![Visitors walk past a US Air Force Boeing KC-46 Pegasus during the International Paris Air Show at the Paris–Le Bourget Airport on June 18. [Julien de Rosa/AFP]](/ssc/images/2023/07/03/42870-33k69uv-highres__1_-600_384.webp)
Boeing's KC-46A Pegasus offers a refuelling capability that enables multiple fighter jets to carry out long-range strikes while also allowing for key transport capabilities.
Boeing and its subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences on June 20 announced plans to develop new and advanced defensive capabilities for the KC-46A Pegasus and other future aerial refueling and mobility aircraft, Defence News reported.
New defensive measures would enable the Pegasus to survive in a high-end conflict, according to Boeing.
"The KC-46A already features defensive systems that are unprecedented in a tanker," said Justin Hatcher, Boeing's advanced technology director for the KC-46 programme.
![A KC-46A Pegasus prepares to land July 28, 2019, at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas. Two high-bypass turbofans power the KC-46. [US Air Force]](/ssc/images/2023/07/03/42871-plane-600_384.webp)
"We continue to evolve the KC-46 and other next-generation refueling and mobility platforms to further enhance mission versatility and survivability."
As the new defensive systems mature, the company will work with customers such as the US Air Force to see whether to include these new capabilities on the KC-46 or other platforms, and when they would be added, said the company.
Boeing pointed to the aircraft's existing defensive systems and countermeasures, such as protection against electromagnetic pulses, chemical or biological weapons, infrared countermeasures, radio frequency warnings, and armor on its flight deck.
Israel is the latest customer poised to acquire the refuelling aircraft.
The KC-46As will replace Israel's aging fleet 707 tankers, Defence News added.
Once Israel has obtained the aircraft, its air force will be able to conduct long-range bombing missions if necessary.
Boeing bills the KC-46A as the "World's most advanced multi-mission aerial refueling aircraft" on a company fact sheet. The plane is classified as an aerial refuelling and strategic military transport aircraft.
It can deliver fuel to aircraft in mid-air and "[relay] real-time data" to warplanes, evacuate injured personnel, deliver cargo and transport troops to and from battle zones.
"The KC-46A can convert between cargo, passenger and aeromedical evacuation modes in just two hours," according to Boeing.
It carries 212,299lbs (96,297kg) of fuel, which enables it to refuel 30 F-16s.
The planes that the KC-46A can refuel so far include B-52 bombers, F-15 and F-16 fighters, and F/A-18 Super Hornets.
