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Japanese Boeing tanker malfunctions and conducts emergency landing

Friday, December 19, 2008
By George TalbotPolitical Editor

One of Japan's Boeing-made KC-767 refueling tankers malfunctioned during a recent test flight, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing, according to a statement from the Japanese Ministry of Defense.

The ministry said the tanker, one of two delivered by Boeing to the Japanese government earlier this year, was unable to retract its boom during a flight over the Sea of Japan on Dec. 12. The crew made an emergency landing at Gifu Air Base and evacuated the plane when a small fire ignited around the boom. No injuries were reported.

The boom is a 30-foot metal tube that extends from the rear of the fuselage and transfers fuel from the tanker to a receiving aircraft in flight.

Chicago-based Boeing confirmed the incident and referred questions to the Japanese government.

"We are standing by ready to assist the (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) when called upon," the company said in a statement.

The incident was a potential embarrassment for Boeing, which is battling Northrop Grumman Corp. in a high-stakes competition to build a new fleet of jet tankers for the U.S. Air Force. But aerospace analyst Scott Hamilton downplayed its significance.

"It could be as minor as a bad rivet or a bolt coming loose. Stuff like that happens with airplanes all the time, particularly in testing," said Hamilton, president of the Leeham Co. in the Seattle area. "It's nothing particularly noteworthy."

The Pentagon is expected to reopen bidding on the $40 billion, 179-plane tanker contract next year. Los Angeles-based Northrop, which is proposing to assemble its KC-45 tankers in Mobile, won the award in February but saw the deal unravel when federal auditors found problems with the way the Air Force completed its evaluation.

Boeing was penalized during the initial competition for falling behind schedule on its delivery of tankers to Japan and Italy.

Boeing delivered two KC-767 tankers to Japan in February and March under a four-plane order signed in 2003. The first plane initially was due in early 2007.

Boeing spokesman Felix Sanchez said the remaining two Japanese tankers are scheduled to be delivered in the first quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010.

Northrop's bidding partner on the U.S. tanker contract, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., recently said it will be late delivering its first tanker to the Royal Australian Air Force. But EADS, the parent company of Airbus, said work on the next four Australian tankers under a five-plane contract was progressing on schedule.

EADS said the initial tanker was delayed in part because of a joint decision with the Australian government to bring the plane to the Paris Air Show in 2007.

HAWK21M · Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:49 pm Post subject:

An emergency landing on a filled tanker with an exposed boom can be very dangerous.
regds
MEL
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