Fairchild a finalist for new generation of Boeing air tankers
The KC-46A is intended to replace the United States Air Force's aging fleet ofKC-135 Stratotankers and provides vital air refueling capability for the United States Air Force. (Courtesy photo)
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Fairchild Air Force Base outside of Spokane is a finalist to receive the next generation of air-refueling tankers.
The Air Force said Thursday that Fairchild is one of five finalist bases for the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus airplanes.
They are designed as a replacement to the KC-135 Stratotankers that have flown from Fairchild since the 1950s.
The Spokesman-Review says Fairchild was passed up in 2013 for the first round of new tankers in favor of McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas.
A decision on where the new tankers will be stationed is expected at the end of this year.
The other candidates include Dover Air Force Base in Delaware; Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota; Travis Air Force Base in California; and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.