U.S. Air Force announced today Fairchild is the top choice to be next home for squadron of KC-135s
Sen. Murray: This decision was made possible by strong support of the community
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) applauded a major announcement from the U.S. Air Force that Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane is the preferred choice to base a squadron of KC-135s, beating out MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, to be the next home to 12 aerial refueling tankers. If the aircraft were delivered today, this would bring the total number of tankers based at Fairchild to 56. The Air Force said today the decision was based on a number of criteria, including Fairchild’s ability to better support the high priority air refueling missions as well as its lower construction costs. Sen. Murray had been pushing the Air Force to consider Fairchild to house the squadron for months, and had repeatedly contacted senior Air Force officials to provide additional information on the benefits of Fairchild.
“This is a major victory for Fairchild Air Force Base and the greater Spokane community,” Senator Murray said. “Throughout this process, I have been proud to be a voice for our state to make clear to the highest levels of the Air Force that given its strategic location, its infrastructure and personnel, not to mention the strong support of the community, Fairchild was far and away the best choice for the KC-135 squadron. I commend the Air Force for making this decision official. ”
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