WASHINGTON, DC and TAMPA -- The Air Force has selected MacDill Air Force Base, right next to Tampa, as the place it wants to host the sixth main base of KC-46A Pegasus refueling aircraft.
The USAF says it conducted site surveys and used factors related to mission, infrastructure, environmental considerations and cost, as well as community support.
Tampa congresswoman Kathy Castor pointed to community support as a prime factor in the Air Force's decision. "There is no other community that values (the armed services) as much," she said.
Castor has led a decade-long campaign, "MacDill Means Mobility," to ensure that the base would continue to host fuel tankers. "We understand this is one of the premiere economic engines in addition to being central to America's national security," she said.
Two dozen KC-46A's will replace the KC-135s currently housed at MacDill. The KC-135 has been in service since the Eisenhower administration.
The final decision is subject to an environmental impact analysis set for the fall of 2023. The proposed alternative site, Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington, will also undergo the same analysis.
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