The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $184 million contract to Boeing to improve the communications capabilities of its KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft. According to Boeing, upgrades will include line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight communications technologies with antijamming and encryption features. The first KC-46As were delivered to the Air Force in 2019.
“This upgrade demonstrates long-term investment from Boeing and the Air Force,” said James Burgess, Boeing vice president and KC-46 program manager. “The KC-46A is built to integrate cutting-edge capabilities directly into the DNA of the aircraft as the needs of the mission evolve.”
To date, Boeing has delivered 69 KC-46A tankers to the Air Force of a contracted 128. The model, which is manufactured on Boeing’s 767 production line in Everett, Washington, was approved for global combat operations in 2022. As previously reported by AVweb, the KC-46A has struggled with a series of issues including defective cargo locks and issues with its remote-vision system and refueling boom.
