US BOEING KC-46A VERSES AIRBUS MRTT

From cargo to cockpit: A KC-46A crew's thoughts about the plane's potential tanker rival. Speaking after a fresh off a tour of a French MRTT, a KC-46A Pegasus pilot and boom operator discussed some of the pros and cons between the plane that is the basis for Lockheed's LMXT and their own Pegasus tanker.

On the ramp at June's Paris Air Show, the Airbus A330 Multi-role Tanker Transport (MRTT) and Boeing KC-46A Pegasus were just metres apart, perhaps symbolic positioning for the two contenders as the US Air Force weighs how to continue recapitalising an aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers. Though an Air Force official has said the service is leaning toward the purchase of 75 more KC-46As in the near future, defence giant Lockheed Martin is betting its LMXT refueler, based on the Airbus A330 MRTT, could grab a chunk of the work before there is a formal competition for the US Air Force's next-generation tanker.

With that potential in mind, an active-duty Pegasus aircrew was interviewed. With experience on the Boeing tanker, the crew was able to offer what they saw as pros and cons about the rival tanker when compared with their Pegasus jet. However, two caveats need to be applied. First, aircrews tend to be partial to the planes they know, so there is likely a pro-Pegasus bias in play. Second, the MRTT does not offer a perfect picture of LMXT, as that modified plane has its own requirements unique to the US Air Force. However, some aspects like cargo carrying, passenger comfort and boom operations would be largely identical and as representatives of the tanking community, the KC-46A crew's views on what matters to them were certainly interesting to hear.

Cargo capacity and creature comforts