US Air Force Picks March ARB In RivCo To Station 12 New Tankers

MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CA — The U.S. Air Force has selected March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County as its "preferred location" to station 12 new military air tankers, it was announced Monday.

Once finalized, the 12 Boeing KC-46A Pegasus aircraft will replace aging Air Force Reserve Command KC-135 Stratotankers, according to the USAF.

The choice of March ARB was made after conducting site surveys that assessed "factors related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support, environmental considerations and cost," according to a USAF statement.

"The new tankers will bring many enhanced capabilities, such as boom and drogue refueling on the same sortie, worldwide navigations and communication, cargo capacity on the entire main deck floor, receiver air refueling, improved force protection, and multi-point air refueling capability," according to the statement.

March ARB was one of six candidate locations for the 12 new aircraft. The others were Beale Air Force Base, California; Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana; Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Field Washington, Maryland; Niagara Falls ARB, New York; and Tinker AFB, Oklahoma.

An environmental impact analysis, which is expected to take place in fall 2023, is still required before the aircraft can be officially stationed at March ARB.

Grissom ARB, Indiana, and Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, are considered "reasonable alternatives" to March ARB, just in case, and will also undergo environmental impact analyses.

The first KC-46A was delivered to McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, on Jan. 25, 2019.

Riverside County Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) praised Monday's USAF update. Last year, he signed a bipartisan letter signed to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall in support of March ARB being selected as the operating base for the KC-46 tanker.

“The Air Force’s decision will ensure that March ARB’s contribution to our national security will continue with a new generation of tankers,” Calvert said Monday in a released statement. “I was proud to lead a bipartisan letter along with my Southern California House colleagues last year and advocate for March ARB as a strategic location for these essential aircraft. Our region and the Defense Department have made critical investments in and around March ARB, putting it in an excellent position to play a vital role in the defense of our country well into the future.”