McConnell Air Force Base

After nearly three years of testing, Boeing’s KC-46 tanker program has completed its final Federal Aviation Administration certification, the company said in a news release Wednesday.

The certification was one of the last major hurdles standing between the KC-46 and its delivery to McConnell Air Force Base.

The first tanker is expected to be delivered to McConnell next month.

Wichita State University and McConnell Air Force Base announced a partnership Thursday that will allow military personnel to work toward a bachelor’s degree while on base.

The program began Monday with the start of the fall semester. Military personnel can work toward any of seven degrees, including in business, engineering technology/cybersecurity, psychology and sociology.

Military members and veterans are underrepresented on college campuses, and the partnership is an attempt to address the issue.

The KC-46A Pegasus tanker has passed a final test needed to ensure its delivery to McConnell Air Force base this fall.

Air Force officials said Friday that the tanker completed the final flight tests earlier this month at Boeing Field in Seattle. That clears the way for the first Boeing-built tanker to be delivered in October to McConnell.

Boeing is reporting key milestones in its production of the KC-46 refueling tanker that’ll be coming to Wichita later this year.

The company says the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently certified that the fundamental design of the tanker is safe and that all systems are operating as intended.

It’s one of two FAA airworthiness certifications required for the KC-46 program.

The tanker is now in the flight-testing phase.

McConnell Air Force Base expects the first tanker to arrive in late spring.

McConnell Air Force Base in southeast Wichita will host an air show next year for the first time in six years.

The show will be called “Frontiers in Flight” and will feature the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, a precision flying demonstration squadron.

The show will pay homage to Wichita aviation’s past and future.