air Force and Japan on Boeing's 767 production line in Everett.
Following initial assembly, workers install the tanker's military unique systems at the site's Modification Centre. The jets will then be flight tested at Boeing Field prior to delivery.
Boeing started developing the KC-46A for the US Air Force in 2011 and delivered the first tanker in January 2019. Japan is the programme's first international customer. Deliveries to the JASDF will start in 2021.
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