Since the U.S. Air Force’s KC-135 Stratotankers began to fly, they have proven their value by allowing fighter jets and bombers to stay in the air longer while refueling during the war. Now, a new aircraft is making its way into the fleet that will continue this tradition of keeping our military assets airborne: The KC-46 Pegasus.
The KC-46 is the U.S. Air Force’s 767-based aerial refueling tanker, replacing the KC-135 that has been in service for over 50 years. The KC-135 was based on a 707 commercial airliner, hence its designation as a “C” model rather than an “E” model like its successor (the KC-46).
The first KC-46 took flight in September 2015 and production began in January 2017.
The aircraft can refuel all U.S., allied, and coalition military aircraft capable of refueling from a boom—an extension on the end of the plane that allows for refueling to occur at distances greater than 100 feet (30 meters).
The KC-46 also has an airlift capacity of up to 133,000 pounds (60,000 kilograms) and can carry cargo or passengers in its cabin during ferry operations for theater requirements or humanitarian missions.
The airplane’s digital avionics suite includes Honeywell Primus Epic electronic flight instrument system; Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite which includes automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) Out capability; Universal Aerial Refueling Receptacle Slipway Installation (UARRSI); and an Electro-Optic Systems’ infrared camera system and forward-looking infrared sensors.
The KC-46 Pegasus eliminates the need for a hose and drogue fuel delivery system on traditional tankers such as the KC-135, simplifying the operation of tandem aircraft contacts. This new system enables more efficient, safer, reliable, and flexible operations for both aircraft involved.
The KC-46’s refueling boom allows for faster contact times by eliminating procedures required to attach and disconnect hoses between tanker and receiver aircraft. Instead of having two separate boom operators assigned to different tasks at different times during air refueling missions (one securing hose and one fueling), there is only one operator who can perform both actions simultaneously.
With a single operator in control of everything from receiving fuel from an aerial tanker to transferring it into an F-35 Lightning II or P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft’s internal tanks, pilots will have more time for their mission planning instead of spending time on maintenance tasks.
When carrying passengers, the KC-46 can carry 212,299 pounds of fuel. When it is not carrying passengers or cargo, that number increases to up to 568,000 pounds of fuel. That’s more than any other tanker on the market! The KC-46 is larger than its predecessors and more efficient because of its new design.
The KC-46 has two wings with a total area of 3,788 square feet and a length from the nose to the tail tip of 141 feet long (estimated). This makes it large enough to accommodate an impressive amount of cargo while still being small enough to land on short airfields (or even runways).
The KC-46 Pegasus can carry up to 35 tons of weight when it’s configured for passengers and cargo, including staff and equipment for a 315-person aeromedical evacuation mission or up to 18 463L master pallets of cargo or a combination of both missions.
Another unique feature of this airplane is its ability to de-ice itself, allowing it to stay airborne longer and deliver fuel no matter what weather conditions are like at ground level. The KC-46 Pegasus can be fitted with a deicing system that can be activated in flight and will use a remote control or cockpit control panel or sensor in the cockpit or sensor on the wing to activate it.
The KC-46 is a high-tech, state-of-the-art plane. Its mission is to provide the world’s most reliable and affordable aerial refueling capabilities to the U.S. military and its coalition partners. It will be able to fly higher, faster, and farther than any other plane in existence today. It’s also capable of carrying more weight when configured for passengers or cargo than all other tankers combined, so it’s not just a refueler but can also serve as an airlift aircraft for humanitarian relief missions around the globe—whether that means evacuating people from natural disasters or delivering supplies to communities in need like those affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma for example.
In the end, the KC-46 Pegasus is a vital program for keeping US troops supplied as they go on missions in foreign countries and all borders of America. America will continue to depend on the KC-46 Pegasus for aerial refueling into the future.