Pegasus To Pease

The Air Force announced today that it has finalized its selection of Pease Air National Guard Base, NH, as the Guard's KC-46A main operating base.

The base was chosen last May as the preferred main operating base within the Guard, and the service has since been working to complete the environmental analysis that is required to make that decision final. The site was chosen, at least in part, because of its existing active-duty association and its location in a region where air refueling is in high demand.

The first KC-46 Pegasus will arrive at Pease ANGB in 2018.

"The KC-46A Pegasus aerial tanker remains one of our top acquisition priorities. Making a final basing decision is an important step in recapitalizing the tanker fleet," Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said in a statement today. "We will begin to replace our aging tanker fleet in 2016, but even when the program is complete in 2028 we will have replaced less than half of the current tanker fleet and will still be flying over 200 half-century-old KC-135s."

Altus Air Force Base, OK, has been selected as the home of the Pegasus' formal training unit and McConnell Air Force Base, KS, will serve as the main operating base.