The U.S. Air Force has accepted the first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft, setting the stage for the aircraft’s delivery to McConnell Air Force Base (AFB), in Wichita, Kansas, in the coming weeks.

«The KC-46A is a proven, safe, multi-mission aircraft that will transform aerial refueling and mobility operations for decades to come. We look forward to working with the Air Force, and the Navy, during their initial operational test and evaluation of the KC-46, as we further demonstrate the operational capabilities of this next-generation aircraft across refueling, mobility and combat weapons systems missions», said Leanne Caret, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. «I want to thank the men and women of the Air Force and across the Boeing tanker team who made this happen».

During extensive flight testing, six Boeing KC-46A Pegasus completed more than 3,800 flight hours and offloaded more than four million pounds of fuel to Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender, Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, Boeing KC-46A Pegasus, McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft. The Boeing KC-46A Pegasus has been rigorously tested throughout all aspects of the refueling envelope and in all conditions, including day, night and covert.

With the signing of what’s known as the DD250 paperwork, the delivery activities can proceed. McConnell Air Force Base will receive the first four Boeing KC-46A Pegasus aircraft, all of which are ready for delivery, with four subsequent aircraft destined for Oklahoma’s Altus Air Force Base, beginning as early as next month.

Boeing is on contract for 52 of an expected 179 tankers for the Air Force. Beyond the first aircraft that was accepted today, nine aircraft are undergoing customer acceptance testing with the remaining aircraft of the contracted amount in production.

«This is an exciting and historic day for the Air Force and Boeing, as we hand over the first of many KC-46 tankers», said Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg. «I’m proud of the dedication and commitment by our enterprise-wide team, and we’re honored to provide this valuable and capable aircraft to our customer. We look forward to continuing to build and support the KC-46 for the Air Force – and other customers across the globe – for decades to come».

The Boeing KC-46A Pegasus, derived from Boeing’s commercial 767 airframe, is built in Boeing’s Everett, Washington, facility.

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Boeing’s KC-46A Pegasus tanker program has completed its planned Phase II receiver certification flight testing following three weeks of flights with F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft out of Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Boeing and U.S. Air Force KC-46A Pegasus crews kicked off receiver certification testing with F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft in April 2018. Since then the joint team also completed testing with KC-135 Stratotanker, C-17 Globemaster III, A-10 Thunderbolt II, KC-46A Pegasus, B-52 Stratofortress, and F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft.

«This accomplishment is a tribute to the Boeing/U.S. Air Force team and helps set the stage for the start of Initial Operational Test & Evaluation testing next year», said Mike Gibbons, Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker vice president and program manager. «We are seeing great progress in both test and production and expect the positive momentum to continue as we begin delivering aircraft».

During the certification flight tests, KC-46A Pegasus and receiver aircraft flew at different airspeeds, altitudes and configurations to ensure compatibility and performance throughout the refueling envelope of each receiver. Now, the Air Force and the Aerial Refueling Certification Agency will review all test data and paperwork before ultimately “certifying” each aircraft.

«The Air Force crews were with us every step of the way during this critical testing», said Jake Kwasnik, KC-46A Pegasus test program manager. «It was awesome to see everyone working together as we conducted flights out of Boeing Field and also at Edwards and Minot Air Force bases».

Six test aircraft have now completed more than 3,700 flight hours and supplied more than four million pounds of fuel in flight to receiver aircraft.

Phase III receiver certification testing will be conducted by the Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base in 2019. That testing will include additional receiver aircraft.

The KC-46A Pegasus, derived from Boeing’s commercial 767 airframe, is built in the company’s Everett, Wash., facility. Boeing is currently on contract for the first 52 of an expected 179 tankers for the U.S. Air Force.

The KC-46A Pegasus is a multirole tanker that can refuel all allied and coalition military aircraft compatible with international aerial refueling procedures and can carry passengers, cargo and patients.

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Through the Foreign Military Sale process, the U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a $279 million contract for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF’s) first KC-46 tanker and logistics support, marking the aircraft’s first international sale.

Japan chose Boeing’s KC-46 tanker over competitors following its KC-X aerial refueling competition. The KC-46 adds to the JASDF’s current fleet of four KC-767J tankers.

«We are excited to partner with Boeing as we assist Japan in advancing its aerial refueling capabilities», said Brigadier General Donna Shipton, program executive officer, U.S. Air Force Tanker Directorate. «This is an important step in strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance and will enhance our interoperability with both nations flying KC-46s».

The U.S. Air Force will operate and maintain its fleet of 179 KC-46 tankers through mid-century and beyond.

«This milestone order highlights a valued partnership with Japan that spans more than six decades, and we look forward to continuing that collaboration on the KC-46 program», added Brett Gerry, president, Boeing Japan. «The skilled Japanese KC-767 tanker and E-767 Airborne Warning and Control Systems pilots and maintenance personnel are already familiar with flying and supporting our highly efficient aircraft, and we look forward to helping them expand their capabilities in the future».

The KC-46 is a multirole tanker designed to refuel all allied and coalition military aircraft compatible with international aerial refueling procedures and can carry passengers, cargo and patients.

Boeing began developing the KC-46A Pegasus tanker for the U.S. Air Force in 2011 and is assembling the 767-derivative aircraft at its Everett, Wash., facility.

First flight of the fully-provisioned KC-46 tanker took place in September 2015. Six test aircraft have now completed more than 2,200 flight hours and conducted refueling flights with F-16, F/A-18, AV-8B, C-17, A-10, KC-10 and KC-46 aircraft.

