US Air Force, Boeing close to KC-46A remote vision system fix

The US Air Force (USAF) and Boeing are in final negotiations for a fix to the KC-46A Pegasus aerial refuelling tanker’s troubled remote vision system (RVS).

Service Secretary Barbara Barrett told the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) on 3 March that the USAF and Boeing could have a solution by the end of March. USAF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Teresa Sullivan said on 3 March that the USAF and Boeing plan to start testing this fix as soon as mid-2020.

The US Air Force and Boeing are close to a fix for the KC-46A’s remote vision system, a contributor to two of the platform’s critical deficiencies. (US Air Force)

Lt Col Sullivan did not respond when asked what, exactly, the USAF and Boeing were negotiating. The USAF did not respond to an additional request for comment. A Boeing spokesman said on 3 March that the RVS is a complex system of cameras, computers, and three dimensional (3D) video displays. Reaching agreement with the USAF on the requirements for the system upgrade, the spokesman said, has taken longer than anticipated.

Chief of Staff General David Goldfein told the SASC on 3 March that the service believes it will have this fix in place and operational by 2023–24. It would take “some time”, he said, to retrofit the fix throughout the KC-46A fleet. Gen Goldfein added that he would use the KC-46A in a high-end fight, even with the RVS deficiency, but not in day-to-day operations.