US Air Force to receive 15 new KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft from Boeing
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Boeing has secured a $2.47 billion Lot 12 contract to build fifteen additional KC-46A Pegasus tankers for the U.S. Air Force, with deliveries planned through mid-2029.
On November 25, 2025, Boeing announced a Lot 12 order valued at $2,469,937,348 to produce 15 additional KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force, keeping the production line active through the end of the decade. With a completion planned by June 30, 2029, this award follows a similar Lot 11 contract for 15 aircraft valued at about $2.38 billion, and arrives as the Air Force evaluates additional procurement options. With Lot 12 included, there are now 183 Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tankers on contract or in service worldwide, comprising 98 delivered to the U.S. Air Force, six delivered to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, and four aircraft under contract for the Israel Air Force.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The KC-46A Pegasus is derived from the 767-2C airframe, which combines the fuselage of the 767-200ER with the wing, landing gear, cargo floor, and cargo door of the 767-300F, and the flaps and 787-style digital flight deck concept used in the 767-400ER. (Picture source: Boeing)
The Lot 12 award follows a period in early 2025 when KC-46A deliveries were temporarily halted after structural cracks were discovered in control surface components on aircraft in the final stages of assembly, prompting additional inspections and corrective action before handovers resumed. Boeing stated that the problem affected a limited number of parts, that repairs were implemented, and that aircraft were cleared for delivery once inspections confirmed the issue did not present an ongoing flight safety risk. Deliveries restarted quickly, with multiple aircraft transferred to Travis Air Force Base, increasing the local fleet and bringing the U.S. total at that time to 91 aircraft, before further deliveries lifted the figure to 98. In parallel, the KC-46A is evolving through a series of capability upgrades, including a July 2024 contract focused on communications, data connectivity, and situational awareness enhancements that aim to align the tanker with new joint networking requirements.
A key element of this modernization effort is the Remote Vision System 2.0, an extensive redesign of the refueling vision suite intended to correct depth perception and image quality issues observed with the original system, which is now expected to reach full operational readiness around 2027. The KC-46A program began in the early 2000s, when the U.S. Air Force wanted to replace its aging KC-135E Stratotankers with a more modern tanker based on the Boeing 767 airframe, initially designated the KC-767A and conceived as a mixed lease and purchase arrangement for 100 aircraft. That plan was cancelled in 2006, and the U.S. Air Force then launched the KC-X competition, during which a 2008 selection of the Airbus-based KC-45 was overturned after a protest and review, and the solicitation was reset with revised requirements. In February 2011, Boeing’s 767-based proposal was selected and designated KC-46A, under a fixed-price development contract that capped government-funded development at $4.9 billion and set an initial requirement for 179 aircraft to be delivered by the late 2020s. A government estimate placed the total acquisition cost at roughly $43 billion for development and procurement, with a program acquisition unit cost of around $287 million per aircraft.
The first 767-2C test aircraft flew in December 2014, the first fully equipped KC-46A flew in 2015, and initial operational aircraft were delivered in January 2019 after schedule slips. The tanker was then finally approved for general operational use in 2022, following a phased introduction that initially restricted some missions and receiver types. The KC-46A Pegasus is derived from the 767-2C airframe, which combines the fuselage of the 767-200ER with the wing, landing gear, cargo floor, and cargo door of the 767-300F, and the flaps and 787-style digital flight deck concept used in the 767-400ER, producing a configuration optimized for tanker and transport roles while retaining commercial production efficiencies. The aircraft measures about 50.5 meters in length, has a wingspan of approximately 48.1 meters, and stands around 15.9 meters tall, with a maximum takeoff weight of 188,240 kilograms. Fuel capacity is around 212,299 pounds, or 96,297 kilograms, of which up to 94,198 kilograms can be transferred in a mission when configured for tanker operations.
Powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW4062 high-bypass turbofan engines each rated at 62,000 pounds of thrust, the KC-46A Pegasus has a maximum speed of 1,046 km/h, a typical cruise speed of about 851 km/h, and a range of roughly 11,830 kilometers without aerial refueling. The cockpit uses three large multifunction displays and supports manual hydraulic flight controls supplemented by automated systems, and incorporates a Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System configured with dual sensors and disengagement logic distinct from that used on other Boeing types. The airframe includes nuclear, chemical, and biological hardening measures, electromagnetic pulse protection, and flight deck armor to increase survivability. The crew compartment immediately behind the cockpit houses seating, bunks, a galley, a lavatory, and the boom operator station, with capacity for up to 15 personnel, supporting missions crewed by two pilots, a boom operator, and additional mission, maintenance, or medical staff as required.
