The US Air Force (USAF) has acquired another batch of 12 Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tankers for $1.7 billion, the US Department of Defense said. Aircraft must be delivered by April 30, 2023.
With this batch, the USAF has already closed the purchase of a total of 79 aircraft, of which 42 have already been delivered. The USAF is expected to acquire 179 KC-46 tankers by 2027 to replace the aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers, in service since the second half of the 50s.
Based on the Boeing 767, the KC-46 can carry 96 tons of fuel and is crewed by three soldiers (pilot, co-pilot and mission systems operator). The aircraft also has ballistic, chemical, nuclear and biological protection, in addition to having greater resistance against electromagnetic pulses. Pegasus has been in service with the US Air Force since 2019.
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