Boeing awarded $2.3 billion contract for additional Air Force KC-46A tanker aircraft

Boeing announced Tuesday it will build an additional 15 KC-46A Pegasus tankers under a “Lot 10 contract” awarded by the U.S. Air Force valued at $2.3 billion. One hundred fifty-three KC-46A multi-mission aerial refuelers are now on contract globally, providing advanced capability advantages for the joint force and allies.

With a supplier network of about 37,000 American workers employed by more than 650 businesses throughout more than 40 U.S. states, the combat-proven KC-46A is transforming the role of the tanker for the 21st century.

From aerial refueling, cargo, passenger transportation, aeromedical evacuation and data connectivity at the tactical edge, the KC-46A Pegasus has already been called a “game changer” for its ability to transmit and exchange data, enabling rapid air mobility, global reach and Agile Combat Employment.

Earlier this year, the Air Force awarded Boeing a Block 1 upgrade contract, adding more advanced communications capabilities to enhance the aircraft’s data connectivity and situational awareness.

“In the current global environment, we continue to focus our investments on evolving the aircraft for the changing needs of the mission,” said Lynn Fox, vice president and KC-46 program manager.

To date, Boeing has delivered 76 KC-46As to the Air Force and two to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

Lockheed Martin to demonstrate faster on-orbit satellite sensor calibration

A wideband Electronically Steerable Antenna (ESA) designed by Lockheed Martin is scheduled for launch next month that will help perform missions in space faster once a satellite is in orbit.

Based on an innovative, proprietary design, Lockheed Martin expects to calibrate this new ESA sensor in a fraction of the time it takes to operationalize traditional on-orbit sensors, which historically can take months to be powered on, fully calibrated and ready to perform their mission.

The ESA payload demonstrator will launch aboard an Alpha rocket by Firefly Aerospace.

“The ESA payload is built on a novel, scalable design, using highly reliable commercial parts for quick, mass-producibility,” Lockheed Martin said in a company press release. “For this demonstration, it was integrated on a Terran Orbital Nebula small satellite bus.”

The payload is nicknamed Tantrum, developed in Lockheed Martin Space’s Ignite organization.

“For this demonstration, Lockheed Martin has invested its own resources and is embracing more calculated risks from initial development through on-orbit operations to bring new technologies to the forefront of space faster and to keep our customers ahead of ready,” said Sonia Phares, vice president of Ignite at Lockheed Martin Space.

The payload demonstrator is expected to launch aboard Alpha in December.

Lockheed Martin also is producing several other self-funded technology demonstrator spacecraft, including Pony Express 2, which will further demonstrate mesh networking among satellites, and the Tactical Satellite, which will demonstrate on-orbit processing, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.