Fairchild again makes short list as KC-46A tanker site

For the second time in three years, Fairchild Air Force Base has made the shortlist of military installations the U.S. Air Force is considering as sites for its next generation of midair refuelers, the KC-46A Pegasus tankers. The KC-46A is designed as a replacement for the KC-135, which has been in service since the 1950s.

Members of Washington's congressional delegation confirmed last week that Air Force officials have named Fairchild one of five finalists for the second round of KC-46A sites. The Air Force selected McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kan. as the first location for the planes in May 2013.

"The Air Force should choose Fairchild as the preferred alternative among the remaining candidate bases because of its visionary leadership, strategic location, mission expertise and community support," 5th Congressional District Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Spokane) said in a June 23 news release. "I intend to work with my Washington state colleagues and others to continue making that case to the Air Force as vigorously as possible."

According to an Air Force news release, also making the cut are Dover Air Force Base, Dover, Delaware; Grand Forks Air Force Base, Grand Forks, N.D.; Travis Air Force Base in California and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. A decision on the second site is expected by the end of the year, with KC-46As expected to begin arriving at that installation in 2020.

Spokane County Commissioner Al French said Fairchild survived the second-round's initial selection phase even though the criteria for a second base was changed from the original used in 2013. Washington Sen. Patty Murray criticized the current process for selecting locations for the $46 billion Pegasus program because it includes installations that have less aircraft capacity than originally planned, capable of housing just 24 planes rather than the original 36 tankers.

"The Board of County Commissioners is delighted to hear that Fairchild is still in the running," French said in a news release. "If Fairchild is selected it would mean a new mission for the base and secure their future in the region."

Boeing received the contract for building the KC-46A in 2011. The 165-foot-long tanker will be capable of not only refueling fixed-wing aircraft through a modernized KC-10 refueling boom, but also through two wing-mounted aerial refueling pods.

"It is great news that Fairchild Air Force Base has been selected as a finalist," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a prepared statement. "This is an acknowledgement of Fairchild's continued future mission capacity and the result of hard work from our Congressional delegation, military, business and community leaders across the Spokane community and the state of Washington."

Selection of Fairchild as a KC-46A site has been one of the reasons local officials have opposed the Spokane Tribe Economic Project recently given the go ahead for construction across U.S. Highway 2 northeast of the base. Officials contend the project's planned casino will interfere with the base's operations, which could be a factor in denying location of the KC-46A and even closure of the base itself.

In a June 27 news release, Spokane Tribe officials said they have always sought good relations with Fairchild and the Air Force, and have worked with both parties on the development of STEP to mitigate any potential impacts it might have on the base and its mission.

"When Gov. Inslee concurred with the Interior Department's approval of STEP earlier this month, he noted Air Force officials confirmed that STEP would not interfere with current operations or impact future siting decisions," officials said. "The Tribe intends to work together with Gov. Inslee, Forward Fairchild, Spokane County, the cities of Spokane and Airway Heights, and the congressional delegation to ensure the Air Force selects Fairchild as the preferred (location) for the KC-46A."