KC-46 cracks

[MintJulep]

USAF found cracks in 2 KC-46A airframes.

Cracks In KC-46 Tankers Halt All Deliveries

The USAF is inspecting its fleet of 89 KC-46s to see if the problem is systemic and Boeing is working to figure out a fix.

www.twz.com

 

[Garbage1]

USAF found cracks in 2 KC-46A airframes.

Cracks In KC-46 Tankers Halt All Deliveries

The USAF is inspecting its fleet of 89 KC-46s to see if the problem is systemic and Boeing is working to figure out a fix.

www.twz.com

 

[Garbage1]

At least it was not a Wing Spar Crack/Connection Failure.

Quote. "According to the outlet’s sources, the cracks emerged during routine pre-delivery inspections at Boeing’s Everett, Washington facility, where technicians identified anomalies not on the wings or control surfaces but within the airframe’s primary and secondary structural components."

Boeing's KC-46 faces new crisis as cracks halt deliveries fast

On March 1, 2025, Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus tanker program hit yet another turbulence patch as structural cracks were discovered in two of four new aircraft.

bulgarianmilitary.com

 

[SWComposites]

This is odd for a new aircraft.
My first wild guess is that some joint shims were not installed and fasteners pulled together the gap causing cracking.

 

[TugboatEng]

Pre-delivery cracks? That sounds really bad. They're cracking before any loading or exposure occurs.