Offload
300,000 lb
Cruise
Mach 0.85
Ferry
13,525 nm
Radius
3,538 nm
MTOW
606,000 lb
Receivers
Up to 3
Overview
NGAS tanker derived from the SM-940. M-wing, foam-metal structure, boom plus three hose-and-drogue points, 13,525 nm ferry range.
On 24 October 2025 Stavatti Aerospace submitted a response to the USAF Next Generation Air-Refueling System (NGAS) Airframe Request For Information (RFI). Stavatti introduced the SM-940K as our primary NGAS solution. The SM-940K is a clean-sheet-of-paper new design Aerial Refueling Tanker and transport aircraft conceived and engineered by Stavatti Aerospace Ltd. The SM-940K is a twin engine, wide-body tanker featuring a streamlined high fineness ratio fuselage, M-wings and a forward swept horizontal stabilizer. Sharing a similar configuration to the Stavatti SM-920 commercial airliner, the SM-940K is a member of the SM-940 series of aircraft.
As an Aerial Refueling Tanker, the SM-940K will have a maximum gross takeoff weight of 606,000 lbs and will carry up to 350,000 lbs of fuel including a maximum transfer fuel load of 300,000 lbs. Equipped with an aft center line fuselage retractable flying refueling boom and twin Wing Aerial Refueling Pods (WARPs), the SM-940K will be able to refuel three aircraft simultaneously through boom and/or probe-and-drogue.
With a flight crew of three and seating for up to 18 additional aircrew members, the SM-940K will be an optionally piloted aircraft designed to complete the full mission spectrum autonomously. Equipped with a comprehensive electronic warfare suite with active countermeasures including directed energy weapons for self defense against missile and drone threats, the SM-940K will feature foam metal sandwich construction enhanced for ionizing radiation protection.
Powered by two nacelle embedded Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 high bypass ratio turbofans delivering 97,000 lbs of thrust each, the SM-940 nacelle incorporates two dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles with thrust reversing. With a maximum level speed of 0.97 Mach and a ferry range of 13,525 nm the SM-940K will offer lower operating costs than either the KC-135, the KC-46A or the A330 MRTT. If selected by the USAF as the NGAS solution, the SM-940K will be produced at a Stavatti aircraft manufacturing plant in the USA and will be 100% Made in the USA.
Gallery
Authentic Stavatti imagery.
Variants
One airframe. Multiple missions.
SM-940K
NGAS Tanker
Flying boom plus up to three hose-and-drogue stations.
Data
Specifications and performance.
SM-940K Tanker
Aircraft
- Aircraft
- SM-940K aerial refueling tanker and transport
- Manufacturer
- Stavatti Aerospace Ltd
- Type
- Next generation twin engine aerial refueling and transport
- Unit flyaway cost
- $300,000,000
- First flight
- Contact Stavatti
- Availability
- Pre-Order Today to Secure Delivery Slot
- Crew
- 3 flight crew; seating for 18 additional aircrew
Dimensions
- Wingspan
- 212 ft 0 in
- Length
- 226 ft 4 in
- Height
- 59 ft 5 in
- Wing area
- 3,780 sq ft
- Cabin length
- 166 ft 0 in
- Cabin max width
- 19 ft 2 in
- Cabin max height
- 10 ft 10 in
- Cabin floor area
- 3,136 sq ft
Powerplant
- Number
- 2
- Type
- High bypass turbofan
- Model
- Trent XWB-97
- Manufacturer
- Rolls-Royce
- Max thrust (each / total)
- 97,000 / 194,000 lbs
Structure
- Airframe
- Semi-monocoque aluminum lithium foam metal sandwich
- Spars
- Three titanium sine-wave spars, wings and empennage
- High temperature regions
- Titanium metal ceramics (cermets)
Weights
- Empty
- 248,000 lbs
- Fuel capacity
- 350,000 lbs
- Max transfer fuel
- 300,000 lbs
- Useful load
- 350,000 lbs
- Max takeoff weight
- 606,000 lbs
Loadings
- Wing loading at MTOW
- 160 lbs/sq ft
- Thrust to weight at MTOW
- 0.32
- Limit load factor at MTOW
- +2.50
- Ultimate load factor at MTOW
- +3.75
Payload configurations
- Palletized passengers
- 195 (13 pallets × 15 seats)
- Medical litter patients
- 168
- 463L pallets
- 28 (108 in × 88 in)
Refueling
- Transfer fuel
- Up to 300,000 lbs
- Boom
- Aft centerline retractable flying boom
- Drogue stations
- Twin wing aerial refueling pods; up to three receivers
Performance
- Max level speed at FL350 / FL400
- 0.97 Mach
- Typical cruise at FL350 / FL400
- 0.85 Mach
- Takeoff / approach / stall
- 174 / 135 / 104 KTAS
- Max climb at SL
- 10,427 ft/min
- Service ceiling
- 50,000 ft
- Range at 0.96 Mach / FL450
- 5,753 nm
- Range at 0.95 Mach / FL450
- 6,469 nm
- Range at 0.85 Mach / FL400
- 8,148 nm
- Range at 0.80 Mach / FL300
- 8,331 nm
- Radius at 0.80 Mach / FL400, 100,000 lb offload
- 3,538 nm
- Radius at 0.80 Mach / FL400, 200,000 lb offload
- 1,694 nm
- Ferry range at 0.85 Mach / FL400
- 13,525 nm
- Takeoff over 50 ft
- 6,414 ft
- Landing over 50 ft
- 3,253 ft
Avionics & Displays
- Architecture
- Stavatti Avionics System Architecture (SASA)
- Displays
- Full panel active displays
- HUD
- Canopy Embedded Display (CED) / holographic MFD
- Flight controls
- Digital Power-By-Wire
- Navigation
- GPS/INS
- Surveillance
- ADS-B Out and In