The Air Force on Tuesday activated its KC-46A Formal Training Unit—the 56th Air Refueling Squadron—at Altus AFB, Okla. “It’s fitting that the 56th’s Air Refueling Squadron’s new motto, ‘Novi Aut Peri,’ is ‘innovate or perish,’ a motto that perfectly describes the exciting journey ahead—a journey powered by innovation and fueled by the 56th,” Lt. Col. Daniel Ruttenber, the 56th ARS commander, said during the ceremony. The KC-46, which was approved for initial production earlier this month, will mark a “paradigm shift” in aerial refueling, Ruttenber said. A ground-breaking ceremony for a KC-46A sustainment facility at Tinker AFB, Okla., was held in July.
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.