Boeing, U.S. Air Force KC-46A Tanker Completes Successful First Flight

The Boeing and U.S. Air Force team successfully completed the first flight of a KC-46A tanker aircraft today, taking off from Paine Field at 1:24 p.m. (PST) and landing four hours later at Boeing Field in Seattle.

This was the first flight of a KC-46A tanker-configured aircraft, following ongoing flights of the program’s first test aircraft, a 767-2C. During the flight, Boeing test pilots performed operational checks on engines, flight controls and environmental systems and took the tanker to a maximum altitude of 35,000 feet prior to landing.

“This first tanker flight is a key milestone for the program and we’ll now begin free air stability tests and flight controls of the boom and wing aerial refueling pods (WARPs) before conducting aerial refueling tests where the KC-46 will make contact with other military aircraft down the road,” said Col. Christopher Coombs, U.S. Air Force KC-46 System program manager.