The first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker for Japan made its maiden flight from the company’s Everett production facility in Seattle, Washington, on 8 February.
The first Boeing KC-46A tanker destined for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force took to the skies on its maiden flight on 8 February. (Boeing)
With this milestone passed, the aircraft will now go through certification ahead of delivery to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) later this year.
The JASDF is to receive four KC-46A tankers, with the type having been selected under its KC-X aerial refuelling competition to augment the service’s current fleet of four Boeing KC-767J platforms in October 2015. The total value of the procurement expected to be USD1.9 billion.
The KC-46A is a 767-2C provisioned freighter with a 767-400 flight deck that features the Rockwell Collins large-format displays of the 787 airliner. The KC-46A has a minimum crew of three comprising a pilot, a co-pilot, and a mission system operator/officer. It can carry 96 tonnes of fuel, although it should be noted that the KC-46A loses much of its underfloor cargo space with auxiliary tanks in doing so.
Boeing has highlighted the almost tactical nature of its aircraft, with it being deployed ‘closer to the fight’ to better support expeditionary operations; being fitted with ballistic armour in the cockpit, passenger cabin, and fuel tanks; electro-magnetic pulse hardening; and nuclear, biological, and chemical protection.
According to company figures, the take-off run of the KC-46A’s baseline 767-200ER platform with PW4062 engines at maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is stated to be 2,439 m, its maximum speed is close to Mach 0.9, and its range is billed at 12,200 km.
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