Dover Air Force Base is one of five finalists to receive a fleet of KC-46A Pegasus planes – a new generation of aerial tanker that will provide mid-air refueling to military aircraft and phase out the Air Force's old tanker fleet.
If the Dover base is chosen following a site survey by Air Mobility Command, it will get up to 36 of the new tankers by 2020.
The AMC's base visits will asses the five locations "against operational requirements, potential impacts to existing missions, housing, infrastructure and manpower," according to an Air Force news release.
Results of those studies and cost estimates for each of the bases will then be presented to senior Air Force officials, who will announce their decision before the end of 2016.
Other finalists include Travis Air Force Base in California, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota and Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington. There are roughly 70 Air Force bases located across the U.S.
Dover's base, which occupies roughly 3,900 acres southeast of Delaware's capital, employs 6,400 military personnel and 1,000 civilians. It also hosts 5,100 family members.
The total value of the base's resources amounts to roughly $5.7 billion, and its economic impact within a 50-mile radius is $466 million.
U.S. Rep. John Carney, D-Delaware, in a statement called the military personnel stationed at Dover Air Force Base "among the most qualified and prepared in the U.S. military." If chosen, he said, they will serve the new fleet well.
"I am proud of the work they do every day for our state and nation. I'm confident that, if selected, they will bring that same determination to the critical mission of retooling and improving U.S. global response preparedness," Carney said.
U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, in a statement dubbed Dover's base "a first class facility" deserving of the three dozen tankers.
"Through my many visits to Dover Air Force Base, including my first one over 40 years ago as a young naval flight officer, I have been impressed by the level of professionalism and dedication shown by the men and women of Team Dover," Carper said.
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, in a statement said he was "delighted" Dover was selected as a finalist to host the aircraft, as the base has the ability to counter various security situations around the world.
"Dover has the community support, infrastructure, housing, strategic location, and workforce necessary to successfully support the vital mission of the KC-46s in the decades to come," Coons said.
The military contracted with The Boeing Co. in 2011 to build 179 of the tankers, and the aircraft first successfully took flight in September 2015. The KC-46As have a wingspan of 157 feet and a fuel capacity of roughly 212,000 pounds, as well as the capability to fuel two planes simultaneously.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III in a statement said the KC-46A fleet will suffer less maintenance downtime than previous tankers and allow the military to respond more rapidly to humanitarian crises.
"Bringing the KC-46A online is a critical first step in recapitalizing a tanker fleet that has been at the heart of global response for more than five decades," Welsh said.
Contact Quint Forgey at bforgey@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @QuintForgey.
