The Boeing KC-46 Pegasus is an American military aerial refuelling and strategic military transport aircraft developed by Boeing from its 767 jet airliner.
In February 2011, the tanker was selected by the United States Air Force as the winner in the KC-X tanker competition to replace older Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers.
The first aircraft was delivered to the Air Force in January 2019.
The Air Force intends to procure 179 Pegasus aircraft by 2027.
In 2001, the U.S. Air Force began a procurement program to replace around 100 of its oldest KC-135E Stratotankers, and selected Boeing’s KC-767.
The Boeing tanker received the KC-767A designation from the United States Department of Defence in 2002 and appeared in the 2004 edition of DoD model designation report.
The USAF decided to lease 100 KC-767 tankers from Boeing.
US Senator John McCain and others criticized the draft leasing agreement as being wasteful and problematic.
In response to protests, the USAF struck a compromise in November 2003, whereby it would purchase 80 KC-767s and lease 20 more.
In December 2003, the Pentagon announced a freeze on the program over an investigation into alleged corruption that led to the jailing of one of its former procurement executives who applied to work for Boeing.
The KC-767A contract was officially cancelled by the DoD in January 2006.
