A little over two years ago, Simple Flying took a look at Airbus' modified A330-200 variant designed to serve as a military support aircraft - otherwise known as the A330 MRTT. Today, we'll examine Boeing's answer to this product: The modified 767-200 designated as the KC-46 Pegasus.

Aircraft mission and capabilities

Like the A330 MRTT, the KC-46 Pegasus was also designed to be a multi-role tanker and transport aircraft. As is fairly obvious in the description, the aircraft is capable of transporting passengers and freight, but is also capable of refueling in mid-air.

Built to meet the requirements of the US Air Force and its allies, this tanker-transport has a number of stand-out features that set it apart from the commercial passenger version of the Boeing 767-200ER:

• According to Air & Space Magazine, the jet incorporates the 787’s state-of-the-art cockpit
• Nuclear, chemical and biological hardening and flight deck armor provide added protection.
• A "Military Data Network", which allows the KC-46 to act as a secure interface between the on-ground Air Operations Center and airborne aircraft operating in its vicinity,
• The capability of multi-point simultaneous aerial refueling.
• A medevac configuration allows for 54 patients with patient support pallets (24 Litter / 30 Ambulatory)
• Seat tracks and an onboard cargo handling system to simultaneously carry palletized cargo and passenger seats in a variety of combinations.
  • A maximum cargo configuration can accommodate 18 463L cargo pallets.
  • For passengers, the jet is FAA-certified for 58 passengers, or 114 for contingency operations

Boeing notes that 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..."

Photo:  Masahiro TAKAGI via Wikimedia Commons

According to data from Boeing, 69 airframes have been delivered. The largest customer, the United States, has 67, while Japan operates two. The Israeli military has ordered four, but these have yet to be delivered, while Japan has ordered an additional two for its forces.

Developmental issues

According to various media sources, KC-46 has had its fair share of issues. Air Force Times notes that the program has had to work through "buggy navigation software, water-draining tubes that freeze and crack, malfunctioning cargo restraints and faulty emergency exit door trim."

One of the more notable issues arose in 2018, when the US Air Force reported that the jet had a major problem with "a critical system that provides imagery to boom operators during the refueling process." Boeing said that a software fix was all that was required - something that would be available within months. However, Air Force officials strongly (and publicly disagreed). The Air Force was proven correct as the issue was more severe and complicated than Boeing's initial estimate. It was only in December 2022 that the KC-46′s redesigned vision system, the "RVS 2.0" was announced. Despite this breakthrough, supply chain issues mean that this new system won't be seeing service until at least October 2025.

Photo: 航空自衛隊 via Wikimedia Commons

In September 2022, the US Air Force officially approved the KC-46A Pegasus for worldwide deployments to "meet combatant command taskings". The declaration came after the KC-46 successfully refueled two F-15E Strike Eagles in the skies above Qatar.

What are your thoughts on the KC-46? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Sources: Boeing, US Air Force, Air & Space Magazine, Defense News, Air Force Times, Breaking Defense