The refueling system of the KC-46A consists of a fly-by-wire refueling boom, wing-mounted hose-and-drogue pods, and a centerline drogue, enabling both boom and probe-and-drogue refueling in a single sortie and providing flexibility to support varied receiver fleets across U.S. and allied services. The boom can offload fuel at approximately 1,200 gallons per minute to large receivers, while the hose-and-drogue systems provide about 400 gallons per minute, with the potential for multi-point simultaneous refueling when wing pods and centerline systems are used together. The boom is controlled from the Aerial Refueling Operator Station located behind the cockpit, using imagery from the Remote Vision System, which combines multiple camera views on large displays, including stereoscopic presentations that require special glasses during operations. This configuration allows refueling in conditions where aircraft lights are extinguished, but experience revealed depth compression and contrast issues that complicated precise control, prompting the RVS 2.0 redesign effort currently in development.
The KC-46A can also be refueled in flight, extending its endurance and enabling employment in layered tanker architectures where one tanker supports others in distant theaters. In 2024, the U.S. tanker demonstrated its endurance through a 45-hour nonstop global flight known as Project Magellan, during which a KC-46A both received and delivered fuel in flight. Beyond refueling, the KC-46A could be configured as a multi-role transport and aeromedical evacuation aircraft that uses the standard 463L pallet system to simplify loading and integration with existing Air Force logistics processes. The aircraft can then carry up to 18 pallets and about 65,000 pounds, or 29,484 kilograms, of cargo in an all-freight configuration, and can also be arranged for passenger or mixed passenger and cargo roles. In standard transport mode, the cabin can accommodate 58 passengers using palletized seating and associated galley and lavatory modules, while contingency operations can raise the passenger count to about 114 by using denser seating layouts. In an aeromedical evacuation configuration, the KC-46A can transport up to 58 patients, including 24 on litters and 34 ambulatory, supported by a typical medical crew of five composed of two flight nurses and three medical technicians.
The internal layout, seat tracks, and cargo handling system allow conversion between cargo, passenger, and medevac roles in approximately two hours, and a retractable ladder near the front landing gear provides direct ground access without external stairs. Relative to the KC-135, the KC-46A can carry about three times more pallets, twice as many passengers, and significantly more medevac patients, while also operating from shorter runways and using less ramp space than some larger widebody tankers. In U.S. service, the KC-46A has been progressively introduced across multiple bases, with McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas serving as the first main operating location and Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma designated as the primary training site for pilots and boom operators. Subsequent deliveries have equipped units at Travis Air Force Base in California, Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, among others, with additional Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units integrated through associate arrangements.
The U.S. KC-46A fleet is now approved for global deployments, including combat operations, and participates in regular rotations and exercises, surpassing 150,000 flight hours across training, operational sorties, and deployments. Usage data cited by program stakeholders indicate that KC-46As collectively offload tens of millions of pounds of fuel each year and fly hundreds of sorties per month. Comparisons with legacy fleets highlight that four KC-46A aircraft can provide a similar level of refueling capacity for the operating cost of three larger tankers, enabling more available booms within a given budget. Japan, which already operates four KC-767 tankers, has ordered six KC-46A aircraft, four of which have been delivered, and has received authorization to potentially acquire up to nine additional aircraft, which would expand its fleet if contracts are concluded.
Israel has agreed to four KC-46A aircraft, with options or planning provision for a further four, intending to replace aging tankers and support long-range operations. Italy previously considered purchasing six KC-46A aircraft, locally designated KC-767B, in a package valued at roughly €1.12 billion that would have included logistics support and the sale of existing KC-767A aircraft back to Boeing, but in 2024, Italy halted the acquisition, citing changed needs. Other countries, including Indonesia, India, Turkey, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates, have also studied the KC-46A in competition with the Airbus A330 MRTT for their tanker and transport requirements. The U.S. Air Force has signaled interest in a Tanker Production Extension Program that could add up to 75 more KC-46A aircraft beyond the original 179, potentially increasing the fleet to as many as 288 aircraft if all options are exercised.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
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Boeing has secured a $2.47 billion Lot 12 contract to build fifteen additional KC-46A Pegasus tankers for the U.S. Air Force, with deliveries planned through mid-2029.