In addition to refueling, the KC-46 features a main deck cargo door and strengthened cargo deck. The floor includes seat tracks and a cargo handling system, allowing for a variety of mission configurations. The system enables KC-46 to simultaneously carry palletized cargo, personnel and aeromedical equipment in a variety of combinations. The highly reliable 767 derivative will also deliver tremendous savings through lower lifecycle costs compared to other larger or used aircraft.

Sixteen percent of the 767 airplane, on which the KC-46 tanker is based, is made with Japan. The Boeing-Japan relationship grows and expands with partnership opportunities in the space, commercial and defense businesses, continuing a legacy that spans more than 60 years. Boeing currently spends more than $5 billion annually in Japan, making the country the largest supply base for Boeing outside the United States. Boeing opened its first office in Japan in 1953 and now has approximately 200 employees at more than 20 major sites across the country.

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The first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker that will be delivered to the U.S. Air Force next year successfully completed its first flight and airborne tests on December 5, 2017, taking off from Paine Field at 10:32 a.m. PST and landing approximately three-and-one-half hours later.

«Today’s flight is another milestone for the Air Force/Boeing team and helps move us closer to delivering operational aircraft to the warfighter», said Colonel John Newberry, U.S. Air Force KC-46 System program manager.

During the flight, Boeing test pilots took the tanker to a maximum altitude of 39,000 feet/11,887 meters and performed operational checks on engines, flight controls and environmental systems as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved flight profile. Prior to subsequent flights, the team will conduct a post-flight inspection and calibrate instrumentation.

«We’re very proud of this aircraft and the state-of-the-art capabilities it will bring to the Air Force», said Mike Gibbons, Boeing KC-46A tanker vice president and program manager. «We still have some tough work ahead of us, including completing our FAA certification activities, but the team is committed to ensure that upon delivery, this tanker will be everything our customer expects and more».

The newest tanker is the KC-46 program’s seventh aircraft to fly to date. The previous six are being used for testing and certification and to date have completed 2,200 flight hours and more than 1,600 «contacts» during refueling flights with F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Super Hornet, AV-8B Harrier II, C-17 Globemaster III, A-10 Thunderbolt II, KC-10 Extender and KC-46A Pegasus aircraft.

The KC-46A Pegasus, derived from Boeing’s commercial 767 airframe, is built in the company’s Everett facility. Boeing is currently on contract for the first 34 of an expected 179 tankers for the U.S. Air Force.

The KC-46A Pegasus is a multirole tanker that can refuel all allied and coalition military aircraft compatible with international aerial refueling procedures and can carry passengers, cargo and patients.

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The U.S. Air Force today awarded Boeing $2.1 billion for 15 KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft, spare engines and wing air refueling pod kits. This order is the third low-rate initial production lot for Boeing. The first two came in August 2016 and included seven and 12 planes, respectively, as well as spare parts.

Boeing plans to build 179 of the 767-based refueling aircraft for the U.S. Air Force to replace its legacy tanker fleet. Tanker deliveries will begin later this year.

«This award is great news for the joint Boeing-Air Force team and reinforces the need for this highly efficient and capable tanker aircraft», said Mike Gibbons, Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker vice president and program manager. «Our Boeing industry team is hard at work building and testing KC-46 Pegasus aircraft, and we look forward to first delivery».

«Placing an order for another 15 aircraft is another important milestone for the KC-46 Pegasus program», said Colonel John Newberry, U.S. Air Force KC-46 Pegasus System program manager. «I know the warfighter is excited about bringing this next generation capability into the inventory».

Boeing received an initial contract in 2011 to design and develop the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation tanker aircraft. As part of that contract, Boeing built four test aircraft – two configured as 767-2Cs and two as KC-46A Pegasus tankers. Those test aircraft, along with the first production plane, have completed nearly 1,500 flight hours to date.

The KC-46A Pegasus is a multirole tanker that can refuel all allied and coalition military aircraft compatible with international aerial refueling procedures and can carry passengers, cargo and patients.

Boeing is assembling KC-46 Pegasus aircraft at its Everett, Washington, facility.

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The Boeing test team successfully completed the first flight of the program’s second KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft on March 2, taking off from Paine Field and landing later at Boeing Field in Seattle. During the flight, Boeing test pilots performed operational checks on engines, flight controls and environmental systems.

«Adding a second tanker to the flight test program is very important as we move into the next phase of testing», said Colonel John Newberry, U.S. Air Force KC-46 System program manager. «The team will initially use the aircraft to test mission system avionics and exterior lighting. Later, it will share the air refueling effort with the first KC-46».

The Boeing team now will conduct a post-flight inspection and calibrate instrumentation prior to the next series of flights. As part of the overall flight test program, the KC-46 Pegasus will demonstrate it can refuel 18 different aircraft. The second tanker will help share the test load and receiver certification.

Boeing was awarded a contract in 2011 to design and develop the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation tanker aircraft and is building four test aircraft – two are currently configured as 767-2Cs and two as KC-46A Pegasus tankers.

Engineering & Manufacturing and Development-1 (EMD-1), a 767-2C test aircraft, has completed more than 260 flight test hours to date since its first flight in December 2014. EMD-2, the program’s first KC-46A Pegasus tanker, made its maiden flight September 25, 2015 and has now completed more than 180 flight test hours. EMD-3, a 767-2C, will begin flight testing later this year.

The KC-46A Pegasus is a multirole tanker Boeing is building for the U.S. Air Force that can refuel all allied and coalition military aircraft compatible with international aerial refueling procedures and can carry passengers, cargo and patients. Overall, Boeing plans to build 179 KC-46 Pegasus aircraft for the U.S. Air Force.

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