Boeing, Air Force complete ‘important milestone’ in the skies
Jan 25, 2016, 9:48 AM | Updated: 11:02 am
Boeing and U.S. Air Force crews complete the KC-46A Pegasus tanker's first refueling flight following takeoff from Boeing Field in Seattle. The Boeing/Air Force test team aboard the KC-46 offloaded 1,600 pounds of fuel to an F-16 fighter. (Paul Weatherman/Boeing)
(Paul Weatherman/Boeing)
Boeing and the U.S. Air Force successfully completed the KC-46A’s first refueling flight above Washington on Sunday.
Crews pumped 1,600 pounds of fuel from the tanker to an F-16 fight jet at 20,000 feet.
“Today’s flight is an important milestone for the Air Force/Boeing team because it kicks off the Milestone C aerial refueling demonstration, which is the prerequisite for the low-rate initial production decision,” said Col. Christopher Coombs, U.S. Air Force KC-46 system program manager. “We have a lot of work yet to do, but this is an exciting time for the airmen who are preparing to fly, maintain and support the KC-46 Pegasus for decades to come.”
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There were multiple contact made between the tanker and the F-16 during the flight, which lasted more than five hours.
The KC-46A is a multi-role tanker Boeing built for the Air Force. It can refuel all allied and coalition military aircraft compatible with international aerial refueling procedures. It will soon begin refueling other military aircraft as well, according to Boeing.
Boeing plans to build 179 of the KC-46s.
