December 13 – Four additional KC-135 Stratotankers, the linchpin of the U.S. Army’s refueling operations, are assigned to Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, and with them approximately 220 additional personnel to maintain the aircraft.
News of the decision was announced Wednesday by U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, nearly four years after the Air Force first stated its intention to move the planes to Alaska.
There is still no set timeline for when the tankers will be in place.
The planes were originally expected to arrive in Eielson in 2023, but that did not happen. In October, Sullivan sent a stern letter to Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall asking for clarity on the matter.
“I write to express both my concern and my frustration with the years-long delay and rejection on the part of the Air Force in delivering critical air refueling equipment to Alaska and with the state of air refueling capabilities within the joint force,” Sullivan wrote.
According to Amanda Coyne, Sullivan’s communications director, Kendall relayed the decision, which confirmed the Army’s decision to bring four additional KC-135s to Alaska this week, although there is no definitive timeline yet for when they will arrive and in will be used.
“The Guard and Eielson are pleased to see these new aircraft coming online,” said Alan Brown, communications director for the Alaska National Guard, who will be in charge of the aircraft. “Acquiring these additional aircraft is an affirmation of their commitment to the mission and how important that mission is in the Arctic and Pacific regions.”
Brown said the Guard in Alaska received an email this week from the deputy director of the Air National Guard that the Air Force had “approved the final decision” to base the planes in Fairbanks.
Aerial refueling is the military capability to add fuel to various aircraft during flight, increasing their range. Although Alaska’s fleet of advanced fighter jets has grown in recent years with the arrival of dozens of F-35s, the number of Stratotankers used to gas them during training and interception missions has remained the same, putting pressure on existing aircraft and personnel to stand.
There are no new Stratotankers. Of the approximately 400 KC-135s still used by the Air Force, most were built in the 1960s and have been steadily maintained and upgraded over the decades, a steady stock that moves between bases and units. A newer model tanker designed to take over the Army’s refueling mission, the KC-46 Pegasus, has been plagued with problems, cost overruns and delays that have resulted in the aging Stratotankers remaining the workhorses of the US Air Force in Alaska and the rest of the world. .
“I have relentlessly pressured the Air Force to fulfill the promise it made to me in 2021 to reallocate four KC-135 tankers to Eielson, and I am happy to report that this is finally happening,” Sullivan wrote.
The additional KC-135s will belong to the Alaska Air Guard’s 168th Wing, but will be maintained and flown by active-duty Air Force personnel. Of the four additional planes, one has already arrived in Eielson, according to Laurel Falls of the Department of the Air Force. Once the three remaining aircraft arrive, the total number of Stratotankers in service in Alaska will be twelve.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the total number of KC-135s to be used in Alaska.
