Watch the first flight of what will be the first KC-46A Pegasus — a multi-purpose and combat-capable refueling tanker — delivered next year to the U.S. Air Force.
Boeing designed and built the KC-46 specifically for the U.S. Air Force — it can be configured to carry passengers, cargo or medical patients, but it’s probably best known for its advanced in-air refueling capabilities.
The Air Force’s new tanker will be able to refuel other military aircraft in complete darkness — a capability no other military in the world has.
It also has multiple layers of protection that allow the tanker to detect, avoid, defeat and survive threats. It will be a combat-capable aircraft on day one.
Other amazing features include:
1. Self-protection capabilities, such as cockpit armor and fuel tank ballistic protection
2. Defensive systems, such as a radio frequency warning and night vision lighting
3. Advanced cameras that provide a 185-degree panoramic field of view
During the first flight earlier this week, the crew took the tanker to 39,000 feet and tested the flight controls, engines and environmental systems. Now comes a post-flight inspection prior to the next series of flights.
The KC-46A tanker is one of an expected 179 tankers Boeing will build for the Air Force.
These tankers will replace the aging KC-135 tankers that have been in use for half a century.