“And surprise! Boeing is falling behind in the design and fabrication of the first test article KC-46As.”
Here are the latest KC-46 news:
http://www.examiner.com/article/boeing-not-meeting-production-dates-for-kc-46a-refueling-tankers
http://www.janes.com/article/45947/further-tanker-schedule-slips-could-derail-key-milestones-says-usaf
South Korea is also looking for 4 new tankers:
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20141123000329
Delivery is scheduled for 2017.
Several points pro MRTT:
- maintenance: Korean Airlines operates already 24 A330 and has 8 more on order.
- spare parts: the A330 is still in production while no airline has the 767 on order. Delta ordered 25 A330-900.
- operational: Australia is already refueling over Iraq.
- better small airfield performance: The MRTT can take off with more fuel from short runways than the 767-200. The 767-2C fuselage is even longer than the standard 767-200.
- pride: the MRTT is far bigger than Japanese KC-767
Not to mention the possibility of adding the A330neo advantages to the MRTT. Even lower fuel burn = more offloadable fuel available.