March Air Reserve Base is the official home of the Air Force’s next generation of tanker planes, a decision expected to keep the base open for decades to come.
Officials announced this week that 12 KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling planes will be stationed at March. The planes, which serve as military gas stations in the sky, will replace the base’s aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers.
They’re estimated to arrive between 2027 and 2028, March officials said.
“Being selected to receive the KC-46 refueling aircraft is a tremendous honor for March Air Reserve Base,” Air Force Col. Bryan Bailey, commander of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing stationed at March, said in a news release.
“This advancement enhances our capabilities and reinforces our commitment to excellence in air mobility and national defense. Our team is ready to embrace this opportunity and continue supporting our nation with professionalism and efficiency.”
The Air Force in 2022 announced March was the “preferred destination” for the KC-46, over bases in Indiana and Oklahoma. That decision is now final after a round of reviews to confirm March’s suitability for the new planes.
Stationing the KC-46As at March means the Air Force has a reason to keep the base near Riverside open. Originally a World War I-era training airfield, the base trained World War II bomber pilots and housed nuclear-armed bombers during the Cold War.
March was downsized from an air force base to an air reserve base in the 1990s. That said, it still employs thousands and is a major contributor to the local economy.
The new tankers coming to March will make the base “even more strategically important with all the tension in the Pacific region with North Korea and China,” said Jamil Dada, a civil leader at the base.
“I think this kind of a $2.5 billion investment would actually solidify (the base’s) existence for several more decades.”
Requiring new personnel, buildings and equipment at the base, the planes represent “a $3 billion dollar investment” and hopefully shields the base from closure “for decades to come,” Dada added.
Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, who chairs the House of Representatives’ Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and worked with lawmakers to secure the tankers, praised the decision to station the planes at March.
“Riverside County has played a critical role in supporting our national security for more than a century, and the decision to base KC-46 tankers at March will ensure our region will continue those contributions long into the future,” Calvert said in a news release.
Tanker planes refuel fighter jets and other aircraft through hoses, extending planes’ range and time in the air.
March’s 12 KC-135s have been in service for six decades. Compared to the older tankers, the KC-46As, which are modeled after a civilian airliner, can dispense more fuel per minute and have armored cockpits to defend against threats.
