ROME - Boeing's delivery of 767 tanker aircraft to the Italian Air Force has slipped again as the company fixes a problem with the hose-and-drogue refueling system, a senior Italian defense source said.
Italy ordered four tankers in 2002, with deliveries first expected in 2005, before a series of hitches, including vibrations in wing pylons, pushed the schedule back.
Italy is waiting to begin official checks on its first tanker before taking formal delivery, a process known as the tender for acceptance (TFA). In September 2008, Boeing officials said the TFA would start by the end of 2008.
The source said the start date was subsequently pushed back to the end of November 2009.
"That provisional TFA date has now slipped to January 2010," he said. "But that is just guesswork, and things could change from week to week." If the January appointment is kept, all four tankers could yet be delivered during 2010, he added.
Italy has ordered tankers with four different refueling points: A boom that extends from the rear of the aircraft, two hose-and-drogue systems extending from wing pods, and a central hose and drogue extending from the fuselage between the wings. Japan, which has also ordered the Boeing tanker, requested a boom but no hose-and-drogue systems.
In 2007, Boeing fixed a flutter problem on the pylons holding the wing pods on the Italian aircraft. The fix proved successful during test flights.
The new problem, said the source, concerns the stability in flight of the central drogue, or basket, fixed to the end of the refueling hose that is extended from the center line of the fuselage.
"Boeing is dedicating a team to fixing this latest problem," the source said. "They appear to have found a solution, but test flying has yet to confirm it, and we have been down this road before."
Boeing spokesman Felix Sanchez declined to comment on the drogue hitch or the revised delivery schedule. "We will not forecast any dates concerning remaining milestones."
Boeing's main focus, added Sanchez, was to "complete the Italy flight test program, complete Federal Aviation Administration Supplemental Type Certification [STC] and then work with the U.S. Navy to complete a Military Utility Observation [MUO] required under contract. That is similar to the MUO we conducted with the U.S. Air Force earlier this year."
During the U.S. Air Force MUO in June, two of the tankers destined for Italy used their booms during test flights at Edwards Air Force Base, offloading 100,000 pounds of fuel during 65 tanker-to-tanker contacts.
The tankers also undertook more than 100 day and night boom contacts with F-16 aircraft and transferred 5,000 pounds of fuel.
"We have completed the FAA STC certification requirements," Sanchez said. "Once flight testing has been completed and all resultant findings have been addressed, we'll work with the U.S. Navy to schedule the MUO requirement. Once the MUO requirement has been completed, we'll begin the [TFA] process with our Italian customers and deliver their advanced KC-767 tanker."
While the flight testing with the U.S. Air Force put the boom to the test, the testing with the U.S. Navy will check the workings of the hose and drogue. And with Boeing still testing its fix on the central drogue stability issue, no date had been fixed for the U.S. Navy MUO to start, the Italian source said.
If the MUO is successful, the TFA could start in January and would last around 60 days, said the source, meaning the first tanker could be ready for delivery in March.
In September 2008, Boeing officials said all four aircraft would be delivered during 2009.
"At the moment of delivery, calculations would be made about penalties Boeing will be in line for due to the deliveries to date," the Italian source said.
Boeing has already sought to make amends for the late delivery, sending a commercial 767 aircraft to Italy's Pratica di Mare Air Base to allow pilot and logistics training to start.
Ten AMX fighters that flew from Italy to Nellis Air Base, Nev., this summer to participate in the Green and Red Flag exercises were refueled in flight by two U.S. Air Force KC-10 tankers during their outward and return flights. The refueling mission was paid for by Boeing.
In the meantime, however, the Italian Air Force is without tankers of its own.
"The Italian Air Force has been penalized by the late delivery, not just because it has lacked refueling capability but also because it needed the combined capacity of the tankers to transport passengers and cargo to theaters like Afghanistan," said the source. ■
E-mail: tkington@defensenews.com.
The Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program is ready to test a few components that soldiers may have in their hands by 2010.
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