T
HE KC 767A IS able to receive
and o oad fuel in ight and
can quickly project assets,
personnel and equipment
over great distances. For us it’s
a fundamental resource in our
military campaigns and the backbone
of Italian air power’. So says Col Antonio
Caruso, the commander of the 14°
Stormo at Pratica di Mare air base, near
Rome. Caruso speaks from experience:
with more than 3,400 ight hours under
his belt and operational experience in
Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as
quali cations on 10 di erent types from
the C-130J to the E-3A Sentry, he’s well
placed to comment.
The Aeronautica Militare (AM,
Italian Air Force) operates four Boeing
KC-767As — military tanker-transport
variants based on the commercial
767-200ER (Extended Range). The
KC-767 had troubled beginnings, with
a lengthy certi cation period. The AM’s
rst example was delivered to Pratica
di Mare on January 27, 2011, having
originally been slated for deliveryin 2005. The delay stemmed from
technical issues, including a bu et
problem following the installation of
the new underwing hose-and-drogue
refueling pods.
The KC-46 Pegasus as chosen by
the US Air Force isn’t strictly a KC-767.
The variant was originally selected by
the USAF under its KC-X competition
but then abandoned amid corruption
allegations before winning a restarted
contest. In fact, the KC-767 was only sold
to Italy and the Japan Air Self-Defense
Force. The KC-46 is based on the 767-2C
commercial freighter and is powered by
two Pratt & Whitney PW4062 engines.
Its airframe is 6.5ft (1.98m) longer than
the standard 767-200ER. Meanwhile,
the Italian KC-767s use a pair of General
Electric CF6-80C2B6F turbofans that are
each capable of generating 60,200lb
of thrust.
Despite its teething problems, Boeing
learned a lot from the KC-767. It broke
new ground in tanker technology and
helped signi cantly with the company’s
follow-on KC-46 project.‘
A fi ne study
of AM
KC-767A serial
MM62228, the
third of the
four aircraft
delivered and
assigned to
the 8° Gruppo.
Francesco
Militello Mirtohttp://www.combataircraft.net // July 2018 55
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