Travis AFB Welcomes Two New KC-46 aircraft

Jul. 28—Waiting for an airplane to taxi across a runway does not usually draw very much fanfare and excitement.

But when that plane is a KC-46 Pegasus, fresh off the factory floor at Boeing?

Well, that is clearly not your average trip across the tarmac.

So it was Friday at Travis Air Force Base's newest hanger, where quite a crowd was on hand to watch the ushering in of a new era of air mobility operations across the Pacific and beyond.

Troops, their families and community leaders from across Solano County attended the arrival ceremony to welcome the first and second of 24 KC-46s that will be stationed at Travis over the next several years, making Travis the first West Coast base to host the KC-46.

Top brass on hand made clear that they share the excitement, stressing that this investment will keep the base up to date and on the cutting edge of air mobility capability for the United States Air Force.

The ceremony began with a video introduction from U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, who could not attend the event in person, but provided remarks from Washington, D.C. Garamendi called to mind all of the work and preparation that went into bringing KC-46s to Travis over the years.

"The future is great for Travis," he said. "The future is good for America with this new element in our national security."

The facts and figures about this aircraft clearly bear out a strategic advantage for the United States, with a 415,000-pound maximum takeoff weight and increased aeromedical and airlift capabilities.

Major General Corey Martin said the improved sensors and medical capability will allow this mobility aircraft to fly much closer than previous generations of aircraft to contested skies and avoid threats.

On top of all that, the aircraft look pretty good, with silver wings glistening in the California sunshine to cheers as the crews disembarked and joined the celebration.

The KC-46 replaces the KC-10, according to Colonel Derek Salmi, Commander of the 60th Air Mobility Wing, a longstanding fixture in the hangers at Travis and a familiar sight in the skies across Solano County. And while the KC-10s won't disappear right away, the changeover will happen quickly, with the older generation set to be fully divested by the end of the 2024 fiscal year.

"Beginning today, the KC-46 stands ready to take the baton from the KC-10," Martin said.

Major General Joel Jackson flew in on one of the aircraft, saying it would be his final flight in a fixed-wing aircraft for the United States Air Force. With retirement just weeks away, Jackson said it's a fitting end to his service — 28 years ago he was one of the original KC-10 co-pilots who brought those aircraft to Travis.

Salmi said it was a great honor to be a part of the historic occasion, and thanked civic leaders for their part in the phenomenal partnership between the community and the base. Vacaville Mayor John Carli, Dixon Mayor Steve Bird, and Suisun Mayor Alma Hernandez were all in attendance, as well as a representative from Garamendi's office and Ret, Lt. General Sam Cox, a Vice President a Boeing.

The KC-46 has required cyber advances, vehicle support and air and medical evacuation primers for the base, Salmi said, as well as $230 million in construction projects.

Martin said the new aircraft have been planned for Travis for a long time, and he was excited to see what the future holds for the base.

"This is really a historic inflection point," he said.

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