The US Air Force’s (USAF) 22nd Logistics Readiness Squadron Airmen have started the maintenance equipment review process for the KC-46A Pegasus.
The Squadron is now processing the items at the McConnell Air Force Base (AFB) in Kansas rather than having the equipment ship from the manufacturer to the Defense Contract Management Agency in Seattle, Washington, saving both time and money for the USAF.
22nd LRS material management flight superintendent senior master sergeant Clinton Stone said: "This is a lot smoother, and it’s now a one-stop shop.
"The same hands inspect and process it, and communication is better because we’re all used to working together already."
The processing team inspects each piece of equipment as they arrive at McConnell to make sure that it is in good condition, defect-free and in the proper quantity.
The items will run through the DCMA system before being inputted into the 22nd LRS internal system and eventually communicating with the 22nd Maintenance Squadron for final acceptance and delivery.
In another development, the USAF has selected Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina as the preferred alternative for the first Reserve-led KC-46A Pegasus main operating base.
Air Force secretary Deborah Lee James said: "It is absolutely critical that we replace our aging tanker fleet with the KC-46A Pegasus aerial tanker.
"I am pleased to announce Seymour Johnson AFB as the first reserve-led location because it is a testament to the Air Force’s commitment to the total force."
James also added that the 179 planned KC-46A aircraft are just the first phase of a three-phase effort to replace the aging tanker fleet.
In September, the USAF successfully completed the first flight of a KC-46A Pegasus tanker (EMD-2) at Paine Field in Everett, Washington.
The USAF’s KC-46A is a multirole tanker that can refuel all allied and coalition military aircraft compatible with international aerial refuelling procedures in addition to the transportation of passengers, cargo and patients.
Image: KC-46A Pegasus completed the first flight in September at Paine Field in Everett. Photo: courtesy of US Air Force photo / Ethan Wagner.
