The first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker for Altus Air Force Base (AFB) in Oklahoma has been delivered from Seattle. The delivery marks the fifth aircraft for the U.S. Air Force (USAF). The first four KC-46 tankers were delivered in January to McConnell AFB in Kansas.
Boeing is contracted to deliver 52 tankers for the USAF and expects to deliver a total of 179 tankers.
At Altus AFB, the 56th Air Refueling Squadron will be tasked with aircrew, training, and maintenance of the Pegasus aircraft. An additional three KC-46A tankers are to be delivered. The 56th was activated in August 2016 to operate the new tanker.
The KC-46A Pegasus began development in 2011 off of the KC-767 tanker, replacing nearly 100 old KC-135E Stratotankers. The Pegasus is built off of the Boeing 767-200 airliner with modifications for military operations. In the cockpit, the instrument panel is an all-glass display system from the Boeing 787. For tanker operations, there is a fly-by-wire boom based off of the KC-10 boom at the rear, Wing Air Refueling Pods (WARPS) from the wings, and a Centerline Drogue System (CDS) at the rear. The cabin can be reconfigured to carry passengers, cargo operations, or aeromedical evacuation missions.
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