U.S. Air Force KC-46A Pegasus tanker completes first 45-hour nonstop flight around the world

This effort demonstrated the ability to support multiple theaters of operation, coordinating with three other bases along the route to preposition tankers used to refuel the aircraft.

A U.S. Air Force KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling tanker aircraft completed the first nonstop westward circumnavigation endurance flight of its type, called Project Magellan, between June 29 and July 1, 2024. The 45-hour flight began and ended at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, after flying over the Pacific Ocean, Asia, Europe and the Atlantic Ocean. McConnell is the KC-46’s first primary operating base, with the first aircraft having been received in 2019.

A statement from Air Mobility Command (AMC) said the flight was the final maximum endurance operation (MEO) for the KC-46A, the military’s newest tanker aircraft. During the flight, the KC-46 refueled B-2 Spirit bombers, C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft, F-15E Strike Eagles and another KC-46, validating the tanker’s capabilities.

“Aerial refueling is a very specific process: you have to be in a certain place at a certain time,” said Col. Brent Toth, commander of the 22nd Operations Group. Air and Space Forces Magazine after the flight. “And we did that four times around the world without losing a second.”

By effectively extending aircraft missions, both in terms of time and crew, MEOs “enable greater reach over greater distances,” helping AMC “deploy personnel, supplies and aircraft to support initial operations and project and connect the joint force, anywhere in the world,” the statement said.

A U.S. Air Force KC-46A Pegasus completed the world’s first 45-hour nonstop around-the-world endurance flight, called Project Magellan, from June 29 to July 1, flying to and from McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas.https://t.co/SPdL7dIZDa pic.twitter.com/e57AJRSbaz

— Ryan Chan (@ryankakiuchan) July 2, 2024

The KC-46 was flown with a double crew, further emphasizing the importance of personnel and aircraft. The nine people on board included four pilots, two boom operators, two crew chiefs and a flight surgeon. The four pilots and two boom operators took turns resting at regular intervals, taking advantage of the tanker’s built-in bunk beds.

Among the pilots was Capt. Cody Donahue, executive officer of the 22nd Operations Group, who has been planning Project Magellan for months. “Maximum endurance operations are about overcoming the tyranny of distance: With a 48-hour duty day, you can literally fly around the world,” Donahue said.

Support operations everywhere, at the same time

In a conventional war scenario with peer rivals, such long-range flights would be needed to meet short-term air-to-air refueling needs in any part of the world. This capability is particularly useful for refueling U.S. and allied aircraft around multiple hot spots.

War zones rage in Europe and the Middle East, while tensions that have simmered in the Western Pacific for a decade have reached unprecedented levels. “In an era of great power competition, crews must be able to operate longer than in the past, and Project Magellan is the next step in providing AMC crews with experience in the revolutionary new construction that is the MEO,” added Captain Donahue.

The so-called “tyranny of distance” refers to the logistical and economic obstacles created by long distances, in this case those separating the American continent from the theaters where American forces are deployed. One area where this problem is particularly evident is the Pacific, where the vast gulfs separating American island bases in the second island chain and the potential maritime war zone around the SCS (South China Sea) would make it very difficult to resupply deployed forces and sustainably arm themselves for a war against China.

Air tankers are a key asset in overcoming the range problem, as AMC points out: “The foundation of rapid global mobility is fuel, delivered by air tankers.” In fact, the air tanker fleet is growing, as Boeing and the U.S. Air Force signed a $2.3 billion contract for 15 additional KC-46As in November 2023, as part of Lot 10 of current production. Global DataAccording to the “US Defense Market 2023-2028” report, the USAF currently has 75 tanker aircraft in service.

Project Magellan is also tied to McConnell Air Force Base’s “capability to explode into theater—or multiple theaters in this case,” as it required coordination with three other military bases around the world to preposition several of the wing’s tankers to refuel the KC-46 for a 45-hour flight. These included two KC-46s sent to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, a KC-135 Stratotanker to Mildenhall Air Force Base, England, and a KC-135 to the Central Command area of ​​responsibility. One of these KC-135s was deployed by the Utah Air National Guard.

The crew element

In addition to the duration of the sortie, the Air Force also conducted it with “only two base crews,” Donahue said. “Previously, three pilots could fly as an ‘augmented’ crew for 24 hours. In the future, AMC plans to have a crew of four pilots operating for up to 48 hours.”

The flight therefore came with its share of safety measures for the crew, as Capt. Jacob Heyrend, flight surgeon for the 349th Air Refueling Squadron, said, one of the goals being to “push the limits of human performance.” The crew worked with a third-party contractor made up of elite sports professionals, whose researchers have experience working with athletes, NASA and other astronauts on the ISS (International Space Station).

The contractors used tests like the Psychomotor Vigilance Test, which the crew self-administered at certain times during the sleep-wake cycle and when Heyrend asked them to. “I also conducted various ad hoc cognitive assessments like the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. I also observed the response to the task to get a global perspective of each crew member.”

The aviator recently reported on DARPA’s (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) AWARE program, which aims to develop near-infrared light-activated stimulants without side effects on mood, restful sleep, and mental health.

The flight

On June 29, the KC-46 Pegasus tanker took off from McConnell Air Force Base at approximately 4 p.m. local time, with the call sign REACH 046, and headed directly to the Pacific Ocean, where it received fuel from another KC-46 off the coast of California. The tanker then headed to Hawaii, where it refueled a C-17 training in the area.

The second leg of the flight took the KC-46 to Guam, receiving fuel en route from the two tankers prepositioned there. Although the aircraft was visible on flight tracking sites throughout the flight, the route through the Indo-Pacific was not recorded due to a lack of receivers in the area.

The next available position was over the United Arab Emirates, where the tanker was to be refueled by two KC-135 tankers, including one from McConnell, flying from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The KC-46 then rendezvoused with two F-15E Strike Eagles flying a combat sortie over Iraq, refueling them before splitting up and flying over Turkey, Eastern and Central Europe.

A @USTRANSCOM KC-46A Pegasus @22ARW executed Project Magellan, a 45-hour endurance mission around the world, including a combat aerial refueling mission @USAFCENT F-15E Strike Eagles are supporting Operation INHERENT RESOLVE in the CENTCOM region. This is the first… pic.twitter.com/zkeG6Qq6e1

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 2, 2024

RCH046 rendezvoused over the UK with two KC-135s, including one from McConnell, from RAF Mildenhall. After refuelling, the KC-46 began the return journey across the Atlantic, crossing the US border again over Michigan.

The tanker was joined by another KC-46 from McConnell and together they refueled three B-2A Spirit stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, as well as another KC-46. RCH046 finally landed at McConnell around 1 p.m. on July 1, after receiving 454,000 pounds of fuel during four refuelings from seven different tankers and offloading an undisclosed amount of fuel to support both a combat sortie and training exercises.

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