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    • Year
      1906
      2018
    • Length
      38 m
      59 m
    • Height
      12 m
      19 m
    • Width
      1 m
      8 m
    • Diameter
      3 m
      9 m
    • Wing area
      1 m2
      925 m2
    • Wingspan (Beam)
      38 m
      58 m
    • Wing loading
      3 kg/m2
      829 kg/m2
    • Swept
      4 m
      10 m
    • Sweep
      25 deg
      68 deg
    • Aspect ratio
      1
      26
    • Disc area
      1 m2
      460 m2
    • Main rotor diameter
      1 m
      62 m
    • Rotor number
      1 qt
      8 qt
    • Blades per rotor
      4 qt
      5 qt
    • Disc loading
      17 kg/m2
      73 kg/m2
    • Tail rotor diameter
      0 m
      5 m
    • Empty weight
      65901 kg
      98853 kg
    • Max. takeoff weight (Gross weight)
      149504 kg
      224256 kg
    • Loaded weight
      5 kg
      242500 kg
    • Crew
      2 per.
      4 per.
    • Useful load
      26 kg
      90700 kg
    • Payload
      23 kg
      122470 kg
    • Capacity passengers
      160 per.
      240 per.
    • Hardpoints
      1 qt
      2576 qt
    • Ground Speed
      96 km/h
      1500 km/h
    • Max. Speed
      732 km/h
      1098 km/h
    • Сruise Speed
      52 km/h
      3087 km/h
    • Stall Speed
      40 km/h
      258 km/h
    • Landing Speed
      68 km/h
      270 km/h
    • Minimum control speed
      24 km/h
      113 km/h
    • Never exceed speed
      107 km/h
      1050 km/h
    • Fuel Capacity
      58301 l
      87453 l
    • Fuel External
      142 l
      10025 l
    • Power/mass
      0 hp/kg
      23 hp/kg
    • Thrust/weight
      0 kN/kg
      3 kN/kg
    • Afterburning thrust
      29 kN/kg
      980 kN/kg
    • Total Power
      0 hp
      60000 hp
    • Thrust
      428 kN
      644 kN
    • Service ceiling
      9777 m
      14667 m
    • Static ceiling
      3 m
      5485 m
    • Range (Ferry range)
      9760 km
      14640 km
    • Range PTB (Ferry range)
      720 km
      10000 km
    • Сombat radius
      277 km
      7210 km
    • Endurance
      0 h
      150 h
    • Takeoff roll
      20 m
      3200 m
    • Landing roll
      20 m
      2570 m
    • Maximum glide ratio
      7
      43
    • Load factor from
      2 G
      9 G
    • Rate of climb
      1 m/min
      36000 m/min
    • Rate of sink
      36 m/min
      56 m/min
    • Time to altitude
      0 min
      105 min
    • Propellers
      1 qt
      8 qt
    • Prop diameter
      1 m
      6 m
    • Prop blade number
      1 qt
      8 qt
    • Guns
      1 qt
      18 qt
    • Bombs
      1 qt
      250 qt
    • Missiles
      1 qt
      24 qt
    • Rockets
      1 qt
      76 qt
    • Torpedoes
      1 qt
      4 qt
    • Bombs weight
      2 kg
      39000 kg
    • Rockets weight
      1 kg
      48 kg
    • Number built
      8 qt
      14 qt
    • Price
      116000000 USD
      174000000 USD

