Boeing has announced the first JASDF (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) KC-46A Tanker has completed its first refuelling flight.
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Press Release, Everett, 16 August 2021: The first Boeing KC-46A tanker built for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) recently refuelled another KC-46A aircraft in the skies over Washington state. The Japan-bound tanker also successfully received fuel in return.
“Refuelling with the first Japan KC-46A is an important milestone for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force,” said Jamie Burgess, KC-46 programme manager. “KC-46A is the world’s most advanced air refuelling aircraft and has already transferred more than 42 million gallons of fuel to other aircraft globally through its boom and drogue systems.”
[© Boeing: Kevin Flynn]
Japan is the KC-46 programme’s first non-US customer and is scheduled to receive its first aircraft this year.
“State-of-the-art refuelling makes the KC-46A a stand-out, but this tanker goes well beyond that,” said Will Shaffer, president of Boeing Japan. “The ability to carry cargo and passengers while maintaining tactical situational awareness makes the aircraft a critical tool in the security alliance between the US and Japan.”
The Japan KC-46A is capable of refuelling US Air Force, US Navy, US Marine Corps and JASDF aircraft.
The US Air Force awarded Boeing a contract for the JASDF’s first KC-46A tanker in December 2017. The agreement was completed through the Foreign Military Sale process between the US government and Japan. A second Japan tanker is already in production.
Boeing is assembling the KC-46A aircraft for both the US Air Force and Japan on its 767 production line in Everett, Washington. Boeing’s Japanese partners produce 16% of the KC-46A airframe structure.
