During the ceremony Brig. Gen. Donna Shipton, program executive officer for Tankers, expressed enthusiasm for the new models and highlighted the importance of the tanker mission.
“We have refuelers who today are over the skies of Afghanistan and are flying in every area of responsibility,” Shipton said. “Every single day, more than 450 [Air Force] aircraft are refueled, with an average of 150 daily sorties, and going forward we will have even more capability with the delivery of the KC-46.”
The general went on to thank the team for their efforts in supporting refueling capabilities.
Partnership was a theme throughout the event.
“It’s a great day,” said Kevin Buckley, program executive officer for Mobility. “To me these [models] are more than just symbols of airplanes, but they are symbols of success and partnership, both of which go hand-in-hand.”
Mike Gibbons, the representative from Boeing, thanked the audience for the invitation and echoed the comments about partnership.
“I love the words on partnerships because this is a partnership between tanking and the C-17 airlifting capability,” Gibbons said. “It’s a partnership between you and the service members around the world that we’re providing these great capabilities for.”
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