US Air Force signs $2.3 billion contract for 15 new KC-46 aerial refueling aircraft

News, US February 1, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $2.3 billion contract to Boeing to produce 15 new KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft. The U.S. Air Force currently operates at least 68 KC-46 aircraft.

The newly announced batch of KC-46s would be the ninth production lot for the tanker aircraft. The construction of this batch is expected to be completed by the end of August 2026.

Boeing said that the current batch of 15 aircraft brings the number of KC-46s for the U.S. Air Force under contract to 128. 68 of the 128 aircraft have been delivered and they are currently in use by the U.S. Air Force.

Apart from that, 10 KC-46 aircraft are under contract for U.S. allies, six for Japan and four for Israel. Japan has already received its first two of six KC-46s.

Boeing’s KC-46 aircraft is a modified version of the 767 airliners, and the multi-role tanker can carry up to 18 military standardized pallets (463L) in cargo configuration. The plane uses the Wing Air Refueling Pod (WARP) system for aerial refueling operations. It is also equipped for aeromedical evacuation.

According to Boeing, the versatile aircraft is “equipped with robust defensive and tactical situational awareness systems that will help Japan secure and maintain its air superiority.”

In August last year, a trio of KC-46s carried out the Pegasus’ first refueling missions during real-world operations. These KC-46s were in the Middle East region for a training exercise and refueled F-15E Strike Eagle fighters carrying out U.S. Central Command missions. Two KC-46s also carried out long endurance flights totaling 42 hours in December 2022, supporting a bomber task force mission in the Indo-Pacific region.

*^{Boeing KC-46 aerial refueling and strategic military transport aircraft (Image Credit: Boeing)}*

In 2011 Boeing was awarded a contract for 179 KC-46 tankers, to replace about half of the U.S. Air Force’s KC-135R fleet. Compared to the 50-year-old KC-135, the KC-46 has more fuel capacity, improved efficiency, and enhanced cargo space. Like the KC-10, it employs an advanced refueling boom and independently operating hose.

The KC-46 completed developmental testing and entered operational testing in 2019, though a full-rate production has slipped to FY24 or later due to remaining deficiencies with the boom and remote vision system. The U.S. Air Force began employing KC-46 for noncombat refueling operations to check its compatibility with a limited number of its fighter jets and aircraft starting in 2021.

During the testing phases in 2021, the aircraft was reported to have some issues, and the most serious problem revolved around its Remote Vision System (RVS), a set of cameras and sensors that provide the images needed to safely guide the boom of the tanker to the aircraft receiving the fuel. The U.S. Air Force officials believe that the current RVS video could be difficult to watch under certain circumstances, which makes it difficult for boom operators to refuel another aircraft without increasing the risk of scratching the fuselage. However, Boeing claimed that it has designed a “Remote Vision System 2.0” that will fix the issues on its own dime. It is not yet clear whether the RVS 2.0 would be replaced in all the planes that have been delivered to the U.S. Air Force and Japan.