One of the first two Boeing KC-46 Pegasus aerial-refueling tankers inside the Boeing factory at Paine Field in Everett on Thursday. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

One of the first two Boeing KC-46 Pegasus aerial-refueling tankers inside the Boeing factory at Paine Field in Everett on Thursday. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

KC-46: Aerial gas station, troop transport, cargo carrier

As Boeing hands off the first Pegasus tankers to the Air Force, it’s easy to overlook their versatility.

EVERETT — It’s a combat-ready aerial-refueling tanker that can top off a thirsty fighter jet at night without turning on the lights, thus avoiding enemy detection.

But it’s more. The KC-46 tanker, nicknamed the Pegasus, can transport troops, haul cargo and fly out the wounded.

Besides hauling a gas station’s worth of fuel, the KC-46 can carry up to 114 passengers, or 56 patients, or 18 cargo pallets, or a combination of those, and be fully operational with just three crew members. With two Pratt & Whitney 4062 jet engines providing 62,000 pounds of thrust, it can go from cold to airborne in 10 minutes.

Boeing allowed journalists to see one of the first KC-46 aerial-refueling tankers up-close on Thursday at Paine Field before a hand-off ceremony with company and Air Force officials.

The plane on display and another nearby are the first of an expected 179 tankers to be delivered, but development of the Pegasus isn’t complete. The next step is feedback.

“We’re finally getting this into the war fighters’ hands — the operators,” said Mike Hafer, Boeing’s senior manager for KC-46 business development. “They’re going to shake it down and put it through its paces.”

The main mission of the KC-46 is refueling planes while they are airborne — to extend the range of fighters and other aircraft.

A Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tanker refuels an F-16 fighter while airborne during a test flight. (Boeing Co.)

A Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tanker refuels an F-16 fighter while airborne during a test flight. (Boeing Co.)

But Pegasus also is designed to fill those other roles, as well.

That flexibility starts with the KC-46’s platform — Boeing’s twin-engine, commercial 767 airliner. Instead of luggage, there are big fuel tanks under the floor. In the main cabin, there are accommodations for cargo pallets, modular seating and medical beds.

The Pegasus differs from a commercial 767 in many other ways, too. It is armored to withstand attack — to operate in a medium-threat environment, said Sean Martin, head of Boeing boom testing, who gave a tour of the aircraft. “It can get very close” to forward combat areas, he said.

But the plane’s 767 essence means it’s not out of place in civilian settings. The Federal Aviation Administration has certified it — a first for a military tanker.

“I was in the Air Force for 25 years,” Martin said. “A lot of the time we operate out of commercial airports with our NATO partners. FAA certification allows us to use parts from a 767 commercial airliner should the need arise.”

One of the first two KC-46 Pegasus tankers to be delivered to the U.S. Air Force is readied for a ceremony Thursday inside the main Boeing plant at Paine Field in Everett. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

One of the first two KC-46 Pegasus tankers to be delivered to the U.S. Air Force is readied for a ceremony Thursday inside the main Boeing plant at Paine Field in Everett. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

A fully equipped KC-46 will have four aerial-fueling options: a high-capacity boom on the tail, which an operator on board remotely “flies” to assist with a hookup; a lower-capacity hose that can be extended from the tail; and a refueling hose on each wing that extends from a removable pod. The KC-46 can refuel multiple fighters at once.

The refueling tail boom on the KC-46 Pegasus at a delivery event at Boeing on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019 in Everett, Wa. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)                                The tail refueling boom on the KC-46 Pegasus at a delivery event at the Boeing factory at Paine Field on Thursday. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

The refueling tail boom on the KC-46 Pegasus at a delivery event at Boeing on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019 in Everett, Wa. (Andy Bronson / The Herald) The tail refueling boom on the KC-46 Pegasus at a delivery event at the Boeing factory at Paine Field on Thursday. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

It’s the first tanker in the world that can refuel an airborne aircraft without lighting up the night sky. It employs an infrared visual system. “The aircraft is not visible outside of 500 feet to the naked eye,” Martin said.

And the tanker itself can be refueled in flight. It has a fuel-line receptacle near the nose, above the flight deck.

