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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      A KC-46 Pegasus from the 97th Air Mobility Wing, assigned to the 56th Air Refueling Squadron, Altus Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma, refuels an F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 49th Wing, 54th Fighter Group, Holloman AFB, New Mexico, on December 7, 2020.A KC-46 Pegasus from the 97th Air Mobility Wing, assigned to the 56th Air Refueling Squadron, Altus Air Force Base, Okla., refuels an F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 49th Wing, 54th Fighter Group, Holloman AFB, N.M., Dec. 7, 2020. Two Altus AFB KC-46s and 10 Holloman AFB F-16s teamed up in the skies over New Mexico to practice air refueling operations. (U.S. Air Force by 1st Lt. Daniel Lee)
                
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AMC approves F-15, F-16 receivers as third KC-46 ICR milestonePublished Oct. 18, 2021
                    
                    
                    Headquarters Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
            **SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) --****Gen. Mike Minihan**, commander of **Air Mobility Command**, approved a third Interim Capability Release mission set for the **KC-46A Pegasus**, Oct. 13.
This ICR decision allows the KC-46 to refuel all variants of the **F-15 Eagle** and **F-16 Fighting Falcon** during **U.S. Transportation Command** tasked missions.
“The KC-46 can now support 62% of all receiver aircraft that request air refueling support from USTRANSCOM,” said **Brig. Gen. Ryan Samuelson**, AMC deputy director of Strategy, Plans, Requirements and Programs and KC-46 Cross Functional Team lead. "This step forward accelerates the critical projection and connection warfighting requirements the Pegasus brings to the joint force, even before it’s fully operational.”
This ICR allows the Pegasus aircraft and crews to accept operational taskings which would otherwise be filled by the **KC-135 Stratotanker** and **KC-10 Extender**, increasing the force’s air refueling capacity.
Despite existing restrictions and deficiencies, the KC-46 continues to demonstrate its growing operational capabilities. The Pegasus has completed more than 6,000 missions, offloading more than 35 million pounds of fuel, and making 26,000 boom and 1,500 drogue contacts since January 2019.
On July 9, the first ICR decision approved the KC-46A Pegasus to refuel aircraft using its Centerline Drogue System. The second ICR decision, which approved the KC-46 to refuel the **B-52 Stratofortress**, **C-17 Globemaster III** and other KC-46 aircraft using its boom, was made August 5.
There is no timeline associated with the overall ICR plan, which instead focuses on establishing incremental confidence measures that allow the AMC commander and other senior leaders to qualitatively and quantitatively assess achievements at ICR milestones. Crews will continue to fly training, exercise and demonstration missions until all operational confidence measures are met.LR 



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