Joint Base Welcomes New KC-46 Refueling Tankers: See The Ceremony

JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ — Just under five years after the Defense Department announced it would be sending its new KC-46A refueling tankers to be housed in New Jersey, the new aircraft have arrived at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

The arrival of the new aircraft was celebrated Tuesday in a ceremony broadcast live on the Joint Base's Facebook page as a historic moment for the base, one that will ensure the base's existence for years to come.

It was flown in from Boeing's plant in Seattle on Tuesday for its official start of service at the Joint Base, which is a critical piece of the economy in the South Jersey area, supporting thousands of local jobs.

The base hosts the 87th Air Base Wing, the 305th Air Mobility Wing, and associate organizations including the USAF Expeditionary Center, 621st Contingency Response Wing, 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, 108th Air Refueling Wing and the 514th Air Mobility Wing.

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"We are extremely excited to welcome the KC-46 to the Joint Base," U.S. Air Force Col. Scott M. Wiederholt, commander of the 305th Air Mobility Wing. The Joint Base will house 24 KC-46s.

"This is a testament to your leadership," Sen. Robert Menendez said of the arrival of aircraft. "It strengthens our national security."

"The strategic value of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst has never been higher," he said.

"We have been waiting for this day for a very long time," said U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, who represents the 3rd District, which is home to the base. "The partnership we have between this community and this base has been a joy and a privilege to serve during my time."

"This day is marking a new era for this joint base, and a new era for Burlington County and Ocean County," he said.

Congress approved $2.3 billion in funding for KC-46A tankers and the hangars to house them in September 2018.

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey's 4th District, who also supported the efforts to bring the KC-46 to the base, noted the role that former Rep. James Saxton played in keeping the Joint Base in New Jersey in the first place.

"In 1993, McGuire was about to BRACed," Smith said, referring the first round of the Base Relocation and Closure Act, which shuttered military installations around the United States. "Saxton took the lead to save this base. We wouldn't be here today without the work of Jim in 1993."

Also in attendance were U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross of New Jersey's 1st District, Saxton, and Robert McGuire.

Boeing designed the KC-46A to carry passengers, cargo and patients. The aircraft can detect, avoid, defeat and survive threats using multiple layers of protection, which will enable it to operate safely in medium-threat environments, the Defense Department said when it announced the award of the aircraft to the Joint Base. The arrival of the new tankers means the Air Force will be retiring the KC-10s that were outdated and expensive planes.

The 305th Air Mobility Wing is the Joint Base's main active duty Air Force component, specializing in global mobility and aerial refueling. It supports the delivery of cargo and personnel to combatant commanders abroad, and the 514th Air Mobility.

Watch the ceremony below.

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