Boeing [BA] last week delivered the last of four KC-767 aerial refueling tankers to Japan, the company said this week.
Assigned to the 1st Airlift Wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at Komaki Air Base, the aircraft is the third consecutive KC-767 tanker to be delivered to Tokyo within the contracted schedule and budget, according to a Boeing press statement.
The fourth tanker flew to Japan on Dec. 20 from Boeing’s tanker modification facility in Wichita, Kan. The KC-767 is a military derivative of the 767-200ER commercial widebody airplane built at Boeing’s commercial production facilities in Everett, Wash. Boeing delivered the first three KC-767 tankers to Japan in February 2008, March 2008 and March 2009.
The Japan KC-767 fleet is currently undergoing Operational Evaluation by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, a process that should be completed in the coming months. The fleet achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in March 2009.
The tanker has an open architecture cockpit and is configured with the advanced Boeing air refueling boom and the associated Remote Aerial Refueling Operator (RARO) II system. Japan selected the convertible freighter configuration, allowing it to carry cargo or passengers while maintaining its primary role as an aerial tanker. With a convertible freighter interior, the Japan tanker can be rapidly converted from all-passenger to all-cargo configurations.
Boeing also is on contract to deliver four KC-767s to the Italian Air Force. Three of the four tankers are in flight test, with the fourth airplane still being modified.