The U.S. Air Force's KC-46A refueling tanker made by Boeing Co. on Friday made its first flight in a historic milestone for the program that came after repeated delays.
"History in the making," Boeing employee Jerry Pham tweeted while sharing a picture showing the aircraft taking off near Seattle. "The KC-46 Pegasus, the future of aerial refueling, has made its first flight."
Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company, earlier this summer said the first test flight of the new refueling tanker, known as Pegasus and based on the 767 twin-engine commercial airliner, would be delayed until late September or early October. The event was previously scheduled for the spring.
The plane's fuel system is being fixed after workers mistakenly loaded a mislabeled chemical WTF? into it, among other problems -- work that's expected to cost more than $800 million, according to The Oklahoman, the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, one of the first three states where the airplane will be based. |