Boeing KC-767

Updated: October 2026 – A gray Boeing 767, strikingly short, with a long tube under the tail and perhaps two small pods under the wings: if something like that comes into your viewfinder, you have caught a real rarity. The Boeing KC-767 is a tanker and transport aircraft of which only nine exist. Here you learn how to identify it, which versions there are and why it is not the same as the far more common KC-46 Pegasus.

What is the Boeing KC-767?

The KC-767 is the military tanker-transport version of the Boeing 767-200ER, the shortest fuselage variant of the 767 family with extended range. Boeing added a complete refueling system to the base aircraft: a refueling boom under the tail and, on the Italian version, additionally hoses with drogues. At the same time the aircraft remains a full-fledged transport. According to the Italian air force, a KC-767A can take up to 25 tonnes of payload – either 19 standard pallets, up to 192 passengers with baggage or a mixed configuration with around 100 passengers and ten pallets.

This dual role is the principle of modern tankers: one aircraft escorts fighters to a distant deployment site, refuels them along the way and brings maintenance personnel and spare parts at the same time. That is exactly why Italy procured the KC-767, as a replacement for its old Boeing 707s in tanker configuration.

The KC-767 is, however, a small-series aircraft. Only nine were built or converted: four for Italy, four for Japan and one for Colombia, which Israel Aerospace Industries converted from a used 767-200ER. You will find more about the manufacturer and its tanker tradition on the page about Boeing.

History: from a major US order to a small series

Originally the KC-767 was meant to become a mass product. In the early 2000s the US Air Force was looking for a successor to its oldest KC-135 Stratotankers and chose the 767 for it. The plan was a mix of purchase and lease for a total of 100 aircraft. In December 2003, however, the Pentagon halted the project after corruption allegations against a former Air Force procurement official came to light. The contract was officially terminated in January 2006.

That left the export customers: Japan chose the KC-767 in 2001 over the Airbus A310 MRTT, and the contract for four aircraft followed in 2003. Italy became the launch customer with an order in 2002. The first Italian aircraft made its first flight on May 21, 2005. Delivery took years, though: vibration problems (flutter) at the wing pods and further technical difficulties delayed the program considerably.

The United Kingdom had also eyed the KC-767 but chose the Airbus A330 MRTT in January 2004. In later competitions, too, the Airbus type, which is based on a larger base aircraft, often prevailed.

The three versions at a glance

KC-767A – Italy

The Italian air force (Aeronautica Militare) operates its four KC-767As with the 8° Gruppo of the 14° Stormo at Pratica di Mare airfield south of Rome. The first aircraft was accepted in late 2010, the ceremonial entry into service followed on May 17, 2011, and in March 2012 the fourth aircraft was operational as well. The serial numbers are MM62226 to MM62229, and the aircraft carry the codes 14-01 to 14-04 on the fuselage.

The KC-767A is the most fully equipped version. It has:

• a rigid boom under the tail for aircraft with receptacles,
• a central hose unit under the tail,
• two pods under the outer wings with hose and drogue,
• its own receptacle on the top of the fuselage, through which it can take on fuel itself in the air.

That lets it refuel both aircraft supplied by boom and those with a refueling probe. According to the Wikipedia article, the Italian tankers supported NATO operations in Afghanistan and Libya, among others. On the Italian side, Alenia Aeronautica, today part of Leonardo, took part in the development.

KC-767J – Japan

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force received its first KC-767J in February 2008 and the fourth in January 2010. The aircraft are stationed with the 404th Tactical Airlift and Tanker Squadron at Komaki Air Base near Nagoya. The airfield is shared with the civil Nagoya prefectural airport.

The KC-767J refuels only by boom – wing pods and hose systems are absent. That suits the Japanese fleet, whose fighters are refueled by boom on the US model. A sister aircraft in Japan is the Boeing E-767, an airborne early warning aircraft with a radar dome that is also based on the 767-200ER.

KC-767 MMTT “Jupiter” – Colombia

The special case: Israel Aerospace Industries converted a used 767-200ER into a Multi-Mission Tanker Transport for the Colombian air force. The aircraft, with the serial FAC 1202 and the name “Jupiter”, was tested in September 2010 and handed over in November 2010. In 2019 it took part in the US exercise Red Flag and refueled US Navy jets there. A similar project for Brazil was never carried out.

