WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Air Force will not sign a new contract with Boeing for 75 additional KC-46A tanker aircraft until the company resolves longstanding mechanical problems with the jet, the service's second-highest ranking officer said.
Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John Lamontagne told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that ongoing procurement under the original 2011 contract remains in place, but a separate deal for more aerial refuelers is on hold pending resolution of outstanding deficiencies.
The KC-46A has been plagued by a series of technical problems since its development, including stiffness issues with the fuel transfer boom, flaws in the Remote Vision System that controls the boom, cargo load management software failures and structural cracks that temporarily halted deliveries. Flight testing on an updated Remote Vision System began in late 2025. Lamontagne said he is confident a corrective plan is in place and expects it to be delivered within the year, with a contract for the additional 75 aircraft to follow in subsequent years.
The Air Force in July exercised options to purchase 188 KC-46As under the original contract, the maximum allowed under that agreement, bringing the total potential fleet to 263 aircraft if the additional tranche is eventually approved. The decision effectively shelved plans for an interim tanker platform that had been under consideration as a bridge to a next-generation stealth tanker. The KC-46A was certified for global combat use in 2022 and is currently supporting frontline operations, though Congress has restricted retirements of the elderly KC-135 Stratotanker fleet, the jet the KC-46A will replace, until all Category 1 deficiencies are corrected.
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