JUNE | JULY 2023
Exclusive News From Boeing
The KC-46A — shown here in flight near Mount Rainier — operates globally for the U . S . Air Force and allies , delivering fuel , data and combat-ready multi-mission capability . ( Photo : Paul Weatherman , Boeing )
Fueling America ’ s Tanker
A partnership of Boeing employees and hundreds of suppliers from the Pacific Northwest and across the country build the KC-46A Pegasus to be the world ’ s most advanced multi-mission aerial refueler for the U . S . Air Force and allies .
The KC-46A Pegasus has charged full steam ahead since being cleared for global deployment by the U . S . Air Force Air Mobility Command in September 2022 . From a 36-hour endurance flight by the 157th Air Refueling Wing at Pease Air National Guard Base to participating in Juniper Oak — the “ largest and most significant ” joint military exercise between United States and Israeli forces , according to the Pentagon — the Pegasus continues to demonstrate the versatile advanced capabilities it brings to the force .
American made
Pat Chiesa
Communications Specialist
Watch U . S . Fly www . watchusfly . com
Pat Chiesa is a Communications Specialist for The Boeing Company . He is based in Everett , Washington .
More than 37,000 workers in communities across the United States have played a role in the tanker ’ s path to combat-proven deployment , and those same Americans — working for Boeing and more than 650 suppliers in 43 states — continue to outfit the Pegasus with next-generation capabilities to deliver fuel , cargo and passengers , aeromedical evacuation support and data connectivity to the battlespace .
From St . Petersburg , Florida to Huntington Beach , California , hundreds of small businesses supply the thousands of components needed to build the KC-46A — many of them located in the Northwest — and they take great pride in fueling the global mission for the service members who depend on them .
One such small business in western Washington , PSI Solutions , Inc ., was founded in a garage in Federal Way in 1995 to serve the test instrumentation , embedded systems and imaging system needs of Pacific Northwest aerospace manufacturers . Like Boeing itself , PSI Solutions is an industrial nexus for numerous businesses and the people they employ .
18 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS