Boeing closes a contract for another 15 tanker aircraft with the US Air Force.

Published:

Nov 26, 2024 18:05 GMT

The acquisition of the KC-46 Pegasus plays an important role in the plans of the Pentagon, which is decommissioning its obsolete aircraft of this type.

The US Air Force has closed a contract with Boeing for the production of another fifteen KC-46 Pegasus tanker aircraft for an amount of 2.4 billion dollars, inform DefenseNews.

Delivery is planned to be completed by the end of June 2028. Since 2019, the North American Air Force has received 89 KC-46 Pegasus, while it plans to acquire a total of 179 units.

The publication recalls that this aircraft plays an increasingly important role for the US, which is retiring or updating its obsolete tanker aircraft models.

In October, a US squadron of KC-46 Pegasus made its first full operational deployment to the Middle East.

For years, the KC-46 Pegasus program has faced various difficulties, including cost overruns and technical glitches, resulting in billions of dollars in expenses for Boeing.

Meanwhile, the US Air Force plans to field a next-generation air tanker in the 2030s.

Aside from the fifteen Pegasus, Boeing won another $1.7 billion contract from the US Navy for seven P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft. This aircraft is already in service in the US, UK, Australia, Norway and New Zealand and has been ordered by South Korea, Germany and Canada. An estimated 170 Poseidon P-8As are currently in service worldwide.