Bilirakis Lauds Air Force Decision To Designate MacDill As Main Operation Base For KC-46 Pegasus

Press Release

U.S. Congressman Gus Bilirakis applauds the United States Air Force's recent decision to select MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa as its home base for 24 new KC-46 Pegasus tankers. MacDill Air Force Base is already home to 28 associate units from all branches of the military, including: U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command and the 927th Air Refueling Wing. The diverse human and technological resources needed to support these vital operations uniquely benefits the Tampa Bay area, and the community recognizes the significance contributions the base makes to the region. According to the Air Force, the decision to place the Pegasus program at MacDill was made after conducting site surveys that evaluated a variety of factors associated with each potential base, including: mission, infrastructure capacity, community support, cost and environment considerations.

"There is no where in the country that supports its military community more than Tampa Bay," said local Congressman Gus Bilirakis. "We recognize MacDill as a key community asset and support the men and women stationed there who bravely serve our nation. This new program will serve as an important catalyst for continued economic development and we welcome it to our area."

The Air Force says the new tankers will bring many enhanced capabilities, such as boom and drogue refueling on the same sortie, worldwide navigations and communication, cargo capacity on the entire main deck floor, receiver air refueling, improved force protection, and multi-point air refueling capability.

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