tanker aircaft

USAF awards Startup JetZero contract to build blended wing body prototype aircraft for flight testing by 2027

USAF awards Startup JetZero contract to build blended wing body prototype aircraft for flight testing by 2027

With a design that differs from a traditional tube-and-wing aircraft, the blended wing body blends the aircraft body into its… Read More

1 month ago

US Navy A-7E Corsair II tanker pilot explains why air refueling at night is a challenge for a single-piloted tanker aircraft

‘When I was flying an A-7E configured with a buddy store tanking pod, the lowest I would go to catch… Read More

7 months ago

KC-135 pilot explains how he and his crew safely landed a Stratotanker after it experienced a fire in the cargo compartment while Flying 200+ miles west of Hawaii

“Looking into the cargo compartment through the open cockpit door, one Crew Chief with a fire bottle between his knees,… Read More

8 months ago

‘USAF needs Stealth Tankers to Survive Chinese Missiles,’ Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall Says

Secretary Frank Kendall recently said that given China’s growing reach with precision missiles, the USAF must shift away from traditional… Read More

8 months ago

KC-46A Pegasus flies 36-hour, non-stop record-breaking endurance sortie, Air Mobility Command’s longest mission to date

A KC-46A Pegasus a 36-hour non-stop endurance mission covering 16,000 miles, on Nov. 16-17, 2022 Air Mobility Command’s longest mission… Read More

10 months ago

Two KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft have set a new endurance mission record of 72 hours demonstrating multi-day tanker mission generation capabilities

The previous record for a KC-135 Stratotanker endurance mission was 40 hours. Two KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft simultaneously conducted 72-hour single-aircraft… Read More

12 months ago

During the Vietnam War a fully loaded USAF F-4 Phantom II went inverted on a tanker at night in a thunderstorm

The flight of three F-4 Phantom II fighter jets and the tanker continued banking around the storms while refueling when… Read More

12 months ago

L3Harris and Embraer to develop new Agile Tanker based upon KC-390 Millennium airlifter to support USAF operational imperatives

The companies signed an agreement to expand the capabilities of Embraer’s KC-390 Millennium tactical tanker aircraft. L3Harris and Embraer announced… Read More

1 year ago

Video shows KC-46 Pegasus Tanker making emergency landing with refueling boom out (With Congressional Staffers Onboard)

A KC-46 crew from the 157th Air Refueling Wing had to declare in-flight emergency during a New Hampshire National Guard… Read More

1 year ago

New Hampshire Air Guard performs KC-46 super sortie to test critical Pegasus operating systems

On a Wednesday in early August, Airmen from the 157th Air Refueling Wing took off from Pease Air National Guard… Read More

1 year ago

KC-46A Pegasus Tanker Approved to Refuel 97% of Joint Force Receivers

In the last 12 months, the KC-46A Pegasus tanker demonstrated growing operational capacity at a swift pace, despite restrictions and… Read More

1 year ago

Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tanker flies a 24.2-hour sortie completing the longest flight in Air Mobility Command’s history

The KC-46 is Air Mobility Command’s newest aerial refueling platform, and now after completing the 24-hour flight, holds AMC’s record… Read More

1 year ago

Use of KC-46A Centerline Drogue System approved as first Pegasus Interim Capability Release milestone to meet joint force air refueling requirements

This decision provides more daily “taskable” operational capabilities to the joint team and increases capacity for tanker fleet requirements. Air… Read More

2 years ago

USAF seeks companies able to provide commercial derivative tanker aircraft to supplement its tanker aircraft fleet at the end of KC-46A production

The KC-135 will be 70 years old when the Air Force expects to receive its last KC-46 delivery in 2029,… Read More

2 years ago

KC-46 can’t refuel the A-10 and some variants of the C-130 because USAF Did Not Effectively Oversee Development of its Refueling Boom

Results of tests conducted in 2018 showed the boom was problematic when the company tried to test full functionality of… Read More

2 years ago

A Japanese KC-46 tanker becomes the first Pegasus for an international customer to complete successful first flight

Japan is the KC-46 program’s first international customer and is scheduled to receive its first jet this year. The first… Read More

3 years ago

The Incredible Story of the F-4 Phantom that went inverted on a tanker

“Flying upside down underneath a tanker while in a thunderstorm on instruments with a full fuel and bomb load was… Read More

3 years ago