By Chris Thatcher | February 25, 2021 Estimated reading time 5 minutes, 29 seconds.
One of the contenders for Canada’s Strategic Tanker Transport Capability (STTC) project is now conducting limited operations for the United States Air Force (USAF).
The KC-46A Pegasus is “executing four to six missions daily” to support USAF and joint training missions, Gen Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of Air Mobility Command, said during the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium on Feb. 24.
In fact, the Boeing-built KC-46A has conducted over 650 missions since October “in all three of its mission sets, including cross-ocean aerial refueling fighter drags known as coronets, aeromedical evacuation missions, and cargo and passenger movements,” she said.
The Canadian government on Feb. 12 issued an Invitation to Qualify (ITQ) to companies with strategic airlift and air-to-air refueling options to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CC-150 Polaris. The ITQ closes on Feb. 26.
In a statement to Skies, Boeing Defense, Space & Security said the wide-body, multi-role tanker “is already certified to refuel Canadian, allied and coalition military aircraft,” and would include a “robust industry plan” guaranteeing jobs to Canadian companies. “We look forward to working with the government of Canada and engaging in [the] Strategic Tanker Transport Capability project.”
Entry to service for the militarized variant of 767 has been plagued by delays due to problems, primarily with the remote visual system used by onboard operators to steer the tanker’s refueling boom.
Van Ovost expressed “full confidence” in the ability of Boeing and the USAF to resolve that and other remaining issues, and said Air Mobility Command would adopt a “conditions-based approach” to employment of the KC-46A for Joint Force missions.
“Doing so will help relieve stress on the remainder of our tanker fleet by enabling the KC-46A to accept operational taskings from U.S. Transportation Command that would otherwise be filled by our heavily tasked KC-135s and legacy KC-10s,” she explained.
The command has been able to take this step due to experienced gained by aircrews and maintainers through the aircraft’s operational test and evaluation plan, 60 percent of which is now complete.
Among her conditions, the KC-46A will be permitted to execute operational taskings from U.S. Transportation Command similar to missions it has been conducting under the test and evaluation plan — including providing aerial refueling for F-16 fighter jets on U.S.-based training exercises, and supporting overseas transits of F-18 fighters and B-52 bombers.
However, the tanker will not be cleared to refuel stealth aircraft such as the F-35, F-22 and B-2, all of which have low-observable coatings to limit radar detection, or the A-10 Warthog due to the stiffness of the boom.
“We will not use the KC-46A for full combatant command deployments until its serious deficiencies are fixed,” Van Ovost stressed, but increasing operational use of the tanker “will not slow efforts to fix remaining deficiencies with this weapon system. . . . I remain confident that accepting the KC-46A with known deficiencies offers the fastest route to fielding a fully operational weapon system. That said, serious deficiencies and restrictions remain with the KC-46A weapon system, and Boeing is still responsible for installing Remote Visual System 2.0 and redesigning the boom telescope actuator.”
In the past week, several members of Congress, Acting Air Force Secretary John Roth and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Charles Brown received an onboard demonstration of the capability when two KC-46As refueled multiple F-15s and F-16s, as well as one another.
By moving ahead now despite lingering deficiencies, Air Mobility Command will have “an aircraft, aircrew, and system that’s fully operational and combat ready” once all issues are resolved, Van Ovost said.
