Chinese-made printed wiring boards (PWBs) on U.S. Air Force KC-46A Pegasus tankers by Boeing [BA] represent a low technical risk, DoD acquisition chief William LaPlante ruled last year. PWBs, like printed circuit boards (PCBs), connect electronic components but are less complex than PCBs and usually come in smaller production runs. Section 841 of the Fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act stipulates that the Pentagon may not buy "mission critical" PCBs or similar equipment from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran--a…
