EVERETT―The Boeing Company will build 15 additional KC-46A Pegasus tankers under a Lot 11 contract award from the U.S. Air Force valued at $2.38 billion. The KC-46A is built in Everett, Washington, and in all, Boeing has 168 KC-46A multi-mission aerial refuelers on contract globally, providing advanced capability advantages for the joint force and allies.
“We appreciate our continued partnership with the U.S. Air Force,” said Lynn Fox, vice president and KC-46 program manager. “This is another big milestone for our team, and we look forward to delivering the world’s most advanced multi-mission aerial refuelers for years to come.”
The KC-46A Pegasus is the world’s most advanced multi-mission aerial refueling plane according to Boeing. It continues to demonstrate its unparalleled capabilities having flown more than 100,000 flight hours and offloaded more than 200 million pounds of fuel to receivers globally. In October, the Pegasus made its inaugural full-scale operational deployment after the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command approved the KC-46A for global combat operations in 2022.
In July, the Air Force awarded Boeing a contract to upgrade the mission readiness and performance of the KC-46A tanker. This builds on the 2023 Block 1 upgrade, further enhancing the tanker’s advanced communications, data connectivity and situational awareness for aircraft survivability and operational advantage in contested environments.
Since 2019, Boeing has delivered 89 KC-46A tankers to the U.S. Air Force and four to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
Source: The Boeing Company
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
