By JIM WALSH Staff Writer -

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is a finalist in the competition to host the next generation of Air Force air-refueling tankers, federal legislators said Thursday.

The military base is one of five sites being considered to host the KC-46 aircraft, which are expected to arrive by 2020. The planes, now in testing, eventually would replace the military’s current fleet of KC-10s.

The other finalists are Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Fairchild in Washington; Grand Forks in North Dakota and Travis in California.

Boeing plans to build 179 KC-46 aircraft for the Air Force.

If chosen, the joint base would receive “up to 36 new tankers to replace the current fleet of 32 KC-10 Extenders,” said Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. He noted the base also hosts eight KC-135 Stratotankers for the New Jersey Air National Guard.

A KC-46 (left) fuels an F-16 similar to the ones operated by the NJ National Guard, on a test mission. (Photo: USAF)

The Pentagon is expected to announce a decision late next year after officials visit the five bases, said Jeff Sagnip, a spokesman for Smith.

“This is a promising new development,” said Rep. Donald Norcross, DN. J. He said the ultimate selection of the joint base “would mean certainty for future generations of New Jerseyans, for our national security and the state’s economy.

The base, which overlaps Burlington and Ocean counties, employs about 42,000 state residents. It also supports “tens of thousands of additional jobs” elsewhere, according to Rep. Tom Mac-Arthur, R-N.J.

Both congressmen vowed to advocate for the base as members of the House Armed Services Committee.

An Air Force KC-10 similar to the ones operated at Joint Base MDL refuels a next-generation KC-46 on a test flight. A KC-135, similar to the tankers flown by the NJ Air National Guard out of Jt. Base MDL, flies in the background. (Photo: USAF)

New Jersey’s U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, both D-N.J., praised the base’s appearance on the Pentagon’s short list.

Menendez said the base “is strongly positioned from a geographic and strategic standpoint.” He and Booker also noted air refueling is “a core mission” of the South Jersey facility.

“Joint Base McGuire is one of the biggest tanker bases in the country,” noted Sagnip, the spokesman for Smith. He said the local facility, with existing infrastructure to support refueling operations, “would be a natural fit” for the new aircraft.

Sagnip also suggested the base’s current tankers could remain in operation for years, easing the impact if the new planes go elsewhere. He also suggested the joint base, if passed over initially, might receive later shipments of new tankers.

But, he added, “It’s good to let the Air Force decision-makers know the base is completely capable of taking on the new planes.”Jim Walsh: 856-486-2646; jwalsh@gannettnj.com

This article ran on Page 1 of the Courier Post in the June 24, 2016 print edition:
http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2016/06/23/joint-base-advances-tanker-competition/86295406/