On November 25, 2025, Boeing announced a Lot 12 order valued at $2,469,937,348 to produce 15 additional KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force, keeping the production line active through the end of the decade. With a completion planned by June 30, 2029, this award follows a similar Lot 11 contract for 15 aircraft valued at about $2.38 billion, and arrives as the Air Force evaluates additional procurement options. With Lot 12 included, there are now 183 Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tankers on contract or in service worldwide, comprising 98 delivered to the U.S. Air Force, six delivered to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, and four aircraft under contract for the Israel Air Force.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The KC-46A Pegasus is derived from the 767-2C airframe, which combines the fuselage of the 767-200ER with the wing, landing gear, cargo floor, and cargo door of the 767-300F, and the flaps and 787-style digital flight deck concept used in the 767-400ER. (Picture source: Boeing)
The Lot 12 award follows a period in early 2025 when KC-46A deliveries were temporarily halted after structural cracks were discovered in control surface components on aircraft in the final stages of assembly, prompting additional inspections and corrective action before handovers resumed. Boeing stated that the problem affected a limited number of parts, that repairs were implemented, and that aircraft were cleared for delivery once inspections confirmed the issue did not present an ongoing flight safety risk. Deliveries restarted quickly, with multiple aircraft transferred to Travis Air Force Base, increasing the local fleet and bringing the U.S. total at that time to 91 aircraft, before further deliveries lifted the figure to 98. In parallel, the KC-46A is evolving through a series of capability upgrades, including a July 2024 contract focused on communications, data connectivity, and situational awareness enhancements that aim to align the tanker with new joint networking requirements.
A key element of this modernization effort is the Remote Vision System 2.0, an extensive redesign of the refueling vision suite intended to correct depth perception and image quality issues observed with the original system, which is now expected to reach full operational readiness around 2027. The KC-46A program began in the early 2000s, when the U.S. Air Force wanted to replace its aging KC-135E Stratotankers with a more modern tanker based on the Boeing 767 airframe, initially designated the KC-767A and conceived as a mixed lease and purchase arrangement for 100 aircraft. That plan was cancelled in 2006, and the U.S. Air Force then launched the KC-X competition, during which a 2008 selection of the Airbus-based KC-45 was overturned after a protest and review, and the solicitation was reset with revised requirements. In February 2011, Boeing’s 767-based proposal was selected and designated KC-46A, under a fixed-price development contract that capped government-funded development at $4.9 billion and set an initial requirement for 179 aircraft to be delivered by the late 2020s. A government estimate placed the total acquisition cost at roughly $43 billion for development and procurement, with a program acquisition unit cost of around $287 million per aircraft.
The first 767-2C test aircraft flew in December 2014, the first fully equipped KC-46A flew in 2015, and initial operational aircraft were delivered in January 2019 after schedule slips. The tanker was then finally approved for general operational use in 2022, following a phased introduction that initially restricted some missions and receiver types. The KC-46A Pegasus is derived from the 767-2C airframe, which combines the fuselage of the 767-200ER with the wing, landing gear, cargo floor, and cargo door of the 767-300F, and the flaps and 787-style digital flight deck concept used in the 767-400ER, producing a configuration optimized for tanker and transport roles while retaining commercial production efficiencies. The aircraft measures about 50.5 meters in length, has a wingspan of approximately 48.1 meters, and stands around 15.9 meters tall, with a maximum takeoff weight of 188,240 kilograms. Fuel capacity is around 212,299 pounds, or 96,297 kilograms, of which up to 94,198 kilograms can be transferred in a mission when configured for tanker operations.
Powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW4062 high-bypass turbofan engines each rated at 62,000 pounds of thrust, the KC-46A Pegasus has a maximum speed of 1,046 km/h, a typical cruise speed of about 851 km/h, and a range of roughly 11,830 kilometers without aerial refueling. The cockpit uses three large multifunction displays and supports manual hydraulic flight controls supplemented by automated systems, and incorporates a Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System configured with dual sensors and disengagement logic distinct from that used on other Boeing types. The airframe includes nuclear, chemical, and biological hardening measures, electromagnetic pulse protection, and flight deck armor to increase survivability. The crew compartment immediately behind the cockpit houses seating, bunks, a galley, a lavatory, and the boom operator station, with capacity for up to 15 personnel, supporting missions crewed by two pilots, a boom operator, and additional mission, maintenance, or medical staff as required.