The KC-46 is intended to replace aging KC-135 Stratotankers, which were also based on the airframe of a Boeing commercial jet — the company’s first jetliner, the 707. The KC-135 first joined the U.S. Air Force fleet in 1957.

The Air Force began mulling a plan to replace the KC-135 more than 16 years ago. In 2011, the company secured the KC-46 contract with plans to deliver the first tanker by mid-2017. Delays ensued.

Boeing has 52 Pegasus tankers at the Everett plant in various stages of assembly, Hafer said.

Janice Podsada; jpodsada@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3097. Twitter: JanicePods.

Talk to us

More in Herald Business Journal

A man walks by Pfizer headquarters, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, in New York. Pfizer will spend about $43 billion to buy Seagen and broaden its reach into cancer treatments, the pharmaceutical giant said Monday, March 13, 2023. (AP Photo / Mark Lennihan, File)
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to acquire Bothell-based Seagen

Pfizer announced Monday it plans to acquire Seagen in an all-cash deal for $43 billion.

Lacie Marsh-Carroll stirs wax before pouring candles in her garage at her home on March 17, 2018 in Lake Stevens. (Kevin Clark / The Daily Herald)
Women business owners in Snohomish, Island counties make their mark

In honor of Women’s History Month, we spotlight three local business owners.

x
Edmonds International Women’s Day takes place Saturday

The Edmonds gathering celebrates women and diversity with this year’s theme, “EmbraceEquity.”

Owner and CEO Lacie Carroll holds a “Warr;or” candle at the Malicious Women Candle Co workspace in Snohomish, Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. The business is women run and owned. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Malicious Women Co: She turned Crock-Pot candles into a sassy venture

Lacie Marsh-Carroll is rekindling her Snohomish candle company with new designs and products.

Kelly Matthews, 36, left, Tonka, 6, center, and Nichole Matthews, 36, pose for a photo in their home in Lynnwood, Washington on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.  The twin sisters work as freelance comic book artists and illustrators. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Drawing interest: Twin sisters never gave up on making their mark

Lynnwood sisters, Kelly and Nichole Matthews, got their big break a decade ago and now draw comics full time.

Willow Mietus, 50, poses for a photo at her home in Coupeville, Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Mietus bought a former Frito-Lay truck to sell her dyed yarn out of. She calls it "The Wool Wagon." (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Wool Wagon to hit the streets of Whidbey Island

A self-described “professional yarn temptress” from Coupeville is setting up shop in a modified truck.

IonQ will open a new quantum computing manufacturing and research center at 3755 Monte Villa Parkway in Bothell. (Photo courtesy of IonQ)
Quantum computing firm IonQ to open Bothell R&D center

IonQ says quantum computing systems are key to addressing climate change, energy and transportation.

Nathanael Engen, founder of Black Forest Mushrooms, sits in the lobby of Think Tank Cowork with his 9-year-old dog, Bruce Wayne, on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, in downtown Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Growing green mushrooms in downtown Everett

The founder of Black Forest Mushrooms plans to grow gourmet mushrooms locally, reducing their carbon footprint.

Barb Lamoureux, 78, poses for a photo at her office at 1904 Wetmore Ave in Everett, Washington on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. Lamoureux, who founded Lamoureux Real Estate in 2004, is retiring after 33 years. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Barb Lamoureux, ‘North Everett’s Real Estate Agent’ retires

A longtime supporter of Housing Hope, Lamoureux helped launch the Windermere Foundation Golf Tournament.

Bothell
AGC Biologics in Bothell to produce new diabetes treatment

The contract drug manufacturer paired with drug developer Provention Bio to bring the new therapy to market.

The Walmart Store on 11400 Highway 99 on March 21, 2023 in in Everett, Washington. The retail giant will close the store on April 21, 2023. (Janice Podsada / The Herald)
Walmart announces Everett store on Highway 99 will close on April 21

The Arkansas-based retail giant said the 20-year-old Walmart location was “underperforming financially.”

Everett Memorial Stadium and Funko Field on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Drive to build new AquaSox ballpark gets $7.4M boost from state

The proposed Senate capital budget contains critical seed money for the city-led project likely to get matched by the House.