Aircraft
First KC-767 delivered to Japan as U.S. KC-X decision comes due
Boeing delivered the first of four KC-767 Tankers to Japan yesterday, 15 months behind schedule.

Boeing delivered the first of four KC-767 Tankers to Japan yesterday, 15 months behind schedule. Before leaving U.S. airspace on a 14-hour ferry flight to Gifu airbase neat Nagoya, it flew in formation with the No. 2 airplane that will follow after the Japan Air Self-Defense Force completes a formal acceptance process.

The KC-767 is Boeing’s contender in the huge and politically charged U.S. Air Force KC-X competition for an initial 179 tankers. The Pentagon is expected to announce a decision next Wednesday, February 27. The Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is the rival contender, having been Americanized as the Northrop Grumman KC-30.