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That’s good news for the base, which probably won’t be shut down because of that decision. It’s also good news for the Inland economy.
The U.S. Air Force might have done the Inland Empire a big favor last month, one that could help the region economically for years.
On Jan. 24, the Air Force announced that March Air Reserve Base in Riverside was its first choice to be home to its new tanker planes: one dozen KC-46A Pegasus tankers, which refuels jets while they’re in flight.
Made by Boeing, the KC-46A represents “the beginning of a new era in air-to-air refueling capability,” according to an Air Force statement.
The KC-46 took its first test flight in December, 2014 following nearly four years of development. The first plane was delivered to McConnell Air Force Base near Wichita, Kan. about three years ago.
The refueling planes are able to carry 15 crew members and have a wingspan of 156 feet. They’re able to provide more fuel, so the jets they’re assisting don’t have to land as often.
Those are the primary reasons the KC-46A will replace the KC-135 Stratotankers, the Air Force’s current in-flight refueling planes that are also kept at March. If all goes as planned, the KC-46A planes will begin using March in about three years.
Members of California’s Congressional delegation immediately praised the move.
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein called the decision “an incredibly important move” not only for the base but all of Riverside County.
“I’m delighted that the Air Force has chosen March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County as its preferred location to base 12 KC-46 air refueling tankers,” Feinstein said in a statement. “March Air Reserve Base is home to 12 KC-135 tankers that are set to be phased out in the coming years. Ensuring that March will be home to this aerial refueling unit is very good news for the local community as it signals a long-term commitment to the base’s future.”
Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, said the decision all but assures March Air Reserve Base will remain open indefinitely.
“The Air Force’s decision will ensure that March Air Reserve Base’s contribution to our national security will continue with a new generation of tankers,” Calvert said in a statement. “Our region and the Defense Department have made critical investments in and around March, putting it in an excellent position to play a vital role in the defense of our country well into the future.”
Technically, the decision to house the tankers at March is not final. Grissom Air Reserve Base in Indiana or Tinker Air Force Base in could still end up being home to the KC-46A tankers, depending on the results of environmental impact reports on both properties, the Air Force Times reported.
But those studies – which will examine how the tanker fleet might impact local resources, noise pollution and the natural environments surrounding both military installations – aren’t likely change anything, said Jamil Dada, board president of the March Field Air Museum.
And that means that March Air Reserve Base – a major economic driver for Riverside and San Bernardino counties – probably won’t have to worry the next time the Defense Department makes another round of base closures, a process approved by Congress known as Base Restructuring and Closing, or BRAC.
“I’ve been involved in base closures for 35 years, and I’ve never seen a base not get the [aircraft] after an announcement like that has been made,” said Dada, who also sits on the board of the Air Mobility Command Civil Leader Program, which educates civilians about living near Air Force bases.
“It doesn’t happen, and I’ve testified before three Congressional committees that were considering closing March,” Dada said.
Other factors help assure that March will likely never be shut down, according to Dada.
“Because of the weather, March is one of the few bases that can be flown in and out of 365 days a year,” Dada said. “Also, being on the west coast, it’s closer to China and North Korea, both of which are major hotspots.
“Both of those things would make closing the base difficult, but the tanker decision really makes us BRAC proof.”
Located between Riverside, Perris and Moreno Valley, March Air Reserve Base is one of the oldest air force installations in the United States. It opened in 1918 as a flight training operation.
March covers more than 2,000 acres, employs about 3,000 people, civilian and military, and was a Strategic Air Command base throughout the Cold War.
Today, March is home to the 452nd Air Mobility Wing and units from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps Reserves. The California Air National Guard and the California Army National Guard also have units there.
March has survived several closure attempts, including one in the mid-1990s. It survived, but it was downgraded from March Air Force base to reserve status.
At that time, March pumped approximately $800 million a year into the Inland Empire economy, and that figure is undoubtedly much higher today, said Inland economist John Husing.
By itself, being home to the new tanker fleet should pump about $100 million into the local economy, Husing said.
“Deciding to put those tankers at March is good news, not just for Riverside but the whole Inland Empire,” said Husing, who was part of the effort to keep March open 30 years ago. “It attracts money from outside the area, which is how you strengthen the economy.”
