A new training centre for the KC-46 Pegasus has been officially dedicated at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma along with the activation of the 56th Air Refueling Squadron, which will be the formal training unit for the US Air Force’s next-generation refuelling aircraft.
The integration of the KC-46 into the USAF is one of the top three aircraft modernisation programmes intended to maintain global vigilance, reach and power.
The new centre, named the Leverett Formal Training Center, will be vital to future Air Force aerial refuelling and joint service operations since it will serve as the first stop for all KC-46 aircrew members.
The 56th ARS will begin training aircrew members this autumn. KC-46 aircrew students train using pilot and boom operator simulators to conduct hands-on training before in-flight training missions.
Lt Gen Darryl Roberson, head of Air Education and Training Command, said: “This event marks an important milestone for AETC and the USAF. Safety, proficiency and the ability to make the complex seem routine were the hallmark of the Air Force’s refuelling training with Altus leading the way. Today we reach a new milestone in dedicating our newest formal training unit, the 56th ARS.”
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56th Air Refueling Squadron Air Education and Training Command Altus Air Force Base KC-46 KC-46 Pegasus Leverett Formal Training Center Lt Gen Darryl Roberson Oklahoma training centre USAF
Post written by: Domhnall MacInnes
I am a features writer for MOD DCB magazine and Defence Online and a Content Marketing Executive with BiP Solutions.
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