The decision by the United States Air Force to sequence new KC-46A refueling tankers to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst first, before Travis AFB, is a big win that will protect thousands of New Jersey jobs, so says Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04).
“Monday’s notice that the Air Force has selected JBMDL first, in its sequencing for the delivery of KC-46A Main Operating Base 4, is a big win for the base and a monumental step that will further secure its future and thousands of NJ jobs for decades come,” said Smith, who along with Rep. Tom MacArthur (NJ-03) represents the base which overlaps the two adjacent congressional districts.
“With a world-class workforce and a top-rate performance record as the current East Coast air refueling hub, and as the only tri-service joint installation in the nation, JB-MDL has earned this next-gen refueling mission that is so critical to our national security,” he said.
Smith said the KC-46A Pegasus tankers will replace the current fleet of KC-10 Extenders at JB-MDL and will arrive in FY2021, two years earlier than the second batch in the sequence that will then go to Travis Air Force Base in FY2023, pending KC-46A delivery schedule.
“Securing this vitally important air refueling mission as early as possible not only allows the U.S. military to continue to operate across the Atlantic well into the future, but will also fortify the Joint Base and further protect it from upcoming rounds of base closures,” said Smith, Dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation who represents a large portion of the installation.
In January 2017, the Air Force chose Travis Air Force Base and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to each receive 24 new planes straight from the factory in Everett, Washington State.
“The KC-46As we are getting are cleaner and quieter that the KC-10s we have at the Joint Base now,” said Smith, noting the Boeing version was selected over an Airbus, European-made tanker. “The KC-46A is stage-four noise compliant, making it the quietest tanker ever made. It also burns 40 percent less fuel to fly than a KC-10. It’s a modern design and I’m very pleased it’s made in America. Boeing also reports that it produces less emissions than similarly sized jetliners.”
Smith also noted that the expected cost of the KC-46A has reportedly dropped 14 percent since 2014, according to news articles on a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the auditing watchdog of Congress.
Smith, who led the delegation letter urging the Air Force to designate JB-MDL in July 2016, has repeatedly stressed that the installation is the ideal location for the new tankers: it is the nation’s only tri-service joint installation; is home to over 80 mission partners that includes active duty, Reserve and Guard units; and is Air Mobility Command’s premier East Coast refueling hub that enables U.S. global reach around the world. He worked with Rep. Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02) on the House Armed Services Committee, and also wrote a letter to the new Secretary of the Air Force last month about JB-MDL.
The congressional delegation worked in coordination with the State—including the Governor, the Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, Chairwoman of the New Jersey Military Installation Growth and Development Task Force, and New Jersey National Guard Adjutant General Michael Cunniff— to acquire the new KC-46A mission, said Smith. Click here to read a letter to the Air Force from Lt. Gov. Guadagno and Gen. Cunniff.
The base’s current 32 181-foot long KC-10s debuted in 1981 are continually targeted for retirement and will now be replaced by the smaller 165-foot, KC-46As. The base also hosts eight KC-135 Stratotankers and 13 C-17 Globemaster III airlifters, and other smaller planes and helicopters.
