Politics & Government
171st Refueling Wing Could Receive New Aircraft
The Air Force has named the Moon Township base a candidate to receiving the Boeing KC-46A refueling aircraft.
The 171st Refueling Wing in Moon Township has been named a candidate base to receive new Boeing KC-46A refueling aircraft, according to an Air Force statement.
Four other Air National Guard bases have also been selected as candidates to receive the KC-46A tanker, including installations in Ohio, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Kansas.
The Air Force is seeking to establish two main mobile operating bases for the aircraft—one an Air National Guard base and the other an active-duty Air Force base.
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The 171st Refueling Wing is now home to more than a dozen KC-135 tankers, which were manufactured in the 1950s. The newer KC-46A is capable of carrying more cargo and fuel than its predecessor, according to the Air Force.
Establishing the new mobile bases is the first of a three-phase effort to replace more than 400 KC-135s across the country.
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The Air National Guard base selected will receive the new aircraft in 2018, according to the Air Force statement.
Air Force officials will tour the candidate bases and begin performing an environmental impact analysis in the spring of 2013.
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