U.S. Air Force, Boeing confident tanker program still on schedule

USAF and Boeing Co officials on Wednesday expressed confidence that refueling program would deliver its first 18 planes by August 2017 as scheduled, despite a Pentagon report warning that testing of the new aircraft could be delayed by at least six to 12 months.
The KC-46 tanker project, one of the Pentagon's biggest arms programs, calls for Boeing to build 179 new planes for the Air Force to replace the current fleet of 50-year-old KC-135 tankers.
Air Force and Boeing officials have said the program is making good progress, with the last of four test planes to be completed this year.
But a report released Wednesday by the Pentagon's chief weapons tester,said Boeing and the Air Force needed more time to complete developmental testing and initial training before operational testing.
A number of measures has been put in place to lower the risk of delays.
reuters