The refueling system of the KC-46A consists of a fly-by-wire refueling boom, wing-mounted hose-and-drogue pods, and a centerline drogue, enabling both boom and probe-and-drogue refueling in a single sortie and providing flexibility to support varied receiver fleets across U.S. and allied services. The boom can offload fuel at approximately 1,200 gallons per minute to large receivers, while the hose-and-drogue systems provide about 400 gallons per minute, with the potential for multi-point simultaneous refueling when wing pods and centerline systems are used together. The boom is controlled from the Aerial Refueling Operator Station located behind the cockpit, using imagery from the Remote Vision System, which combines multiple camera views on large displays, including stereoscopic presentations that require special glasses during operations. This configuration allows refueling in conditions where aircraft lights are extinguished, but experience revealed depth compression and contrast issues that complicated precise control, prompting the RVS 2.0 redesign effort currently in development.
The KC-46A can also be refueled in flight, extending its endurance and enabling employment in layered tanker architectures where one tanker supports others in distant theaters. In 2024, the U.S. tanker demonstrated its endurance through a 45-hour nonstop global flight known as Project Magellan, during which a KC-46A both received and delivered fuel in flight. Beyond refueling, the KC-46A could be configured as a multi-role transport and aeromedical evacuation aircraft that uses the standard 463L pallet system to simplify loading and integration with existing Air Force logistics processes. The aircraft can then carry up to 18 pallets and about 65,000 pounds, or 29,484 kilograms, of cargo in an all-freight configuration, and can also be arranged for passenger or mixed passenger and cargo roles. In standard transport mode, the cabin can accommodate 58 passengers using palletized seating and associated galley and lavatory modules, while contingency operations can raise the passenger count to about 114 by using denser seating layouts. In an aeromedical evacuation configuration, the KC-46A can transport up to 58 patients, including 24 on litters and 34 ambulatory, supported by a typical medical crew of five composed of two flight nurses and three medical technicians.
The internal layout, seat tracks, and cargo handling system allow conversion between cargo, passenger, and medevac roles in approximately two hours, and a retractable ladder near the front landing gear provides direct ground access without external stairs. Relative to the KC-135, the KC-46A can carry about three times more pallets, twice as many passengers, and significantly more medevac patients, while also operating from shorter runways and using less ramp space than some larger widebody tankers. In U.S. service, the KC-46A has been progressively introduced across multiple bases, with McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas serving as the first main operating location and Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma designated as the primary training site for pilots and boom operators. Subsequent deliveries have equipped units at Travis Air Force Base in California, Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, among others, with additional Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units integrated through associate arrangements.
The U.S. KC-46A fleet is now approved for global deployments, including combat operations, and participates in regular rotations and exercises, surpassing 150,000 flight hours across training, operational sorties, and deployments. Usage data cited by program stakeholders indicate that KC-46As collectively offload tens of millions of pounds of fuel each year and fly hundreds of sorties per month. Comparisons with legacy fleets highlight that four KC-46A aircraft can provide a similar level of refueling capacity for the operating cost of three larger tankers, enabling more available booms within a given budget. Japan, which already operates four KC-767 tankers, has ordered six KC-46A aircraft, four of which have been delivered, and has received authorization to potentially acquire up to nine additional aircraft, which would expand its fleet if contracts are concluded.
Israel has agreed to four KC-46A aircraft, with options or planning provision for a further four, intending to replace aging tankers and support long-range operations. Italy previously considered purchasing six KC-46A aircraft, locally designated KC-767B, in a package valued at roughly €1.12 billion that would have included logistics support and the sale of existing KC-767A aircraft back to Boeing, but in 2024, Italy halted the acquisition, citing changed needs. Other countries, including Indonesia, India, Turkey, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates, have also studied the KC-46A in competition with the Airbus A330 MRTT for their tanker and transport requirements. The U.S. Air Force has signaled interest in a Tanker Production Extension Program that could add up to 75 more KC-46A aircraft beyond the original 179, potentially increasing the fleet to as many as 288 aircraft if all options are exercised.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
