KC-46 Crews Set AMC Endurance Record in 36-Hour Flight as Air Force Looks to Expand Use
Nov. 21, 2022 | By Chris Gordon
A KC-46A Pegasus flew a 36-hour nonstop mission that covered more than 16,000 miles from Nov. 16 to Nov. 17, the Air Force announced. Crews traveled from Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H., over North America, Hawaii, and Guam, before retracing their path and landing back at their home base. The flight was the longest Air Mobility Command mission to date.
“This extended mission is yet another example of capable Airmen taking charge and moving out to accelerate our employment of the KC-46A,” Gen. Mike Minihan, the head of Air Mobility Command (AMC), said in a statement.
The aircraft took off from a snow-covered base in New England and refueled the F-22 Raptors over sun-splashed light blue waters in the Pacific. A six-minute video captures scenes from the mission.
AMC has pushed to prove the capabilities of its approximately 40 KC-46s in 2022. In May, the aircraft flew over 24 hours in non-stop sortie. In September, the aircraft was cleared for worldwide combat operations. A KC-46 recently flew without a co-pilot to test operations with a bare-bones crew. Minihan has said he plans to employ AMC’s fleet in new ways.
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/kc-46-sets-amc-endurance-record-in-36-hour-flight-as-air-force-looks-to-expand-use/
