Next stop for the KC-46: Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina.

The base, about 60 miles southeast of Raleigh, has been officially designated as the next location of the new refueling tanker, the Air Force announced on Wednesday.

Boeing, the program’s prime contractor, expects the KC-46A Pegasus to arrive at Seymour Johnson AFB in fiscal 2020, according to an Air Force news release.

Twelve KC-46As will replace the 12 KC-135 Stratotankers currently at the North Carolina base, resulting in a net increase of 53 full-time, on-base personnel, according to the news release.

The delivery of the first KC-46 refueling tanker was pushed back to spring 2018, with the service hoping to receive the first 18 fully capable aircraft by October 2018, 14 months later than originally expected, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

The following bases have also been selected as locations for the KC-46A, where the tanker will replace the legacy aircraft at each base:

  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. 
  • Travis Air Force Base, California. 
  • McConnell Air Foce Base, Kansas. 
  • Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

The timeline of when each base will start receiving the new tankers depends on the delivery schedule.

About Charlsy Panzino

Charlsy is a Reporter and Engagement Manager for Military Times. Email her at cpanzino@militarytimes.com.

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