KC-46 Came Within 24 Hours of Contract Breach During Shutdown

October’s government shutdown was ended before it had major impacts on Pentagon procurement programs — but for one of the Air Force’s key modernization programs, disaster was close.
During the shutdown, the Pentagon came within 24 hours of breaching its contract on the KC-46 tanker replacement.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the new long-range bomber and the KC-46 make up the Air Force’s three top modernization programs that Air Force officials have stridently protected during budget cuts. The tanker program aims to produce 179 new planes to replace the aging KC-135 tanker fleet, with 18 tankers delivered by 2017 and completion of production in 2027.
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