Air Force’s KC-46 air tanker has a tough road ahead before final testing

The Air Force’s top generals have repeatedly referred to the KC-46A air tanker program as one of its top priorities. The flying service badly needs the KC-46A to replace its aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers, many of which date to the Eisenhower administration, including the eight stationed at Scott Air Force Base.

And while Boeing has largely addressed early development problems with its KC-46 tanker, a government watchdog is warning the company has a challenging road ahead to complete testing, deliver the required number of aircraft to the US Air Force, and get the planes FAA certified, according to DefenseNews.com.

Test officials believe Boeing’s test schedule for the KC-46 program is “optimistic,” according to an April report by the Government Accountability Office. The program office projects Boeing will need an additional four months beyond the August 2017 target to deliver 18 full-up tankers due to testing and parts qualification issues, the report states.

The Air Force and Boeing were forced to revise the original test and delivery schedules due to three major development challenges: wiring design issues, redesign of several components of the aerial refueling system, and a fuel contamination accident in July 2015.

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Tough budget decisions are forcing the services to take risks by putting off needed projects for installations, officials told senators Thursday.

Military Times is reporting that 15 percent of facilities in the Department of Defense inventory are in “failing” condition, and about 12 percent are in “poor” condition, according Pete Potochney, acting assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment, testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s panel on military construction, veterans affairs and related agencies.

Officials “are doing the best we can in making sure dollars are spent wisely and to compete for those resources in this budget environment,” he said. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 caps overall defense spending. Potochney noted that “facilities degrade more slowly than readiness, and in a constrained budget environment, it is responsible to take risk in facilities first.”

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The future USS Zumwalt is so stealthy that it'll go to sea with reflective material that can be hoisted to make it more visible to other ships, according to RealClearDefense.com.

The Navy destroyer is designed to look like a much smaller vessel on radar, and it lived up to its billing during recent builder trials.

Lawrence Pye, a lobsterman, told The Associated Press that on his radar screen the 610-foot ship looked like a 40- to 50-foot fishing boat. He watched as the behemoth came within a half-mile while returning to shipbuilder Bath Iron Works.

“It's pretty mammoth when it's that close to you,” Pye said.

Despite its size, the warship is 50 times harder to detect than current destroyers thanks to its angular shape and other design features, and its stealth could improve even more once testing equipment is removed, said Capt. James Downey, program manager.

During sea trials last month, the Navy tested Zumwalt's radar signature with and without reflective material hoisted on its halyard, he said. The goal was to get a better idea of exactly how stealthy the ship really is, Downey said from Washington, D.C.

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As U.S.-led offensives drive back Islamic State in Iraq, concern is growing among U.S. and U.N. officials that efforts to stabilize liberated areas are lagging, creating conditions that could help the militants endure as an underground network, according to Reuters.

One major worry: not enough money is being committed to rebuild the devastated provincial capital of Ramadi and other towns, let alone Islamic State-held Mosul, the ultimate target in Iraq of the U.S.-led campaign.

Lise Grande, the No. 2 U.N. official in Iraq, told Reuters that the United Nations is urgently seeking $400 million from Washington and its allies for a new fund to bolster reconstruction in cities like Ramadi, which suffered vast damage when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces recaptured it in December.

“We worry that if we don't move in this direction, and move quickly, the progress being made against ISIL may be undermined or lost,” Grande said, using an acronym for Islamic State.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 10:32 AM with the headline "Air Force’s KC-46 air tanker has a tough road ahead before final testing."