How to identify the KC-767

For identification you need three steps: base aircraft, refueling equipment, operator.

How to tell the civil 767-200 from the longer versions and from the 757 is explained in the article Telling the Boeing 757 and 767 apart. An overview of all the big tankers from the KC-135 to the A330 MRTT is offered by Identifying tanker aircraft.

KC-767 or KC-46 Pegasus?

This is the most important distinction, because the two types are often confused or even equated. In fact the KC-46 Pegasus emerged from the KC-767 concept: after the failed leasing deal, Boeing offered a revised 767 in the US Air Force’s new tanker competition and won on February 24, 2011. The result, however, is an aircraft that is new in many respects.

Feature	KC-767	KC-46 Pegasus
Basis	767-200ER	767-2C (fuselage of the 767-200ER, wing, landing gear and cargo door of the 767-300F)
Engines	2 × GE CF6-80C2	2 × Pratt & Whitney PW4062
Cockpit	classic 767 cockpit	large screens modeled on the 787
Fuel	up to around 70 t	around 96 t
Boom operator	video station up front	two stations up front with Remote Vision System
Built	9	over 100, production ongoing
Operators	Italy, Japan, Colombia	USA, Japan, Israel

From the outside the two types are hard to tell apart, because the fuselage is practically the same length. The surest help is the operator: Italy and Colombia fly only the KC-767, the US Air Force only the KC-46. It gets interesting in Japan, because both types fly there – the four KC-767Js and, since November 2021, KC-46As as well, of which Japan had ordered a total of six by the end of 2022. Here only the serial number helps.

Distinguishing it from other tankers

Future: Italy switches to Airbus

The Italian KC-767As have now been in service for well over a decade, and the airframes themselves are older still. Rome discussed the succession for a long time; at times further Boeing tankers were up for debate. Those plans were dropped, and in 2024 Italy launched a tender for six new tankers.

In the end the choice fell on the Airbus A330 MRTT: in May 2026 the order for six aircraft was announced. Delivery dates are not yet public. The KC-767A will therefore remain the Italian workhorse until the new tankers arrive – exactly how long depends on the progress of the new program. You will find more about the manufacturer of the successor on the page about Airbus.

In Japan, the KC-46A supplements the KC-767J. A retirement date for the Japanese aircraft is not known.

Where you can see the KC-767

The KC-767 is not an aircraft you catch at a scheduled-service airport by timetable. Here are the realistic chances:

Place	Chance of a catch	Why
Pratica di Mare (Italy)	high	Home base of all four KC-767As, but a military airfield
Komaki/Nagoya (Japan)	high	Home of the KC-767J, runway shared with the civil airport
NATO exercises in Europe	low to medium	Tankers accompany deployments and training flights
Airshows	low	Occasionally as an exhibit or guest
Civil airports in Germany, Austria and Switzerland	very low	At most on transport flights or stopovers

It is best to plan from the air: many military aircraft transmit ADS-B or can be tracked by multilateration. How that works and which services show military traffic is explained in Tracking military aircraft online. You will find general basics in the guide to flight tracking with ADS-B, and you can cross-check serials and units with a military database like Scramble.

If you want to take photos at the fence of a military airfield, you should know the rules – special regulations apply there in Italy as in Germany. The article Photographing military airfields: rules gives an overview. For airshows, the overview Airshows in Europe is worth a look.

Photo tips for tankers

Which gear is worthwhile for military airfields and airshows and how to tell other large military aircraft apart is shown in the article Identifying military transports. If you want to dig deeper into Italian air force history, the Museo Storico dell’Aeronautica Militare in Vigna di Valle is a good point of contact.

Conclusion

The KC-767 is a type with a big backstory and a small production run. Meant as the new standard tanker of the US Air Force, it remained an export product for Italy and Japan after the procurement scandal – plus a one-off in Colombia. Its real significance lies in the fact that the KC-46 Pegasus emerged from it. For spotters it is appealing precisely for that reason: every sighting is one of only nine possible aircraft.