Altus Air Force Base continues preparations for KC-46

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Megan E. Acs
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Construction is still under way on Altus Air Force base in preparation for the arrival of the U.S. Air Force KC-46 Pegasus refueling aircraft.

The projects include the construction of a flight training center, a fuselage trainer, renovations to Buildings 87, 193, and 394, and Hangars 285 and 518:

· Construction for the flight training center is on schedule and is currently 40 percent completed. The estimated completion date is set for December 2015, with partial occupancy in September. The new structure is to house weapon system trainers and boom operator trainers.

· Construction for the fuselage trainer is on schedule and 40 percent complete. The estimated completion date is set for December 2015, with partial occupancy in September. The fuselage trainer will have classrooms, a fuselage simulator training area, a conference area, covered storage and a cargo build-up training area.

· Renovations to Building 87 for the 97th Operations Group and 97th Maintenance Training Squadron are on schedule and 69 percent complete. The estimated completion date is set for March 2015. The operations group and maintenance training will relocate to the first and second floors, respectively. Enlisted promotion testing has been moved to an alternate location, but will return to Building 87 in early 2016.

· Renovations to Building 193 for the squadron operations/aircraft maintenance unit are on schedule and currently 36 percent complete. The estimated completion date is set for December 2015.

· Exterior construction to Hangar 285 has yet to begin. The bid for who will design and construct it has yet to be decided, but is currently scheduled to be awarded March 16, 2015. The estimated contract amount is set at $3.9 million and the estimated completion date is set for July 2016. The hangar will support the addition of an aircraft tail enclosure to facilitate KC-46 aircraft maintenance. The project will upgrade hangar electrical and fire suppression systems to allow connections to the mobile tail enclosure's lighting and fire suppression systems.

· Interior construction to Hangar 285 has yet to begin. The layout of the changes is still in design, but the estimated completion date is set for December 2015. Hangar 285 will be altered to facilitate KC-46 maintenance operations and will include structural, utilities, mechanical and electrical work.

· Renovations to Building 394 have yet to begin. The bid for who will renovate the space has been received and is in review, and it scheduled to be awarded March 2015. The estimated completion date is set for June 2015. The warehouse space will be renovated for contractor office and storage. The existing space will be reconfigured utilizing conventional design and construction methods to accommodate the mission of the facility.

· Construction on a new tail dock on Hangar 518 has yet to begin. The project is being reworked due to the government cost estimates being too low and the contractor cost estimates being too high. The estimated contract amount is set at $10.4 million and the estimated completion date is set for April 2017. The project will alter and add a new tail dock to the east side of the hangar to fully enclose the KC-46.

Construction is not expected to alter any driving routes, or result in any road closures, said Bruce White, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers quality assurance representative and project manager.

"We're conscious of the critical pathways the Air Force needs here," he said. "We coordinate with housing and customer service for parking lot closures and construction sites, and we stay within our zones."

The construction may be an inconvenience to some, but it is vital for preparing the next generation of refueling Airmen, said U.S. Air Force Capt. Kirk Hull, 97th Civil Engineer Squadron KC-46 Beddown design and construction program chief.

"To us, this is not just a construction project. This is supporting our warfighters downrange. This is the ability to get our refuelers closer to the fight than ever before," said Hull. "When our fighters and our heavies can get closer to the fight and stay in the fight longer, it's a morale booster to the troops on the ground to see the support from the air."

Altus is projected to receive the first KC-46 aircraft in 2016.

"It's a new mission. It's a new aircraft. It's the new shiny object in the room, which means Altus will be relevant for a long time," said Hull. "I think it's exciting. In terms of what our refueling capability brings to the fight, we can literally touch anywhere in the world. There is literally no place that we can't get somebody, if we know where they are. That's just incredible to me."