NEWS

First KC-46A tankers to arrive at Pease

Refueling planes replace Eisenhower-era KC-135 Stratotankers

Staff report news@seacoastonline.com
The first two of the new KC-46A Pegasus refueling tankers are scheduled to arrive at Pease Air National Guard Base on Thursday, Aug. 8. [Boeing photo]

NEWINGTON — Two KC-46 air refueling tankers are scheduled to arrive at Pease Air National Guard Base Thursday, Aug. 8 at 4 p.m.

The arrival flight crew on the first tanker will include Capt. Leon Rice, a pilot assigned to 157th Air Refueling Wing, and his father, Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice, director of the Air National Guard. Distinguished guests welcoming the aircraft delivery include U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan and U.S. Rep. Ann Kuster.

Pease was selected as the first National Guard Base to receive the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus planes, which are replacing the fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers — an Eisenhower administration-era aircraft. McConnell Air Force Base, in Wichita, Kansas, received the first two KC-46As in late January.

The last KC-135 departed the Pease base this past March. The 157th Air Refueling Wing had eight KC-135s prior to their departure. The 62-year-old plane is the oldest flying aircraft in all of the Air Force, Reserves and Guard, Col. Paul Loiselle, KC-46A program chief for Pease, previously said.

According to the Air National Guard in March, Pease will get three planes per month for four months, for a total complement of 12.

The KC-46A is larger than the KC-135 with a wingspan of 157 feet, 8 inches. It is 165 feet, 6 inches long and 52 feet, 10 inches tall. The KC-135′s wingspan is 130 feet, 10 inches. It is 136 feet, 3 inches long and 41 feet, 8 inches tall.

According to the Air Force, the KC-46A will be able to refuel any fixed-wing plane, foreign or domestic made. It also has more capabilities than the KC-135s. A deck above the Pegasus's refueling system can accommodate a mix of passengers, including patients and cargo.

Simulator training will start in February or March, according to past reports by the Air National Guard.

A building at the base was renovated to accommodate simulators pilots will use to train to fly the plane and boom operators to train on the RVS. Loiselle previously said simulator training is so real there is likely to be fewer training missions and fewer touch-and-go practice runs since crews can maintain what he called “currency” on the simulators.

Col. John Pogorek, wing commander, has said the average of four sorties per day with the current craft could drop to an average of two a day. He noted the KC-46A engine is 30% quieter than the KC-135.

Improvements also had to be made to maintenance hangars, fuel lines and the ramp where the planes are kept to accommodate the larger aircraft.

Loiselle estimates improvements to infrastructure, which will continue after the KC-46As arrive, will total about $115 million. Staffing will increase by 27 active duty military members, 19 full-time and 53 part-time guardsmen.

 A formal welcome ceremony for the new planes is slated for next year. Thursday’s event is closed to the general public.