'Next Generation Of Air Tankers' To Be Based In Riverside County

MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CA — The U.S. Air Force finalized its decision to station 12 new military air tankers in Riverside County, it was announced Wednesday.

The Boeing KC-46A Pegasus aircraft will be installed at March Air Reserve Base, replacing aging Air Force Reserve Command KC-135 Stratotankers, according to the USAF.

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) serves as Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and previously spearheaded a bipartisan effort by members of the Southern California Delegation in support of March ARB being an operating base for the KC-46 tanker.

"The announcement by the Air Force confirms that March ARB will be home to the next generation of air tankers," Calvert said Thursday. "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. In addition to the tremendous impact these aircraft will have in supporting our men and women in uniform, the basing decision also means a number of new jobs are coming to our communities in support of this critical mission."

The choice of March ARB was made after conducting site surveys that assessed "factors related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support, environmental considerations and cost," according to a USAF statement that was issued in 2022 when the military branch announced March ARB was first named the "preferred location."

March ARB was one of six candidate locations for the 12 new aircraft. The others were Beale Air Force Base, California; Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana; Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Field Washington, Maryland; Niagara Falls ARB, New York; and Tinker AFB, Oklahoma.

An environmental impact analysis was required before the USAF could confirm that the aircraft would be officially stationed at March ARB.