The KC-46 Is on the Cusp of Transforming U.S. Air Mobility
By Dan Gouré
September 12, 2018
Last week, the KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft passed one of its two final milestones prior to entering service with the U.S. Air Force. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the platform a supplemental type certificate. The KC-46 had previously received the FAA’s amended type certificate which addressed its basic airworthiness and performance. This second certificate addresses the aircraft’s refueling and mission avionics systems. While the Pegasus still must be granted its military type certificate, which covers specialized military functions and systems, all testing required for this certificate has been accomplished.
Now nothing stands in the way of the KC-46 entering service. This is a rather remarkable achievement for a program that only began in 2011 and which even late last year was struggling to resolve problems with parts of its refueling system. The Air Force is now scheduled to receive its first production tanker this month with the remaining 17 aircraft required under the original contract to be delivered no later than April 2019.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2018/09/12/the_kc-46_is_on_the_cusp_of_transforming_us_air_mobility_113792.html
