• The first KC-46 tanker for the USAF takes off from Paine Field on its maiden flight. Credit; Boeing (Marion Lockhart)
    The first KC-46 tanker for the USAF takes off from Paine Field on its maiden flight. Credit; Boeing (Marion Lockhart)
  • Boeing and US Air Force crews complete the KC-46A Pegasus tanker’s first refueling flight, offloading 1,600 pounds of fuel to an F-16 fighter. Credit: Paul Weatherman, Boeing
    Boeing and US Air Force crews complete the KC-46A Pegasus tanker’s first refueling flight, offloading 1,600 pounds of fuel to an F-16 fighter. Credit: Paul Weatherman, Boeing
  • Air KC-46A refuels concept. The first boom will enter testing during the third quarter of 2013 at a System Integration Lab, known as SIL 0.
    Air KC-46A refuels concept. The first boom will enter testing during the third quarter of 2013 at a System Integration Lab, known as SIL 0.
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The US Air Force looks set to receive the first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker next year after its first flight and airborne tests were conducted from Paine Field, Seattle on 5th December.

The KC-X program has been beset by contract protests, delays and cost overruns as Boeing has battled with USAF requests for re-designs,such as wing re-wiring, and problems with axial loads on the refuelling boom. The Request for Proposal was first issued in 2007 and EADS and Northrop Grumman initially won the tender with the Airbus KC-30 MRTT (designated as KC-45 by the USAF) a year later. After a Boeing protest was upheld, the contract was eventually awarded to the company three years later in 2011 following a further tender process.

During the recent flight, Boeing test pilots took the tanker to a maximum altitude of 39,000 feet 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,” Boeing KC-46A tanker vice president and program manager Mike Gibbons said. “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 refuelling flights with F-16, F/A-18, AV-8B, C-17, A-10, KC-10 and KC-46 aircraft.

The KC-46, derived from Boeing’s commercial 767 airframe, is built in the company’s Everett, Seattle, facility with the company currently on contract for the first 34 of an expected 179 tankers for the USAF.

In addition to its 212,000 pound fuel capacity it can carry up to 65,000 pounds of cargo. This compares to the larger KC-30’s capacity for 245,000 pounds fuel plus 99,000 cargo payload. The airframe can be configured to carry 114 passengers and to serve as an aero-medical evacuation aircraft.

Boeing Defense, Space & Security president and CEO Leanne Caret said the KC-46 was not just another air refuelling tanker. “This is a multi-mission, combat ready tanker that is going to change the way the Air Force executes missions for generations to come.”

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