Boeing is having a tough time as of late and the KC-46 Pegasus tanker has been one of the many thorns in the company’s side. But there is good news. The militarized 767 derivative is making its inaugural appearance at the biennial and extremely high-profile Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport this week. International sales of the type could help Boeing recoup the billions of dollars in developmental cost overruns it has had to swallow under its fixed price contract with the USAF. So, making a big impression with leaders of foreign air arms and procurement officials is quite important. Boeing appears to have wanted to kick this campaign off early judging by the KC-46’s ‘unique’ arrival to the show.
The big gray tanker came swooping in on short final, floating over the runway’s centerline before realigning and plopping down with a thud, wings bouncing a bit from the abrupt arrival. This was followed by a short landing roll. The arrival was impressive, but also a bit peculiar:
This is just the first of what will be a crush of exciting aerospace and defense news coming out of Paris this week, as well as some exhilarating flying displays.
Stay tuned!
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