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KC-46A boom problem busts USAF schedule
The latest setback for Boeing’s KC-46 tanker signals the difficulties the company continues to face with a program that was supposed to be relatively painless. Boeing has experienced a number of hiccups with the tanker’s refueling system thus far, and they all were chalked up to development issues that are not unusual in military programs. The new hitch announced May 27 could lead to further delays.. (www.flightglobal.com) Más...
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These "development" problems that we constantly have with our new systems are very similar to the flying problems pilots are having as they become more and more dependent on automation and forget the underlaying fundamentals. Engineers now no longer have a vigorous understanding of the fundamentals and CAD is given total authority in a design. Then you have garbage in garbage out and, Wa-la, our current state of affairs. In the 40's, before computers, projects were taken from design to operational in 6 months. Now 6 months is just another "hiccup" in development.
Well put
If these contractors have these problems, shouldn't they have to take a financial hit for it? Taxpayers shouldn't just shovel the money non-stop, no matter how troubled the project.
As I remember, Boeing was selected over Airbus, even though the Airbus design was a bit better, and I think somewhat less expensive. The decision to select Boeing was made to keep the money in America, which is fine, but now it will delay the project, keep more money in a Congressman's pocket, a weaken our military. Someone at GAO needs to be held accountable for not doing a better review job on the bidding and the contract.
As a 25 year veteran of the Marine Corps I'm curious how this will "weaken" our military?
The only way it will "weaken" our military is to require it to rely on the older tankers (KC135s and KC10s) while the "bugs" continue to be fixed and the new tanker continues to be delayed. Our military deserves the best it can get, not the constant delays and cost overruns that have become the "normal" for contracts lately. I was also in the service, and the planes I flew on in Nam are still in service now in Afghanistan with no replacement in site. One of them just "celebrated" 50,000 flight hours in Afghanistan. Not a great statement for a plane that has been in constant use with upgrades since the 1960's.
Weaken our military???...no way. I have to agree with emkostiuk...this slip in schedule does nothing to "weaken" our military. As having worked with and on both the KC-135 and KC-10 for 36 years, rest assured that our warfighter is still being taken care of in great fashion. Of course nobody wants a schedule slip, especially Boeing...but such problems are exactly what development and flight test are for! It's better to find these problems out NOW, rather than once the aircraft if fielded. In the long run, it's better, cheaper, and more cost effective to miss a schedule, and get it RIGHT...rather than keep a schedule and get it WRONG!!
How about we get it right AND keep the schedule? Is that too much to expect?
I agree...that would be the best solution...and it's not too much to expect, either! But, things DO happen during testing...which is why it's called testing!
And the schedule should allow for such things. It's foolish for a contractor to create and promulgate a schedule that does not allow for anything to go wrong or need fixing. I sure didn't do it that way when I worked in the construction industry, and my customers loved it when I consistently came in ahead of time and under budget.
