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USAF Expects to Field BTAR Fix for KC-46A Late in Fiscal 2027

Frank Wolfe

Friday, August 29th, 2025

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USAF Expects to Field BTAR Fix for KC-46A Late in Fiscal 2027

Pictured is a KC-46A with the 87th Air Base Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. on the tarmac at Fairchild AFB, Wash. before a 509th Weapons Squadron integrated syllabus flight on Oct. 30, 2024 (U.S. Air Force Photo)

The U.S. Air Force expects to field a fix for the stiff aerial refueling boom (ARB) on the Boeing [BA] KC-46A Pegasus tanker late in fiscal 2027. "The stiff boom deficiency is being resolved via the boom telescopic actuator redesign (BTAR) effort currently expected to field in late fiscal year 2027," Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio said in an email response to questions on Friday. The BTAR is expected to help avoid accidents that…

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