The first U.S. Air National Guard unit has received Boeing KC-46 Pegasus air-refueling tanker, according to a recent service news release.
The KC-46 is a military aerial refueling and transport aircraft designed to replace the current KC-135 Stratotanker. The aircraft is capable of carrying 212,299 pounds of fuel and 61,000 pounds of cargo, 10 percent more than the KC-135 can hold.
Early last month, members of the 931st Operations Group, consisting of members from the 924th Air Refueling Squadron and 18th Air Refueling Squadron, two of the Reserve flying squadrons at McConnell dedicated to the KC-46A Pegasus, delivered the first two KC-46s to the Airmen of the 157th Air Refueling Wing at Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H.
The 157 ARW is the first Air National Guard Unit to receive the new refueler.
Pease was selected as the first National Guard Base to receive the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus planes, which are replacing the fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers — an Eisenhower administration-era aircraft.
Notably, 157th ARW has sent off their last KC-135 aircraft, the oldest tanker in the U.S. Air Force inventory, to the 161st ARW in Phoenix, during a ceremony held at Pease Air National Guard Base, on March 24, 2019.