Fully charged: Refuelling the Wedgetail

This photo shows a RAAF E-7A Wedgetail being refuelled in mid-air by the US Air Force’s next-generation KC-46A Pegasus. The testing, which took place in March and April in the Mojave Desert near Base Edwards, led to the refuelling between the two giant aircraft being formally certified.

First delivered in 2019, the KC-46A Pegasus is primarily used as a refueller, but it also has greater cargo and aeromedical evacuation capabilities than the ageing KC-135 Stratotanker.  The US Air Force intends to acquire a final fleet of 179 of the Boeing-made aircraft, with 89 already delivered. The RAAF, meanwhile, has a fleet of six E-7A Wedgetail aircraft at RAAF Base Edinburgh, which effectively operate as a command-and-control centre in the skies.

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