Boeing KC-767
TypeAircraft
Company

Boeing

Scheme

Low wing

Monoplane

Geometry
Length (m)
1.9
 
48.5
88.7
Height (m)
0.6
 
15.8
50.1
Wings
Wingspan (Beam) (m)
0.1
 
47.6
95
Weights
Empty weight (kg)
8
 
82,376.9
276,800
Max. takeoff weight (Gross weight) (kg)
154
 
186,880
575,000
Capacity
Crew (per.)
1
 
3
112
2 pilots, 1 boom operator
Capacity passengers (per.)
1
 
200
400
Speeds
Max. Speed (km/h)
25
 
915
28,165
Fuel
Fuel Capacity (l)
23
 
72,877
320,000
Power
Thrust (kN)
1.5
 
536
1,914
2 powerplants 268 kN each
Performance
Service ceiling (m)
0.6
 
12,222.5
161,544
Range (Ferry range) (km)
4
 
12,200
40,700
global with in flight refueling
Stat
Number built (qt)
0
 
11
43,000
Price (USD)
41.5
 
145.0 million
750.0 million
First flight 21.05.2005
In the recent history of aviation air-to-air refueling holds a special place. In fact, it is one of the few areas that are not shared by civil and military. Even now refueling remains reserved only by aircraft that has identification mark. In this small world Boeing can be named the champion of this field. In fact apart from the first steps of this technology, Seattle aircraft manufacturer always printed his mark on different tanker aircraft he developed. Starting from modified airliner, bombers, and ending in Boeing tanker of military transport, aircraft have crisscrossed the skies of the world since the end of World War II. This expertise will only grow as the manufacturer launched at the beginning of the twenty-first century a new type of device, directly derived from one of its best successes of civil aviation: the Boeing KC-767 or KC-46 Pegasus in the current American nomenclature.
Realizing that its four-engine KC-135 Stratotanker was getting obsolete, considering the emergence of new models in Europe and Russia, Boeing decided in 1999 to start the development of a new platform of tanker aircraft. After analyzing all of its aircraft, the manufacturer, of course, turned to one of his greatest successes at the time, the 767-200 jet. Furthermore at this time the US administration, headed by the President of the United States Bill Clinton, was quite positive to the acquisition of new hardware by the US Air Force to replace an aging fleet. And Boeing KC-135 tanker fitted perfectly into this vision.
A plane was taken from civilians assembly lines and sent to the military branch of Boeing. However, in the absence of control or real interest from the USAF side the future of the program wasn’t clear. This is why the Seattle manufacturer try to find potential export customers.
Many showed interest in this new machine: Australia, Italy, and Japan. The latter was the most probable customer since it was engaged in program AWACS which developed the new generation of E-767, also derived from the famous jet line. The plane received the unofficial designation Boeing KC-767.
The assembly of the first aircraft which was also used as a prototype and demonstration aircraft was planned to start in Japan and began in late 2003. Like the Stratotanker the new KC-767 was equipped with a refueling boom attached to fuselage under the tail. The fuel tanks were installed in the cabin of the plane, but with a possibility to remove them if necessary to transform the aircraft for cargo trasportation. The ultra-modern cockpit was fitted out for a pilot and a copilot, while a rear cabin allowed a flight engineer and operator to fulfill refueling. The KC-767 was intended to be refueled in flight itself. The work lasted just over a year. The first taxi test began in January 2005, a few weeks later, May 21, 2005 the first flight of the aircraft took place.
But the program suffered a serious setback in April 2004, in the middle of assembly of the first prototype. In fact at that time the Royal Australian Air Force announced its intention to order the Airbus series A330MRTT, the main competitor of Boeing KC-767. The European jet then had the advantage of flying for several months and was introduced around the world, including at Le Bourget fair.
The flight tests demonstrated the uselessness of the flight engineer, whose place was soon withdrawn. At the same time Boeing had to change the landing gear to make them compatible with the unprepared airfields. At that time the plane was officially commissioned by two air forces, those of Italy and Japan. Each was going to buy a batch of four aircraft, that allowed to perpetuate the assembly line.

It was in 2006 when the future of Boeing KC-767 became more or less clear specifically with the launch by the Pentagon and the US Air Force KC-X program for the replacement of older versions of the KC-135, that wasn’t equipped with CFM56 bypass turbojet. Two aircraft manufacturers responded to this call: Military Airbus and Boeing. The European manufacturer was allied to the American Northrop Grumman.
After many delays, including the announcement of the Airbus A330MRTT victory, the competition was revived. The results were not good for Europeans. The reason was a deeply modified version of the KC-767 series that had been designated KC-46 Pegasus by command of US air force.
The first operational Boeing KC-46 Pegasus is expected to join the US Air Force in mid-2018. One of their first home bases will be McConnell AFB Kansas. The first group of thirty-first aircraft should quickly substitute KC-135E. However with all delays in the program, when the Pegasus fully enter the service they will replace all Stratotanker without exception, including the most recent KC-135R.
Besides the KC-46 Pegasus, Boeing sold in total 12 KC-767 aircraft in four countries: Brazil, Colombia, Italy, and Japan. It should be noted that the Colombian aircraft, designated Jupiter, is a former 767 line transformed locally by Boeing team and Israeli aircraft manufacturer IAI. The other three customers use their aircraft for refueling missions and transport.
The Boeing KC-767 / KC-46 Pegasus could be a serious competitor for the European aircraft A330MRTT despite its range and smaller payload, but the Russian Illyushin Il-78 also should not be forgotten.
Anyway the new US tanker equipped with two jets looks like a plane which should be regarded this year, even if the cell of the Boeing 767 begins to acknowledge the weight of years.

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