Hello my dears,
Boeing's series of mishaps is now even continuing in the defense sector. Somehow the thought that Boeing has been awarded the contract for the new fighter jet gives me a slight headache.
A Boeing KC-46A Pegaus of the US Air Force flies a refueling mission for several Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors off the US East Coast. But then something goes wrong and the tanker crew makes an emergency call: "Our boom has detached from the aircraft!"
A photo published on X by user enc_spotter proves that something did not go according to plan. The picture shows a Boeing KC-46A after landing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, which is apparently missing part of its refueling boom. The tanker is tail number 76033, and the photo was taken on July 8 after the twin-jet aircraft with the call sign FELL81 made an unscheduled landing at the base. A spokesman for the US Air Force's 22nd Air Refueling Wing, to which the Pegasus tanker belongs, later explained: "A KC-46A Pegasus from McConnell Air Force Base reported an emergency while refueling F-22 aircraft off the east coast of the United States on July 8." During the refueling mission, the refueling boom was damaged. "The crew had to decide to land at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina and landed there safely," the spokesperson continued. "The aircraft will remain there for the time being."