Travis lands
KC-46A Pegasus to replace KC-10s
By Ian Thompson From page A1 |
January 13, 2017
FAIRFIELD — Travis Air Force Base was one
of two installations named by Air Force officials Thursday as the
preferred locations for the next two active-duty homes for the KC-46A Pegasus
air tanker.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey
was the other base named by the Secretary of the Air Force’s office Thursday
afternoon.
Each base is expected to get 24 KC-46s some
time in 2020. The KC-46A aircraft will replace the air tankers currently
at each of those bases, according to the Air Force announcement.
Col. John Klein, 60th Air Mobility Wing
commander, called decision “great news for our installation.”
“We are excited for this enhanced
refueling capability that will allow us to continue to ‘rapidly project
American power any time . . . anywhere,’ ” Klein said in a prepared
statement.
Klein called the decision “a testament to the
unprecedented support from our community who understands Travis’ critical
role in enabling worldwide military operations.”
Local leaders also responded positively
to the announcement, which comes after years of work to secure the new air
tanker for the Fairfield base.
“It is just great, and it is great news for
Travis, the Air Force, Fairfield and all of Solano County,” Fairfield
Mayor Harry Price said.
Price praised the lobbying efforts at all
levels from recent Travis Community Consortium trips to Washington, D.C., to
efforts by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, who Price described as a
tireless supporter of the Fairfield base.
Garamendi said he could not be happier with
the decision. He said Travis’ community support, infrastructure, personnel
and geographic location “make it the ideal choice to base the KC-46A tanker.”
Garamendi said that the history of local community support for Travis has been
“extremely important” in the Air Force’s decision.
“They have a reputation as being the most
supportive,” Garamendi said of the local community.
A joint statement by Garamendi and
California U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, both Democrats,
applauded the decision to base the new KC-46A Pegasus refueling tanker at
Travis.
“Today’s announcement shows the Air Force
recognizes the base’s strategic importance and is committed to making long-term
investments so Travis Air Force Base continues to play a critical role in
protecting our nation,” the statement said.
Garamendi said that bringing KC-46s to
Travis is part of an ongoing effort to ensure that Travis gets the most
advanced technology and modern infrastructure possible.
“This decision demonstrates the Air Force’s
commitment to Travis as a base that will continue to play a crucial role in our
national defense for many decades to come,” Garamendi said. “The future of
Travis today is more secure than ever.”
Travis Community Consortium Chairwoman Sandy
Person called the announcement “fantastic news.”
“Solano County worked hard so that Travis
would be well-positioned to receive this vital new mission capability,” Person
said.
Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James
said in the initial announcement Thursday that Travis was chosen as
one of the next two bases for the KC-46 because it “met all operational
mission requirements at the best value for the Air Force and the American
taxpayer and support our tanker recapitalization strategy.”
“It is absolutely essential that we continue
investing in the next generation of tanker aircraft so we have the aircraft
necessary to maintain the nation’s global reach for years to come,” James said
in the announcement.
Fairchild Air Force Base and Grand Forks Air
Force Base will be considered as alternatives during the environmental impact
analysis process, which is required before a final basing decision is made,
according to the Air Force. Travis and McGuire will undergo that process this
year. The environmental review is expected to wrap up in early 2018.
Garamendi said it was highly unlikely
that there would be anything that would pose a problem to the KC-46s’
deployment at Travis, especially with all that has been done to protect the
base and continually improve its infrastructure.
Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma; McConnell Air
Force Base, Kansas; Pease Air National Guard Station, New Hampshire; and
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, have already been selected as
future KC-46 basing locations.
The first KC-46As are expected to begin
arriving at McConnell and Altus this fall.
The Air Force doesn’t plan to start
retiring its older air tankers until the tanker fleet reaches the
service’s 479 tanker requirement. When that happens depends on the KC-46s’
delivery schedule.
Travis and McGuire are currently home to
the KC-10 Extender. Travis itself has 24 KC-10 aircraft.
The Air Force said the KC-46 will give
the American military extended refueling capabilities, improved global
reach and enable timely joint-service response to humanitarian crises and
contingency operations around the world.
“In fact in the fight against ISIL, the Air
Force and Joint and Coalition partners depend on gas from our tankers,” Air
Force Chief of Staff David Golden said in the announcement. “In 2016, the
Coalition flew over 13,600 tanker sorties, fueling aircraft nearly 80,000
times, delivering about 800 million pounds of fuel.”
ISIL stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant. It is another name for the Islamic State group that’s operating in
large swaths of Syria and Iraq, and a portion of Libya.
Reach Ian Thompson at
427-6976 or ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ithompsondr.
