Defence

Boeing has completed the first KC-767 tanker night refuelling test as it prepares to deliver the first two aircraft to Japan later this quarter.

On the 26 January test flight, the second boom-equipped KC-767 for Japan made 11 refuelling contacts with a Boeing F-15E in dusk and night conditions, successfully offloading fuel, says Boeing.

Night contacts tested KC-767's refueling lighting                    © Boeing

The first two of four KC-767s for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force are planned for delivery before the end of the first quarter 2008, on the revised schedule established by Boeing late last year.

Delivery was delayed after Japan requested US Federal Aviation Administration certification of the tanker modifications. FAA certification was not a condition of the initial contract and added time to the schedule, Boeing says.

Testing of the KC-767 for Italy and Japan has accumulated more than 1,000h flight hours, the company says. The first tanker for Italy is now scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2008.