Travis breaks ground on hangar for incoming KC-46A Pegasus Published Dec. 20, 2018 By 2nd Lt. Rachel Brinegar 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif – Leadership from Travis Air Force Base as well as civic leaders from the local community broke ground on a three-bay hangar for the incoming KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft, Dec. 14. The three-bay hangar is the first and largest of several construction projects set to begin over the next few years in preparation for the arrival of the KC-46. Once complete, the 174,300-square foot facility will be used for maintaining the new aerial refueling platform. “In total, Travis is scheduled to receive 24 KC-46s through the middle of the next decade,” said Maj. Gen. Sam Barrett, 18th Air Force commander, in front of an audience of more than 200 Airmen and community members. “Those aircraft will play a vital role in providing flexibility to U.S. and Coalition forces around the world.” Among those community members were Congressman John Garamendi from California’s 3rd district and State Senator Bill Dodd from California Senate’s 3rd District, who both spoke at the ceremony. “This base has been the gateway to the Pacific for a long, long time and amongst all of us in this room, we are really just the current generation of men and women that have made this base critical to our nation’s defense and it’s going to continue on,” said Garamendi. The Pegasus is the newest aerial refueling platform in the Air Force’s tanker fleet, bringing with it the capability to refuel two fixed-wing aircraft simultaneously and an increased aeromedical evacuation capacity. These enhancements will allow Travis to remain at the forefront of rapid global mobility and continue to project American power anytime, anywhere. “The KC-46 will continue the great legacy we have that allows mobility aircraft to reach any spot on the planet in 18 hours or less,” said Barrett. It is not without the support from the local civic leaders that made it possible for Travis to be chosen as one of the bases for the Pegasus. “With the help of businesses in the region, we will build hangars to house the aircraft. Travis AFB isn’t just in the community, it’s a part of the community,” said Barrett. In total, the KC-46 is expected to bring 175 million dollars in military construction and 96 new active duty positions. “2023 is just around the corner and years of preparation are about to culminate with a 107 million dollar new hangar,” said Dodd. “All this is tied to the Travis community consortium and its long-term goals of preserving and supporting the mission at Travis AFB.” Construction on the hangar will officially begin March 2019. The groundbreaking ceremony showed the first visible step to the base and the community that the Pegasus is coming, stated Col. Jeffrey Nelson, 60th Air Mobility Wing commander. “We have worked hard to build relationships around Travis,” said Maj. Thomas Neveu, KC-46 Program Integration Office. “It is now, and will continue to be, the relationships we have here that will guarantee the success of the projects.” The first of the Pegasus aircraft is set to arrive January 2023, approximately six months after the scheduled completion date of the three-bay hangar.