Gen. Carlton Everhart, commander of Air Mobility Command, expects Boeing to stick to the KC-46A delivery timeline, but USAF must hold the company to the schedule or else there could be challenges to operations. AMC needs to stay “combat ready,” and the delivery schedule of KC-46As, expected to begin in 2017, needs to happen to not have an effect on the rest of the force, he said at ASC15. The first KC-46A outfitted with a refueling boom and other military hardware is expected to fly for the first time on Sept. 25. The service is watching this schedule closely with an eye on the remaining margin, Everhart said at ASC15. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James announced Aug. 24 that she has directed the Air Force to study potential operational impacts if the Pegasus schedule slips beyond what is expected. It’s too early to tell what these impacts are, Everhart said.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.