The first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker built for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) recently refueled another KC-46A Pegasus aircraft in the skies over Washington state. The Japan-bound tanker also successfully received fuel in return.
«Refueling with the first Japan KC-46A Pegasus is an important milestone for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force», said Jamie Burgess, KC-46 Pegasus program manager. «KC-46A Pegasus is the world’s most advanced air refueling aircraft and has already transferred more than 42 million gallons of fuel to other aircraft globally through its boom and drogue systems».
Japan is the KC-46 Pegasus program’s first non-U.S. customer and is scheduled to receive its first aircraft this year.
«State-of-the-art refueling makes the KC-46A Pegasus a standout, but this tanker goes well beyond that», said Will Shaffer, president of Boeing Japan. «The ability to carry cargo and passengers while maintaining tactical situational awareness makes the aircraft a critical tool in the security alliance between the U.S. and Japan».
The Japan KC-46A Pegasus is capable of refueling U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and JASDF aircraft.
The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a contract for the JASDF’s first KC-46A Pegasus tanker in December 2017. The agreement was completed through the Foreign Military Sale process between the U.S. government and Japan. A second Japan tanker is already in production.
Boeing is assembling the KC-46A Pegasus aircraft for both the U.S. Air Force and Japan on its 767 production line in Everett, Washington. Boeing’s Japanese partners produce 16% of the KC-46A Pegasus airframe structure.
General Characteristics
| Primary Function | Aerial refueling and airlift |
| Prime Contractor | The Boeing Company |
| Power Plant | 2 × Pratt & Whitney 4062 |
| Thrust | 62,000 lbs./275.790 kN/28,123 kgf – Thrust per High-Bypass engine (sea-level standard day) |
| Wingspan | 157 feet, 8 inches/48.1 m |
| Length | 165 feet, 6 inches/50.5 m |
| Height | 52 feet, 10 inches/15.9 m |
| Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) | 415,000 lbs./188,240 kg |
| Maximum Landing Weight | 310,000 lbs./140,614 kg |
| Fuel Capacity | 212,299 lbs./96,297 kg |
| Maximum Transfer Fuel Load | 207,672 lbs./94,198 kg |
| Maximum Cargo Capacity | 65,000 lbs./29,484 kg |
| Maximum Airspeed | 360 KCAS (Knots Calibrated AirSpeed)/0.86 M/414 mph/667 km/h |
| Service Ceiling | 43,100 feet/13,137 m |
| Maximum Distance | 7,299 NM/8,400 miles/13,518 km |
| Pallet Positions | 18 pallet positions |
| Air Crew | 15 permanent seats for aircrew, including aeromedical evacuation aircrew |
| Passengers | 58 total (normal operations); up to 114 total (contingency operations) |
| Aeromedical Evacuation | 58 patients (24 litters/34 ambulatory) with the AE Patient Support Pallet configuration; 6 integral litters carried as part of normal aircraft configuration equipment |