A Boeing KC-46 Pegasus refueling an F/A-18 Hornet. Photo courtesy of Boeing
The KC-46A Pegasus tanker, which Boeing is developing for the U.S. Air Force, has achieved a key milestone by finishing flight tests needed to obtain its second of two airworthiness certifications from the FAA, the company said April 26.
A KC-46 communicating with and refueling a C-17 Globemaster III transport plane marked the last in a series of flights required to achieve an STC from the FAA, the company said. Boeing will now submit the test data to the agency in hopes of obtaining the STC, which would approve the military systems that make the modified 767 jetliner a tanker.
STC flights showed that the KC-46 can refuel several kinds of aircraft, as well as receive fuel from other tankers, Boeing said. The tests also checked out the KC-46’s avionics, defensive systems and lighting.
The KC-46 received its first FAA airworthiness certification, an amended type certificate …
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