Hill Staffer Gives Boeing ‘Benefit Of Doubt’ As DoD Tester Warns Of Year Delay To KC-46 Tests

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http://breakingdefense.com/2014/01/hill-staffer-gives-boeing-benefit-of-doubt-as-dod-tester-warns-of-year-delay-to-kc-46-tests/



Hill Staffer Gives Boeing ‘Benefit Of Doubt’ As DoD Tester Warns Of Year Delay To KC-46 Tests
By Colin Clark
on January 29, 2014 at 4:30 PM

“DOT&E analysis of initial Boeing schedules with regard to aerial refueling certifications, aircraft and support equipment technical orders, and operator/maintainer training indicates that operational testing will likely slip at least 6 to 12 months.” So says the Pentagon’s director of Operational Test and Evaluation. As often happens with OT&E reports the language matters and is slippery. Their analysis “indicates” that operational testing “will likely” be delayed.

OK. Now the heart is beating a little slower. So we checked with Boeing to see if the program faces a delay. Here’s what spokesman Jerry Drelling said in an email:

“We remain confident in our plan to support Initial Operational Test & Evaluation for the KC-46A tanker and we continue to meet our contractual requirements,” Drelling wrote. “Our current assessment confirms that we have a valid flight test plan in place and that we remain on plan to deliver the first 18 combat-ready Tankers to the U.S. Air Force by 2017.”

~snip~

Here’s what the Air Force said. They referred me to a recent statement by Maj. Gen. John Thompson, program executive officer for tankers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Thompson said he is 90 percent certain Boeing will meet its contractual obligations for 2014. Those include . It’s possible for a program and OT&E to analyze the same data and come to different conclusions. Sometimes the testers turn out to be right. Sometimes the program is. Bear in mind that the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Mark Welsh, and other senior leaders have said the tanker is one of their top priorities and its budget must be protected.