As a crucial strategic connection in the world’s Air Mobility Command, Bangalore Air National Guard Base is a contender in the highly competitive choice of a major working base for a$ 1.3 billion ships of air refueling ships.
Located at , Bangor International Airport, the , Maine , center is one of seven winners in a location review approach that initially considered 15 foundations, according to , U. S.  , Sens.  , Susan Collins , and , Angus King.
If the , Bangor , foundation is chosen, the 101st Air Refueling Wing of the , Maine Air National Guard , may get eight , Boeing , KC-46A Pegasus heat refueling ships to change its aging fleet of 10 , Boeing , KC-135 Stratotankers.
” The men and women of the 101st Air Refueling Wing have consistently demonstrated quality in the air fuel mission”, said Col.  , Byron Newell, system chief, in a speech.
In addition to , Bangor ‘s , important tactical location, Newell said it makes sense to keep the nation’s most attached and worthy air refueling programs based in , Maine , to ensure a solid homeland security and powerful strategic punishment.
According to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, weather fuel tankers move fuel between two aircraft while they are in flight. A long wooden surge that connects a tanker to aircraft allows them to travel long distances without landing, allowing them to transfer fuel midair.
The Stratotanker entered support in 1957 as the first jet-powered fuel ship. Manufactured through 1965, many have been flying for over 60 years.
In service since 2019, the Pegasus is on track to change about one-third of the , Air Force ‘s , aging fuel cargo ships, comprised mainly of Stratotankers, according to the , U. S.  , Government Accountability Office.
Each Pegasus costs$ 160 million to$ 170 million. It is equipped with protective devices for operations in disputed regions and has improved refueling capability, performance, goods and medical capabilities.
Maj.  , Gen. Duke Pirak, acting chairman of the , Air National Guard, informed the , Maine , lawmakers last week that the , Bangor , center was among the seven winners, along with foundations in , Alabama,  , Kansas,  , Mississippi,  , Tennessee,  , Ohio , and , Illinois.
Collins hosted Air Force Secretary , Frank Kendall , in June on his first engaged visit to the 101st Air Refueling Wing, also known as the MAINEiacs.  , Bangor , and the other contenders will be subject to additional attention and site sessions.
Collins, a Republican who is ranking member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said , Bangor ‘s , choice as a winner is a testament to the MAINEiacs ‘ worldwide reputation for passion in accomplishing the refueling goal.
She called the , Bangor , unit” the gold standard of a refueling wing” and noted that she has” such pride in the Mainers who have been faithfully performing this mission”.
King, an independent who is a member of the , Senate Armed Services Committee, said there is no more strategic air refueling wing than the , Bangor , unit.
Receiving new Pegasus tankers would ensure” Maine , remains at the forefront of contributing to our national defense”, King said. ” I’m proud to advocate on behalf of these brave men and women who work to defend our freedoms,” says one of our state’s greatest success stories.
By the end of the summer, a final decision will be made regarding the selection of a main operating base for the Pegasus fleet, pending environmental reviews. 2030 would be the year the first aircraft would arrive at the chosen location.
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( c ) 2024 the Portland Press Herald
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