The US Air Force (USAF) has accepted its 100th KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft from Boeing.
Air Mobility Command (AMC) confirmed the delivery on 3 December, noting the milestone jet was turned over at the same time as the USAF’s 99th KC-46A.
The 100th KC-46A was flown from Boeing’s delivery centre in Everett, Washington to Travis AFB in California by AMC commander General Johnny Lamontagne.
AMC manages the USAF’s fleet of aerial refuellers, including the KC-46A and Boeing KC-135, in addition to all the service’s transport aircraft.
Lamontagne says expanding the KC-46A fleet strengthens the USAF’s global reach and readiness.
“The Pegasus represents a key chapter in air mobility, one built on innovation and unwavering commitment to the mission,” the four-star general says.
Boeing in November scored a $2.4 billion contract from the USAF for Lot 12 of KC-46A production, covering 15 of the 767-based jets.
The airframer has 183 KC-46As on contract worldwide, including for the USA, Israel and Japan.
That number is expected to rise significantly because the USAF approved a new acquisition strategy in July that calls for increasing its total potential fleet to 263 aircraft from the previous level of 179.
The first frontline KC-46A was delivered to the USAF in 2019 and completed its first combat mission in 2022.
Since then, the air force says the type has provided aerial refuelling support to “several major operations”, including the Operation Midnight Hammer strikes on Iranian nuclear weapons development sites in June.
That mission included more than 125 combat aircraft, including the largest-ever sortie of Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bombers, with more than half of that fleet participating in either the strike or simultaneous deception flights.
