US Approves $1.9 Billion Boeing KC-46 Refueling Aircraft Sale To Japan

The US State Department has approved a possible sale of KC-46A aerial refueling aircraft and related equipment, training, and support for $1.9 billion to Japan.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Government of Japan requested the sale of four KC-46A aerial refueling aircraft. Each aircraft is powered by two Pratt &Whitney Model 4062 (PW4062) Turbofan engines. The sale includes one additional spare PW4062 engine, DSCA said in a statement Thursday.

 Each aircraft will be delivered with GPS capability and defensive systems installed plus spares, to include: Raytheon's ALR-69A Radar Warning Receiver (RWR), Raytheon's Miniaturized Airborne GPS Receiver (MAGR) 2000 to provide GPS Selective Availability AntiSpoofing Module SAASM capability, and Northrop Grumman's AN/AAQ-24(V) Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) system.

Each LAIRCM system consists of the following components: three Guardian Laser Terminal Assemblies (GLTA), six Ultra-Violet Missile Warning System (UVMWS) Sensors AN/AAR-54, one LAIRCM System Processor Replacements (LSPR), one Control Indicator Unit Replacement, one Smart Card Assembly, and one High Capacity Card.

The Major Defense Equipment (MDE) items are the aircraft and engines, MAGR 2K with SAASM, ALR-69A RWR, GLTA, UVMWS, and LSPR. The total MDE cost, with spares, is estimated at $1.5 billion.

The following non-MDE items will be included with the purchase of the four KC-46A airframes: twelve  AN/ARC-210 UHF Radios, six APX-119 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponders, initial spares and repair parts, consumables, support equipment, technical data, engineering change proposals, publications, Field Service Representatives' (FSRs), repair and return, depot maintenance, training and training equipment, contractor technical and logistics personnel services, US Government and contractor representative support, Group A and B installation for subsystems, flight test and certification, and other related elements of logistics support. The total program cost is estimated to be $1.9 billion (includes all MDE and non-MDE values and above and below the line charges.

The principal contractors on the sale are Boeing Corporation as the aircraft manufacturer, supported by Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA, as the manufacturer of ALR-69A and the MAGR 2K. Northrop Grumman Corporation, Rolling Meadows, IL, will also support the sale as producer of the AN/AAQ-24(V)N LAIRCM system. Final assembly and delivery of the KC-46A takes place at Boeing's production facility in Everett, Washington. At this time, there are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.