On October 3, 2024, The Department of the Air Force announced the seven bases as potential locations for the KC-46A Pegasus Main Operating Base (MOB) 7. A final basing decision will be made in 2027, with an environmental impact analysis also concluded by 2027. The first of eight aircraft is expected to arrive in 2031.
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KC-46 Pegasus will replace KC-135 Stratotankers at the final decision location, bringing new capabilities such as boom and drogue refueling on the same sortie, global navigation and communication, cargo capacity, and multipoint air refueling.
Candidate locations are:
Bangor Air National Guard Base, Maine Forbes Field Air National Guard Base (Topeka), Kan. Key Field Air National Guard Base (Meridian), Miss. McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base (Knoxville), Tenn. Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio Sumpter Smith Air National Guard Base (Birmingham), Ala. Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
The primary mission of the six National Guard Base is providing in-flight refueling to all US Armed Forces and allied nations' aircraft, extending their flying range with the capability of transporting cargo.
Candidate's operational overview
Bangor Air National Guard Base currently uses the KC-135 Stratotanker to provide aerial refueling support for the United States Air Force and Air Guard. In 1968, it was sold to Bangor, Maine, to become Bangor International Airport. The base continues to host Maine Air National Guard units under a lease agreement with the city.
Photo: Master Sgt. Jon Duplain | DVIDS
The Kansas Air National Guard, headquartered at Forbes Field, Topeka, comprises 2,300 airmen and two main units: the 184th and the 190th Air Refueling Wing. The Air Component of the Joint Forces manages resources during emergencies, interprets policies, and provides evaluation, issue resolution, and action recommendations.
Key Field Air National Guard Base, Meridian, Mississippi, is home to the 186th Air Refueling Wing, the 238th Air Support Operations Squadron, and the 248th Air Traffic Control Squadron. The 238th Air Support Operations Squadron is responsible for Air Support Operations and Tactical Air Control Party missions. The 248th Air Traffic Control Squadron focuses on Command and Control missions and operates out of Key Field.
Photo: Capt. Dusty Culpepper | DVIDS
Knoxville's additional missions include Command and Control, Combat Communications, and Individual Training, encompassing the 134th Air Refueling Wing and 119th Command and Control Squadron. Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus houses the 121st Air Refueling Wing. The 117th Air National Guard unit, headquartered at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base in Birmingham, Alabama, has been the first and only unit to win US Strategic Command's Omaha Trophy since 2019.
Photo: Ralph Branson | Flickr
Scott Air Force Base hosts the 375th Air Mobility Wing AMW, which provides infrastructure and communications support for Team Scott missions. The wing also offers welfare programs for its members and their families. Its operational mission is to provide air mobility through its C-21 aircraft fleet and partnerships with the Guard and Reserve, flying KC-135 and C-40 aircraft.
Photo: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
"(The KC-46A) is going to be a fantastic aircraft for us long into the future." Lt. Col. Ted Fisher
What does a Boeing KC-46A Pegasus do?
The game-changer tanker offers more fuel range and shorter runways than the KC-135, utilizing less ramp space than competitors. It can also receive fuel, extending global mobility and power projection maneuvers. Its combat-ready design allows for more booms in the air, making it ideal for refueling missions. It is compatible with all US Air Force loaders and has a large cargo door and cargo rollers.
Compared to the KC-135, it holds 3X more pallets, 2X more passengers, and 30% more medevac capacity. The KC-46A can convert between cargo, passenger, and aeromedical evacuation modes in just two hours, with emergency oxygen and electrical power for medevac support included.
The KC-46A is based on the Boeing 767 freighter. The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body airliner manufactured then certified in 1982. The aircraft was introduced to accommodate smaller cargo containers than the B747. The aircraft has a conventional tail and a supercritical wing for reduced aerodynamic drag.
The tanker carries a 212,000 lbs (96,162 kg) fuel capacity, offers a threefold larger receiver envelope than the KC-135, and has recorded the offloading of over 100 million pounds (45 million kilograms) of fuel globally. It enables data exchange and tactical situational awareness at the tactical edge. It connects multi-domain warfighters and offers real-time information superiority.
Feature
Specifications
Empty Weight
181,610 lb (82,377 kg)
Maximum Takeoff Weight
415,000 pounds (188,240 kg)
Maximum Landing Weight
310,000 lbs (140,614 kg)
Maximum Cargo Capacity
65,000 pounds (29,484 kg)
Pallet Positions
18 pallet positions
Photo: Boeing
The combat-ready KC-46A features defensive countermeasures, provides unmatched tactical situational awareness of the crew, and relays real-time data to the fleet. Additionally, it offers added protection through nuclear, chemical, and biological hardening and flight deck armor. The KC-46A tanker is a game-changer in the military.
Feature
KC-46A Specifications
Basic Crew
3 (2 Pilots & 1 Boom operator)
Seating Capacity
58 Passengers
Engine
2 × Pratt & Whitney PW4062
Maximum Speed
0.86 Mach (650 mph, 1062 km/h)
Range
6,385 NM (7,350 mi, 11,830 km)
"Electromagnetic pulse (EMP), chemical and biological hardening, along with armoring and countermeasures, provide unparalleled combat readiness on the KC-46A." -- Boeing
How many KC-46A have been delivered?
In September 2022, the US Air Force Air Mobility Command cleared the KC-46A Pegasus for worldwide deployments, including combat operations, emphasizing the importance of equipping tankers with next-generation capabilities for fuel, cargo, passenger, and aeromedical transportation.
Boeing is set to upgrade the KC-46A tanker's advanced communications capabilities under the Block 1 contract awarded by the US Air Force. The upgrades will include communications and technological features. To date, Boeing has delivered 87 KC-46A tankers to the US Air Force. With over 150 on contract and 87 in service globally, the KC-46 offers unrivaled interoperability for mission success.
Boeing stated that over 37,000 American workers and 650 small businesses in 43 states supply the components needed to build the KC-46A Pegasus. Regardless of how large or small a component is, each KC-46 supplier understands their contribution helps keep the world's most advanced aerial refueler flying.
Japan contracted the KC-46 tanker in 2016, allowing for shared operations and training with the USAF. The tanker's capability to refuel Osprey tiltrotors attracted Japan, leading to six additional orders. Boeing has delivered four KC-46A tankers to Japan.
US Air Force Aerial Refueling KC-46A Pegasus Makes 1st Around The World 45-Hour Flight
The US Air Force just sent one of their growing number of Boeing KC-46A Pegasus aerial refuelers on a global circumnavigation.
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